Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

  • Congratulations strongm on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Help me name my business! 3

Status
Not open for further replies.

lisaharris

Programmer
Feb 12, 2007
130
US
Recently I've decided to turn a hobby into a part-time business. I make jewelry -- hand made bracelets, necklaces, and earrings -- using Swarovski Crystal, Genuine Pearls, and other high-quality beads. I've been doing this for years, mostly for gifts and things to wear myself. I currently find myself with an inventory of close to 50 pieces and I have thousands of beads just waiting to be used in some creative way.

I'm going to start photographing them so they can be listed for sale and I'd like to make a website to promote the business. But I'm lost when it comes to a catchy, creative name. The only thing I thought of was "Strung Out - Treasures by Lisa" but that almost sounds like I'm a drug dealer. (-:

Help me name my business! If I decide to go with a name someone suggests, I will happily send you one of my creations -- just give me a color and wrist size and if I don't have something in my inventory, I will custom make a piece as thanks for you!

Lisa

__________
Veni, Vidi, Visa: I came, I saw, I charged it.
 

I don't have a name, but I do have some advice:

Charge more than you think the pieces are worth.

I have a story to back this up. Several years ago the mother of a good friend started selling her homemade crafts. For years she had been making Santa Claus dolls, about a foot high, carrying a bag of toys with animals around his feet. She mostly made them for friends and family, until finally enough people said to her, "You should be selling these!" So she started making them for local specialty stores and such, selling them for 3$0 apiece.

Well, sales were miserable, until one day another friend told my friend's mother, "Hey, you should raise the price to about $100. I know it sounds backwards, but I'll bet you sell more." So she did just that...and her sales went up! It turns out that "you get what you pay for" cuts both ways. If you sell your items for a low price, people will think they are "cheap". Charge more and people think they are getting more, even if they really aren't.

My friend's mother ended up selling the Santa dolls to boutiques in Dallas for $450 each, and the stores were selling them for around $750 each. She couldn't keep up with demand, because the stores would typically sell out within a few days.


I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day!
 
Great advice, have a star!

The internet - allowing those who don't know what they're talking about to have their say.
 
Yes... a similar story (regarding perceived worth).

We have a 12-piece "big band" up here. They're quite good, but they weren't getting any bookings. So, they talked to a friend of mine who said "How much are you charging?" "$300 a night" they said.

My friend asked "What kind of big band do you think YOU would get for $300??? You should be charging $1200 a night."

Now, they're booked solid.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg
 
If you are going to photograph them, please have a decent camera to do so. I don't care how awesome the item might be and what its listed for, if the picture doesn't do it justice, its hard to pull the trigger in an online sale, just a thought.

Beautiful Bangles - w/ or w/o the by Lisa
Lisa's Bodacious Bangles - throw back to the early 90's
Charmed


"Silence is golden, duct tape is silver...
 
[shadeshappy]Cant get a certain ZZTop song outa my head[shadeshappy]

"Silence is golden, duct tape is silver...
 
another advantage of overpricing is you can offer special discount prices & still make a killing.

(I am sure that the reason many London attractions are so expensive has nothing to do with the 2 for 1 ticket offer that can be obtained when buying a travelcard form London transport :) )

Mundus vult decipi decipiatur ergo.
 
If you're trying to go upscale with the image and the cost, you shouldn't have a goofy (yet clever) pun for the name. Maybe even put your real name in the forefront (with or without the "Lisa").

Lisa Harris Creations
Lisa Harris Personal Creations
Lisa Harris Wearable Art

Harris Creations
Harris Personal Creations
Harris Wearable Art

There are a huge number of very recognizable brands that are just a name; Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, etc. Yes, that's a lofty target to shoot for, but on the Internet, anyone can be a large conglomerate.

Then you can have your lower cost line, "String-O-Beads (by HL)", that's sold through Walmarts or Target. [bigsmile]

 
Well, I have a new name for my jewelry business. Many thanks for the advice on pricing and photography -- to answer Dr B0b, yes I do have a good camera and a tripod so my images will be crisp. Background is important as well, especially to capture some of the fine details.

So, without further ado, I will present my company,

[purple]Brilla Bella [/purple]

It's Italian for Beautiful Sparkles. So a big THANK YOU to Santa Mufasa who was the first to mention a foreign language. Using Italian pays homage to my heritage, it's nice catchy alliteration, and most importantly, the domain name is available!

Santa -- please send an email to BrillaBella@comcast.net with a color preference (perhaps Mrs. Mufasa's favorite color?) and if you need a small, average, or large size bracelet, along with a shipping address.

Once again, thank you ALL for your suggestions and advice! Much appreciated!

__________
Veni, Vidi, Visa: I came, I saw, I charged it.
 
A star for the winner!

"Silence is golden, duct tape is silver...
 
That's very thoughtful, Lisa...thank you. Mrs. Santa/Mrs. Mufasa loves hand-crafted objets d'art. I'll be in touch via e-mail.

[santa]Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top