Creation|Collaboration Friday Feature - featuring Claire Ogden of Claire Ogden Designs

We're really delighted to be bringing you yet another Feature Friday article - today we're featuring Claire Ogden of Claire Ogden Designs.

Thanks so much for chatting to us today Claire - can you introduce us to you and your company?

I am Claire Ogden and I have my own business called Claire Ogden Designs, it is an online company that specialises in individual and unique handmade jewellery, wedding jewellery, tiaras and bridal combs. 

I have always been a very creative individual and like making an impression.  I am self taught and run with the ideas that I see in my mind when I look at the materials - no planning or research, I just make what I see! 

I created my website myself - I created it as a scrap book theme to catch my thoughts and processes of making and creating the jewellery, just like a snapshot of what I see before I settle down to create. All of my products have been created to infuse each piece with a sense of individuality, boldness and an impression made to last. A ‘Once seen never forgotten’ philosophy! I love to make a difference and create jewellery that shines through and gets noticed but designing each piece to last the decades and be wearable for a lifetime.

Where did the idea of running this as a business come from?

I began making pieces of jewellery for myself initially, which I found received a lot of interest and comments so I decided to expand into making pieces for friends and family.  I then ran with the idea of a website and just keep adding new designs and creations all the time!

What do you love most about your business?

I LOVE making the pieces, I LOVE people wearing my jewellery and I get a large amount of bespoke orders and repeat business but what I ultimately LOVE is the fact that a bride is wearing MY jewellery collection on her wedding day and people are noticing! There is nothing better than making people feel special and I order such a personal service I can do just that!

What would you like to change?

I find that quite hard to answer because I feel I change things all the time, I change the site pictures often to create more interest and work with new designs all the time. My notice board and directory on the site are updated frequently and I run blog and website polls and votes often. I love interacting with everyone else, especially when I have to decide between options or jewellery colours or pieces, it is so much fun!

What is your aim for the next year?

To be a recognised brand on the web, I want people to be wearing my jewellery everyday and coming back and passing the information on, I want people to be rushing on line to buy my new releases!

Where do you ultimately see yourself?
I want to be happy, I want to know I have provided an excellent service to each and every person who has passed by my site, I would love people to stock my jewellery and talk about the fact that it is so very different and desired.

What are your Top 5 tips for new Business Women?
Tip 1 NEVER give up, even if you feel really bad! Opportunities arise when you are not looking for them.

Tip 2 Customer service is the MOST IMPORTANT thing, offer a fabulous service and be remembered for it.

Tip 3 Don’t be afraid to ask for help, advice, support, other peoples input and opinions

Tip 4 Believe it what you do and ENJOY it.

Tip 5 Be committed and work really hard, my motto is that you have to do it yourself because nobody does it for you.

A few last words - How can a prospective customer contact you?
I can be contacted in several ways - via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Claire-Ogden-Designs/121632454543156?ref=ts, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cogdendesigns, on my website at http://www.claireogdendesigns.co.uk/ or by email on claireogdendesigns@googlemail.com.

Thanks so much for chatting with us today Claire - your work is exceptionally beautiful, any bride would be utterly thrilled to wear your pieces on her big day!

Next week, we'll be featuring another fabulous woman run business - make sure to check back next Friday!!!

If you are a woman running your own business and would like to be featured in one of our Friday Feature articles, please email us at creationcollaboration@yahoo.com with the words "Friday Feature" in the subject line.

Feature Friday - Pot of Gold Crafts Profile on Creation|Collaboration

Welcome to the fifth of our Feature Fridays on Creation|Collaboration! Each Friday, we profile a woman run business by interviewing the founder and finding more out about them, their business, their life and loves!

For our fifth Feature Friday, we've chatted to Susie McKinstray, owner of Pot of Gold Crafts in North-East Scotland.



Hi Susie, introduce us to yourself and your company!

Hi all, I'm Susie McKinstray and I am the creator behind everything at Pot of Gold Crafts.

Pot of Gold is one of those places you really can find something for anyone. We currently specialise in handmade greetings cards, jewellery and accessories and now we do hand-dyed wool, aimed originally at the cloth nappy market for knitters to create soakers for over the cloth nappies, but obviously any real wool lovers are more than welcome. We've also combined a love of wool, knitting and jewels to create a range of Swarovski crystal stitch markers to add some fantastic sparkle to your knitting day. We also have many new items currently in the planning stage, with some now in development and heading to the testing stage.

Where did the idea of running this as a business come from?

I have always had an incredibly creative streak and have tried my hand at many different crafts (if I went into listing them we'd be here for a while!) Being a stay-at-home mum since having my first child, I found many other mums online who ran “WAHM” (work-at-home mum) businesses. That's really when it first hit me that other people may also be interested in the things I make.

What do you love most about your business?

Just knowing people like the things I make is amazing. I also like being able to be flexible with working time depending on what my family's needs are. However, for me, the best thing is that I don't have to commute to work at all.

What would you like to change?

My workspace. I've already got a corner set up in my living room as my craft work area but it's a little unorganised and I want to turn the storage area under our stairs into a fantastic mini craft room.

What is your aim for the next year?

Many new products and working to have an in stock yarn selection as I am currently working on a preorder status. I have had a small break from making current products as I am developing a few new things, with sewn products as well as some knitted and crocheted items so I aim to resume building up more current stock as well. I am also hoping soon to create my own website to house the cards and jewellery and keep the yarn at my Hyenacart store since there is a great yarn-loving community there.



Where do you ultimately see yourself?

I would love to open a “bricks and mortar” shop, and sell not only my own products but those of other crafters who want to get their name out there. I suppose it would be like a “real life” version of Creation|Collaboration.

What are your Top 5 tips for new Business Women ?

Tip 1 Believe in yourself! If other people tell you they like what you do and keep asking for you to assist or make something for them, then you know what you are doing will be worth it. Even when things are going slowly, don't let it get to you and put you off wanting to continue.

Tip 2 Be patient! It is so hard to get people to realise you are there, especially if you are trying to get into a business with many other creators, and in some cases cheaper mass-produced items.


Tip 3 Carefully consider your pricing structure. Obviously you want your customers to feel they are getting good value for money, but don't underprice yourself either. If you're not earning from your hard work then you won't make a living; remember it is a business and not just a hobby anymore (but whoever said work couldn't be fun?)

Tip 4 Advertise! I don't mean you have to spend thousands on TV or radio adverts, but setting up Twitter and Facebook pages and inviting all your friends can lead to word of mouth and more and more people will become aware of your business and hopefully start recommending you to others that they know will be interested. Business cards are easily obtainable for very little cost now, make sure to send some out with every order (I usually enclose 2 or 3 with orders in the hope the spares may be passed on to friends) and you may also find some local businesses will be happy to hand them out to people they know may be interested in your products.


Tip 5 Planning! Try to set yourself daily and weekly goals with things to do, try to put in work regularly and maybe consider setting yourself “working hours” whether it's a set time each day to work or just a certain number of hours per week. The more organised you are about your business then the easier it will be to make sure customers get things in a timely manner. This is something I had issues with when starting out, but it's definitely something that you get used to if you get into the habit of doing it.

A few last words - How do we contact Pot of Gold Crafts?

You can stop by the shop at http://hyenacart.com/potofgold or come on by the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/potofgoldcrafts. We're also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/potofgoldcrafts and finally our blog is at http://potofgoldcrafts.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much Susie for talking to us today - we love the colours and variety of your handmade products. 

Next week, on Feature Friday, we'll be featuring Rachael Dunseath from Myroo Skincare and MillyandFlossy.  Make sure to check back!!

Feature Friday - NuJoolz at Creation|Collaboration

Welcome to the fourth of our Feature Fridays on Creation|Collaboration!  Each Friday, we profile a woman run business by interviewing the founder and finding more out about them, their business, their life and loves!

For our fourth Feature Friday, we've chatted to Alison Thomson, owner of NuJoolz in East Scotland, a bespoke jewellery and tiara maker. 

Hi Allie, introduce us to yourself and your company!

Hi C|C, my name is Alison Thomson and I am owner, designer and manufacturer of every piece of jewellery that carries the NuJoolz brand. 

NuJoolz is a small family run company specialising in jewellery and tiaras for special occasions. I work predominantly with wire and beads and, as a result, no two items are ever identical. I also offer a bespoke service that allows certain styles of tiara or jewellery be customised or tailored to meet your own needs and wants. NuJoolz believes that, no matter what your budget, you deserve to feel and look like a princess on your special day.

 

Where did the idea of running this as a business come from?

 

I never actually had an idea of running a business; I had taken a few wire work jewellery courses in the past because it interested me, I enjoyed it and used to make bits and pieces as gifts for family and friends but nothing more. Then I decided to get married. I chose my dress but, no matter where I looked, I just could not find a tiara that I wanted and imagined I would wear. I also wanted my bridesmaids to be wearing complimentary jewellery and matching hair pins.

So I came up with the idea of making my own, I had no reason not too, after all, I did have the skills. For my final dress fitting, I had to take accessories with me. The lady who owned the store was very impressed and asked if I had considered making them professionally. I said no but she insisted I should consider it and asked me to make two for her to display in the shop. I did and they both sold within a week. NuJoolz was born. Since then I have regularly supplied the store with tiaras, necklaces and bracelets.

 

What do you love most about your business?

 

I love making people happy. It gives me such a buzz on a Monday morning to open the local paper and see a page dedicated to those who married the previous week. I often spot things I made and seeing the bride look so happy and radiant fills me with joy. It is always nice when someone compliments your product.

 

What would you like to change?

 

I want to expand.. ideally I would like to attend wedding fairs more often and possibly have a dedicated studio. Like many women who set up a business, I work from home and that does not help with the work/life balance. I have considered getting a small summerhouse to give me somewhere to work and also meet customers to discuss their needs and wants.  I also would like to work on my ability to photograph Swarovski beads - for some reason, I can never get the lighting correct and pictures are always either blurry or too dark.

 

What is your aim for the next year?

 

I have several aims for the next year, Firstly, we will be moving premises - to be able to work and grow, I need my own workspace, ideally with the facility to meet new clients. Secondly, we will be expanding our range to comply with requests for a slightly less formal but still delicate range to suit more informal weddings, engagements and weddings abroad. Our fun and funky range 'Sweet and Simple' will soon be available in some independent stores in Tayside. Finally, I would like to have our website performing beautifully, giving those who are not local to us the chance to buy one of our pieces.  The overall plan is to expand and grow while still providing a one to one service

 

Where do you ultimately see yourself?

I just want to be happy. I would love to have my own store or concession and for my two daughters to follow me into jewellery making and have a true family run business. I would also love for some of my work to be featured in a national bridal magazine. I would love to open a "bricks and mortar" shop with some friends to provide what could only be described as a one stop wedding shop. Planning, dresses, accessories, invitations, cakes, favours ..... basically everything under one roof.

What are your Top 5 tips for new Business Women ?

Tip 1 Never underestimate or dismiss legislation. It is there for a reason and if you chose to ignore it, it will return to bite you on the bum. Never underestimate the power of the taxman and other legal bodies!

Tip 2 Make use of your local business support group/Business Link. The people who work there have literally seen hundreds of business startups and are best placed to guide you. Many also offer free book/record keeping courses or networking events

Tip 3 Internet - do not underestimate the power of Facebook/Twitter and other forms of social networking. Over 53% of the population of Europe has home internet access and with the vast amounts of free publicity available online, you would be silly not to be exploiting it.

Tip 4 Networking. This is linked to Tip 3 - you need to get your business name 'out there'; it needs to start to be a recognisable brand name. Blogging, Facebook and Twitter pages all help with this as does networking within your local area. Get to know those setting up just like you, get to know your suppliers especially local ones.

Tip 5 Have patience. This is the hardest one but you need to sit back and let your hard work filter through. Everyone has slow periods and, in my experience, usually slow starts. Just keep plugging away and soon the sales/bookings will be coming thick and fast.

A few last words - How do we contact NuJoolz?

You can follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/NuJoolz, our blog can be found at http://nujoolz.blogspot.com/, our Twitter page is http://twitter.com/nujoolz and, finally. our website address is http://www.nujoolz.com/.

Thank you so much Alison for chatting with us today - your love of jewellery making for special events really shines through!

Next Friday, we look forward to featuring Susie Mc Kinstray of Pot of Gold Crafts! 

Feature Friday - Beads & More by Lois Profile at Creation|Collaboration

Welcome to the third of our Feature Fridays on Creation|Collaboration!

Each Friday, we're profiling a woman run business by interviewing the founder and finding more out about them, their business, their life and loves!

For our third Feature Friday, we've chatted to Lois Bartley, owner of Beads & More by Lois in Essex, a handcrafted jewellery and home ware business.

Hi Lois, introduce us to yourself and your company

My name is Lois Bartley and my company is Beads & More by Lois. I make handcrafted jewellery and home wares in the comfort of my own home. I have two small children so tend to relax in the evenings and get out my boxes of beads and tools and get creating! I love the fact that my jewellery is totally unique, you can be guaranteed that you'll never find anyone else wearing the same item you've bought from me because I only make once off creations.  

I also offer a bespoke service and really enjoy making something special for my customers - I love that they have helped create their special item by choosing their own colours and beads; I get such a kick out of sending them their special piece that they will treasure forever!

Where did the idea of running this as a business come from?

I started making jewellery about 4 years ago just as a hobby and started to build up quite a collection. Friends and family bought some pieces but I never thought about starting a business as I had just finished university and had my first job as a staff nurse! 

Over the next couple of years I had my first child, got married then fell pregnant with my second and decided to give up work for a while. Before my second baby was due, I had lots of time so got back into making jewellery. 

I met a lady in a bead shop who also offered jewellery making lessons so I signed up to them and learnt lots of new techniques and how to perfect them all to make saleable jewellery.

It was during that summer that I launched Beads &More by Lois and I haven’t looked back!

I started by setting up my own website and then selling some of my items in handmade online shops such as Misi and Folksy. I really enjoy being part of the handmade online community as a lot of us support our own.  For instance, at Christmas I bought the majority of my presents from Misi which were all handmade and fabulous.

A lot of my business has come from jewellery parties and fairs which I enjoy the most as I get to meet my customers face to face and they get the chance to try on my jewellery and see how great it looks on them!

What do you love most about your business?

I absolutely love seeing people wearing my jewellery and hearing how people have commented on how lovely their earrings or bracelet is. The fact that no one else is going to have the same item of jewellery as them is quite appealing to some customers and I enjoy making that happen!

Another aspect that really makes me smile is when I have a table at fairs and people wander over to browse, when they read my sign that all my items are handmade people always say ‘Oh you make all of this?’ and always seem so surprised, which makes me feel great and they spend more time looking.

There is lots to love about having your own business, especially as mine is more a hobby that I can make money from!

What would you like to change?
My work space! At the moment everything has to be packed away and hidden behind the sofa from my toddler and when I work, I either have to take everything to the kitchen table or work on the sofa so I can also spend time with my husband! I'd really like my own separate work-room where I can have everything organised and easily accessible and without having to pack everything away when I've finished which can take longer then making a pair of earrings!

What is your aim for the next year?


Next year, I'd like to make the majority of my jewellery with sterling silver rather than silver plated. I've mainly been using silver plated as it's much cheaper to buy therefore I can price my jewellery cheaper for the local fairs and jewellery parities. Once I have a good stock of sterling silver jewellery I'd like to approach some galleries and small boutiques who will hopefully exhibit my jewellery!

Where do you ultimately see yourself?


My ultimate dream would be to own a little boutique where I would feature handmade items only. I adore all kinds of handmade goods so would like to give others the chance to sell their items in my shop too. Local to where I live, there is a craft village with lots of small workshops where people make and sell their goods there, I'd like to start off with a workshop there and then eventually open my own boutique!

What's your top 5 tips for new business women?


1. Make the most of the Internet!  Twitter, Facebook and blogging are pretty essential to build up a customer profile and it's all free! To make the most of it you do need to spend 1-2 hours a day but the work does often pay off and can save you hundreds in advertising fee's.

2. Make the most of your family and friends. It was these people that got me off to a good start and the best way is to start with a party and invite them all! Set up a table and feature your products, as well as catering with nibbles and wine. Get them to see first hand what you working on, most of them will buy something but pretty much all of them will then spread the word of your new business! My Mum and sister have lots of my jewellery and pretty much wear something every day - quite often when they are out people will ask where they got the item of jewellery from and they always have one of my business cards in their purse to hand over - great advertising. You could call it "wearing the brand"!

3. If it's a product that you are selling, get out there and feature your work at local fairs. Preschools, infant/junior schools and church fundraisers are the best places to start as tables are cheap, mainly £10-£20. I personally wouldn't pay anything more then £20 for a local fair as they are usually quite small and it's not such a huge hit to your wallet if you don't sell anything. Local fairs are a great way to build your confidence and practice with different table layouts and stands until you move on to the big fairs. You also get to meet lots of local customers who will come back to you time and time again as they know you are 'real' and not just a website etc!

4. If you are going to sell a product online, learn how to take good photographs. I'm still learning with mine and quite often upload a picture to my website then take it down the following week and try again as it's still too dark or blurry. From personal experience, sometimes a photo of your product can make a huge difference to whether it sells or not and it's good to have several photos of each item from different angles so the customer can get a good idea of what it really looks like. I find taking photographs in natural daylight gives the best results.  Some people use light boxes when there isn't any natural daylight or certain light-bulbs. There are lots of different things to try and I feel it's one of the most important aspects of selling your product online.

5. Don't be too hard on yourself!  We've all been there when nothing seems to be happening, no sales or interest in what you are doing. Then just when you want to give up someone buys something or you get a good review! It's very hard work and there are going to be times when you won't sell anything for a while even when you are putting in enormous amounts of hard work and networking but sometimes you just need to give yourself a break, step away for a day or too then get back stuck in!

A last few words - How do we contact Beads & More by Lois?

I really hoped you enjoyed this weeks profile - if you'd like to contact me, please check out my website at http://www.beadsandmorebylois.co.uk/; you can also check out my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Beadsandmorebylois or tweet me at http://twitter.com/beadsmorebylois and you can follow my blog at http://beadsandmorebylois.blogspot.com/.

We, at Creation|Collaboration, would like to take this opportunity thank Lois so much for taking the time to talk to us today - some fantastic tips and hints and such an interesting story that so many women who run their own businesses from home & have a young family to bring up, can identify with. 

Next week, we will be featuring Alison Thomson from Nujoolz - check back with us for our regular Feature Friday!
 

Collaboration Women Wednesday Blog Hop - Week 3

Welcome to Creation|Collaboration's 3rd Women Wednesday blog roll, hosted by Beads & More by Lois, Soaperstar and Plans and Presents

Creation|Collaboration was set up by eight women, all existing friends, who run small businesses from their homes. We have started Women Wednesday blog roll to link up with other women in business, spread the word about Creation|Collaboration and basically just have fun visiting all of your interesting blogs!

We are also in discussions with regard to listing features companies (on a regular basis) as part of our promotional campaign so by joining in with the blog roll we can get to know you and your business and maybe you could be one of our first features.

Heres how you can join in with Collaboration Women Wednesday:

• Link up your blog name and URL to your Women Wednesday blog post using the McKLinky below (you only need to add on one blog to be seen on all of the McKLinky blog roll's) Please note that it's for blogs only and not links to your websites or shops.
• Follow our Creation|Collaboration blog and the hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
• Grab our Women Wednesday button and feature it on your blog or Women Wednesday blog post.
• Follow and comment saying you're from Women Wednesday on as many blogs as you likes listed in the McKlinky box.
• Follow back any new followers from Women Wednesday!

It's that easy and a fun way to discover new and interesting blogs and us women at Creation|Collaboration get to meet other women in business!