Ch-ch-ch-Changes...

[Bitter Jeweler]

I think most of you remember when I was trying to design my logo before I opened my business...Well, in growing my business I realized I have to dump some of the wholesale accounts I have, and go for attracting some retail custom design work. That's where the money is. I've thought about how I am doing the custom work for a few of the most reputable retail stores in the area, and that it shouldn't be too hard to start making a name for myself to the public. I don't think, realistically, that I will ever lose the wholesale component of my business and exist solely on retail work. I also don't think I ever want to be a retail store that actually stocks merchandise. The most profit will be retail custom work to the public. This is my effort to remain small, eventually be able to work fewer hours, and make more of the mighty dollar.

To that end, I have hired a talented and rather expensive "Branding" agent to start the ball rolling. In conjunction with taking on more space, both for working, and for a more comfortable, pleasing, "upscale" showroom, I am being re-invented. The rebranding has been interesting, and comes with mixed feelings. I am losing the visual identity I created for myself, and am adopting what somebody else feels I should be. This even comes with a business name change.

The process has been really cool, and they have finallized my new logo, or mark, picked new fonts and are working on a color scheme. I went in for the presentation and was blown away. I was faced with a wall of ideas. They showed me all the doodles that lead them to the final mark, and had examples from the research they did of other jewelery brands in the industry, including Tiffany's, Cartier, and some more local businesses. They showed me what was good, and what was bad from my competition. They explained that what they are trying to get across via my website is why people should come to me. To show how much more involved in the process they will be with the actual artist than they experience through a retail store. The design of my website will reflect that I am high quality, have design range, and hint at being "exclusive". This is soooo exciting to me. For so many years I was, and just felt like a worker bee. That is changing!

Here is my new logo/mark:


Sans the red box from using the snipping tool :lol:

I am very happy that they were able to work my initials into a stylized ring. Something I didn't even think about when I was designing. I think GGT will like this mark more than my old one, as it reflects the argument she made back then.

I am no longer David Wilkinson Design, either. The business is now simply David Wilkinson (handcrafted jewelery). While I never liked the the term handcrafted, I think in conjuction with all the other visuals for print and web, it distinguishes it from home craft (think Etsy.com) to something much more. In the process is designing a business card and signage, then the website. I can't wait till it's all done to be able to start some selective advertising, and start slowly growing in another, hopefully better, direction.

I R Evolving!

[littlelolligagged]

Sexxxy.

I think this will be good; I'm glad you have the courage to take the plunge yet again.

Also, I'm thinking of a phase. 6 words.

[Dreadnaught]

This looks cool! And glad the consultants seem to be paying off. You hear so much about larger companies wasting money on this stuff, but it sounds like they really are proving their worth for a business like yours.

Have you hired anyone else? I guess I'm just wondering if it's possible to have some of the "wholesale" work done by someone else under your umbrella just to keep the cashflow. But I remember that the investment in a new employee was a bit of a tough decision a few months ago given where you were.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Dread, I did have sticker shock at what they are charging me for this, but I already feel it well worth it. While I like to try to do everything myself, I think it was a very smart decision to fork over the dough and hire a talented professional. They look at this from a much different perspective than I did or ever would, in creating a "brand" and a presence. I see now it is more than "build it and they will come", they are designing to "reach" and communicate. They are also involved in the marketing to a degree. The guy told someone else in the building that "he is going to be so busy, when we get done with him". I like that confidence.

With taking over the space next to me, and expanding, I do have hiring in mind. After having that woman work for a couple months, I had to rethink the space to allow for another person. Whether that is a book keep/ secretary/ helper, or a jeweler that can do some of the gunt work, and handle some of the book work and phone calls...I dunno. I am really against it. I am a control freak. Moreso after the mess that woman I hired created. But I am not ruling it out. My hope is striking a balance with the wholesale and retail. Eliminating some of the lower $$$ wholesale accounts, which also tend to be the most demanding, and annoying, will be a good thing. I dropped one pain in the ass account, that was actually a larger ($) one, and just the lack of stress she created has been great. And it turned out, I was able to pick up more work from one of the better customers, and the loss of the one just did not make a dent. Funny how stuff works out .

[littlelolligagged]

You really are going to need someone to work for you one of these days.

Just not another dingbat.

[Dreadnaught]

Do you have any friendly, competent peers you could refer the business to instead of just dropping them? May help you get that business back someday if it's worthwhile.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Yeah, lolli, easier said than done, apparently.

Dread, there are 3 other wholesale repair jewelers in my building, several that work from home, and, my old boss. So it's not like they are left out in the cold. They will just experience a change in quality. The people that I want to drop, do no custom work with me. It's all crappy repairs. They typically do under $500 a month with me, but involves tons of estimates for $15 jobs, shitty jewelery that should be scrapped, train wrecks, and numerous phone calls. Getting 1 good retail job (tripple wholesale pricing) a month, consistantly, warrants dropping three such wholesale customers.

It won't happen overnight. I am not going to push full scale advertising. It will be dropping ads in playbills for local plays and shows, and supporting other local art type events that bring people who support the arts, and have money. Donating jewelery to silent auction find raisers. I will probably do limited web Pay-per-click advertising. I also have a friend who is in marketing, and she has some good ideas for placing ads in places that target people with money. I want to grow slow, so I have time to adjust, and react. I want to get that "word of mouth" free advertising ball rolling.

I am profitable now, so it is becoming more about the hours worked/income ratio that I want to improve. My loan, lawyer bill, and now tax bill are making things very tight, but they have an end.

I don't really know the ins an outs of business, I never studied business. This just makes sense to me. It's common sense.

[Hazir]

It's really satisfying (and not in a 'I told you so' way) to see how you are getting ahead with your business. I remember how I had a fall out with you before you quit your job. How I called you a whiner who was al talk but no walk. And I really meant that when I wrote it. It's great to see how little of that whiner remains.

[GGT]

Yeah, I like that one! Can see the W and the jewel. At first it struck me as an inverted ribbon (the kind we see all over the place) or a Greek letter of some sort. Which is kinda cool since you have a Greek heritage. It's especially nice that it doubles as an art image representing your work, and something like an alpha-numerical symbol code. "A Pattern Language"! Younger people might connect to that (The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, body art tattooing, sci-fi fans or even computer language people). Unique without looking unfamiliar.

It'd be even cooler with the jewel or gem in another color, or some highlighting colors somewhere. Good job, Bitter! You must be so proud and excited!

[Bitter Jeweler]

Hazir:
:lmao:

Yeah.
But it took a loan to make this all happen, and until that happened I didn't feel I had any options, and felt very trapped.
My xBoss is just getting by now. I have heard through the grapevine that he has had to lower prices, because the quality is no longer there.
One of my customers also heard another former customer of mine that went back to xBoss because I was too expensive, complaining about the crappy quality of work he is getting. Also, a woman that works for him now, that I worked under at my very first jewelery job, said she hates him, and basically complains about all the stuff I complained about. I may have been whining, but that man is an ass, and always will be. Heck, a new retail customer I just did some work for complained about him, and how she didn't trust him. I giggled inside I just got another job from her too.

It's funny, just last week a customer that uses both of us, said he didn't know what he had till I left. I responded, "at the same time, I didn't really know what I had, till I left." And honestly, I didn't. I was scared to death to do this! I never would have dreamed in under two years I would be expanding, and could afford to!

So you can look back and see that I wasn't just talk?
I really appreciate what you posted

[Bitter Jeweler]

Yeah, I like that one! Can see the W and the jewel. At first it struck me as an inverted ribbon (the kind we see all over the place) or a Greek letter of some sort. Which is kinda cool since you have a Greek heritage. It's especially nice that it doubles as an art image representing your work, and something like an alpha-numerical symbol code. "A Pattern Language"! Younger people might connect to that (The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, body art tattooing, sci-fi fans or even computer language people). Unique without looking unfamiliar.

It'd be even cooler with the jewel or gem in another color, or some highlighting colors somewhere. Good job, Bitter! You must be so proud and excited!

It struck me as an inverted ribbon too. That's just a little niggle I have with it. What they presented me with, did have the logo with a colored stone in the top. Business card will probably have the "d" in gold foil, and the gem in another colored foil. The presentation was excellent, and showed varied uses/treatments with it. I am excited to get signage designs, and get a proper sign instead of the matboard sign I currently have LOL.

But remember our discussion? You wanted me to be more traditional. So, I guess I conceded? My expanded showroom will get a face lift, and I am hiring an interior designer to help with that. Again, I just learned to hire professionals, instead of thinking I can do it all. I am going for a "designer" living room feel. Comfortable sitting area, area rug, hardwood (laminate, possibly bamboo) floor. So with some customers, we can sit in a comfortable space and talk, rather than have them stand at a counter.

[GGT]

Sounds great! I never liked the standing at a counter environment. Hiring other professionals was a great idea. Exactly why none of us should try to design and create our own jewelry, but pay professionals like you. Your new logo is more like a traditional piece of jewelry that appeals to old fogies (like me), with an artsy flair that'd appeal to the younger set.

The business signage part would look fantastic with your original back-lighting idea (or was it up-lighting?) incorporated. With smoked or frosted glass (since you ALSO make glass!) and some surrounding frame of....acid etched or pounded metal, like some of your beautiful bands. 3-D. Damn that sounds cool!

[GGT]

Bitter, another thing. Ask your interior designer (no offense to decorators, but hope you choose a designer and not decorator) about the color of your ceiling. I've noticed black ceilings a lot lately, when shops renovate and want a more intimate feeling. Especially if there are high ceilings and exposed ductwork. It works really well, but it makes the lighting even more important, so they use very little overhead light....more like layered lighting. A couple of tiny halogen lamps streaming down, side uplights from sconces, indirect low amp lighting from lamps with shades, casting a warm glow. Lighting specialists are probably very valuable for a business like yours. I've been at places that used halogen cabinet lamps that made their glass and counters incredibly hot to touch....and were too bright to show off their jewelry. Or their backdrops were white.



More ramblings for Bitter. I was thinking about your many talents. Blowing glass, creating kites, that great car cake you made for your dad!.....on top of your incredible talents for jewelry design and craftsmanship. It'd be sweet if your designer could capture all that you are, somehow, and translate that to the public. Possibly an awning outside, reminiscent of your kites or the Sydney opera house. Fabric awnings are like a new way to get peoples' attention, over all the things that compete for visuals, somehow more appealing than neon signs, because they can be large or colorful without being ugly or intrusive.

Probably couldn't mix in your cake-making talents very well, but some up-scale places do offer petite fours or tiny chocolates with gourmet coffees (for their valuable repeat or high-paying customers). Made me think of those tiny ceramic boxes with inlaid jewels, because they're almost pretty enough to eat. Designer cakes and treats have taken on a jewel-like quality lately. Like Faberge Easter eggs.

Maybe down the road you could create a special box for your jewelry.....something more than just the fake velvet box with springed hinges. Dunno, maybe that sounds corny. But I know plenty of women save the box their special jewelry came in. It'd be nice if they weren't hidden in closets or drawers, but miniature works of art themselves, something unique to just YOU and your talents. No reason only Tiffany should capitalize on their distinct box color, right?

MORE ramblings....

Come to think of it, simply the color of a box holding jewelry is important. My mom used to like a jeweler in FL called Fishel and Dowdy. All their stuff came in pink fabric boxes. No idea if they were anything more than a free-standing type of Zales, but when she gave us gifts that came in that pink fabric box, we'd get excited before we even opened it. Ditto for a jeweler in Indpls called Sipes. Their boxes were a velvety grey. Something special, denoted by the box and its color. Anyone and everyone can do basic black.

NYT has a lot of side ads for Tiffany's, and we know them just by seeing their pale robins-egg turquoise blue. Unique color that's gone in and out of "fashion" over the years, but it's become their signature color.

[oldmunchkin]

Congrats Bitter!

I like GGT's idea of creating some sort of unique boxes for your jewelery. I still have the box that a diamond necklace came in. It's like a ceramic of some sort, with a pink rose added to the top. By that I mean the rose is sticking up! (I know, not the best way to say it, but only way I can think of, sorry! ) It was a birthday gift about 10 or 11 years ago, and I still have it! That box makes me think of the person who gave it to me, makes me remember the birthday more than other ones! Maybe you should think about something along this line, something unique to your shop.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Love you ramblings GGT!

I cant do anything with the ceiling. Lighting is handled.

No, I have no need to demonstrate all my abilities, and think that is a bit of a reach. I am in a high rise, so, no awning.

As for boxes, I have made a few choices to run by my hired pro, that can be hot foil stamped with my mark.
Are you insane even thinking I should make my own boxes? I don't mean to sound rude, but I have several catalogues of packaging choices. It's like hundreds of styles with color choices. At this point its finding one with the most bang for my buck. Tiffany boxes are nothing special.

By the way, what exactly is fake velvet? What makes velvet real?


Munchkin, I know exactly what you are talking about. There is a word for those little ceramic boxes that escapes me, but yeah, they are mass produced and available as well.

[GGT]

Love you ramblings GGT!

I cant do anything with the ceiling. Lighting is handled.

No, I have no need to demonstrate all my abilities, and think that is a bit of a reach. I am in a high rise, so, no awning.

As for boxes, I have made a few choices to run by my hired pro, that can be hot foil stamped with my mark.
Are you insane even thinking I should make my own boxes? I don't mean to sound rude, but I have several catalogues of packaging choices. It's like hundreds of styles with color choices. At this point its finding one with the most bang for my buck. Tiffany boxes are nothing special.

By the way, what exactly is fake velvet? What makes velvet real?

Well, velour is not velvet. I guess it's like asking people to feel the difference between real silks or furs, and their synthetic competitors. I don't really know how to explain it. Maybe it's more like knowing porn when you see it. Not that I mind synthetic mink or synthetic jewels, mind you. It's pretty tough these days to know a real diamond from cubic zirconia, or real amber from imposter fakes.

I still think some special mark on your boxes would be quite nice.

[Angel_Mapper]

Nice Bitter, congrats on all your success!