Jewelry Businesses range in size from small part time affairs to large corporations. I am a firm believer that for jewelry, bigger is not always better. Before you decide to start or expand a jewelry business, take the time to get clear on your priorities. Are you primarily interested in making money? If money is your chief motivator, I can tell you right now that there are many other businesses that are more profitable.

Are you looking for a way to spend more time designing and making jewelry? Hobbies actually optimize design time. Any art form that is turned into a business will usually decrease the time you have to work in the studio. Running a full time jewelry business, you will be lucky if you get to spend 10% of your time making jewelry. You would be amazed at how many hours get sucked up in book keeping, marketing, shipping and other generic tasks. Ask yourself, “Am I willing to spend 90% of my time running my business?” If the answer is yes, then by all means, jump in! If the answer is no, you might want to sell just enough to keep you in beads.

Job or Hobby?

In short, use caution before you turn your jewelry hobby into a full time business. Running a Jewelry Business is just as difficult, if not more so, than any other business. Read my articles Starting a Jewelry Business and Is It time to Quit Your Day Job? for more thoughts on the subject.

Here are a few helpful websites for starting a jewelry business: The Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, for information regarding basic business decisions. Start here to find out your state agency for sales tax. And, go to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips for answers to many of the questions you may have.