Achievements

Wow, a few weeks and no update. Something big must have happened....afraid not but I did go away for a week’s holiday and the pain of getting back in to the swing of things again is real. But I'm back.

Whilst away I took part in Sweden's (and apparently the worlds however there is a longer one in Canada when I Google search but then again it also says the one I did was the longest - anyway I transgress) longest cross country ski race up in Dalarna, north Sweden. Its 90km's long and we had the best conditions they have had in 20 odd years. It was an utterly fantastic experience to be there with thousands of people all moving along like a pack and fighting the pain till the end. The last section was just magical, the light of the day was fading, the last stop (with 9km left to go) was lit up with soft street lighting and candles and they fed you up with warm sugary coffee and buns before you set off for the last time toward to the finish. As I set off the path was lit with candles for about 1km, it was twilight and I felt this overwhelming sense of satisfaction and pride that I was actually going to finish this course (before they close it off as they have cut-off times). It made the pain disappear for a few minutes and I just thought of getting to the finish line to see my husband and know he would look after me from there on. 12 and half hours after I started that morning in minus 15 degrees, I finished. It was minus 8 again!!

And the rest as they say is history! We then spend the next few days in a spa hotel which totally put me back together again (can't tell you how much a sauna does for you after being cold for soooo long)and then we got on a plain to Riga in Latvia for the hubby's birthday surprise. I think the surprise was that it was sooooo cold!!!

So back to jewellery....after all this is a jewellery blog. In actual fact the week before we went on holiday I was in London (quietly so apologies to all friends if you read this but it was not a social visit - it was a job hunting one) and whilst there I took advantage of delivering an order. Here are some pictures of that one:

Pear shaped name pendant

Free form moonstone and blue tourmaline pendant


Natural Turqouise set (window set dome pendant with dome stud earrings)




This week I am working on order for 2 rings. One of which I will be setting, a navette shaped Tanzanite stone that is stunning, as a family heirloom. Pictures to come.

So personal tax time is just around the corner but for companies here in Sweden we had that done and dusted in February. It is very hard to tell how well you are or are not doing when you don't have a full year of operation to reflect upon however with a little help from the accountant we could see that I made up a little of the debt the company used to start up which is a great sign. It is not a profit and that may not happen for a number of years but the figures are going the right way already and that is a great sign especially given that silver prices are going up. With that in mind I realize that my charity donations may be very long in the coming so instead I have decided to give a donation from the company every year anyway and not wait for the profit to come (that was rather too hopeful of me to think I would achieve profit within 6 months!!). So donate I will do. Having said that I have briefly researched this and found this article..
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703787304575075400171203026.html
..I will do a little more hunting around however I feel the donation may not be tax free. Well, it's not for my benefit but this is an interesting subject that I didn't realize about Sweden.....and if I am honest, it's not a deal breaker for me donating. One way or another if they get some cash and can do well with it then that is my goal. If in the process I get a tax break that is a bonus, if not...c'est la vie.

Until next time - when I hope to let you know about my experiences with some new Argentium silver and rubber polishing heads I have ordered. Just gadgets or are they time saving devices?

Don't forget to click on the title of this page to see my web shop ;o)

How to get known....... click here to see my webshop!

A pair of black Onyx hearts

Recently I have been wondering how to reach your target audience in today’s media frantic world where a Google search in itself can take ages to find a simple item and everyone has at least a Facebook page, a twitter account AND a multiple page website.

It is a full time job keeping those sites up to date and marketing them and the minute you take the eye off the ball the viewing numbers will drop. But is it all enough? Does it actually create sales or a name or a reputation for yourself in an industry?

Everyone has heard of Hatton Garden if they are looking for an engagement ring in London but even there you find shops that are full of counters with people selling jewellery wears and trying to make a name or a fast buck.....its ruthless these days.

Time to get smart. Without the time or the finances to go on a course for several years in the city and create contacts I need to get out there and been seen. It's the BEST advertisement anyone can have. I am in the fortunate position that my product is made to be displayed and portable so it will get the most amount of publicity just by being worn. I now need to ensure that my target audience is seeing this.....sitting in my garage or behind a computer screen all day just will not do it.

I have decided that the best way for me to do that is get back in amongst what I consider my target audience and wear my jewellery and wear it well! So the search for part time jobs back in the investment industry begins.

Everything in life is worth trying and if it doesn't work perfectly the first way then tweak it a little. I am in this company for the long run as I love making the pieces far too much to ever stop but I need that balance of exposure right now and whilst I am still young enough and can remember what to do in an office (just!) then now is the right time to mix and match.

Next week I will update on some pieces I have been working on, some tips I have learnt the hard way and how did that end of year result go?

New SEK based shop NOW OPEN

Finally I have a site where I can post items for sale, customers can see what I have previously sold and read up on Silver by K8 all in one place. There are even links to the right of the page to go to my blog and my Facebook page where I can advertise offers and events, huraaahhhh.

What about my current website then? Well I have decided to streamline and really I don't need all those pages so I will have my wonderful IT man (Henrik the husband) make the SEK based shop appear when anyone types www.silverbyk8.se or www.silverbyk8.com in to the address bar or searches from Google....at least that is the plan! For now it is a link that I have embedded here, on my FB page and on my current website.

So why did I do it?
The Etsy page was very American, whilst providing as much protection for both consumer and purchaser it also made a lot of admin for anyone just trying to buy an item (signing in to Etsy first then buying the item on Etsy and THEN buying it for real). It was actually confusing for a lot of people who don't use Etsy.....and that is most people in Sweden! So to simplify for customers and for my accounts, (no more USD conversions,)I found a much simpler alternative here in Sweden. Now customers can find the item they like, click on the buy now button and pay with a credit or debit card. No additional steps required (but if you find any let me know!!).

My new flower ring with a pop of colour from last week in the studio:



Some Christmas orders (completed and since christmas is over I can now publish them!)

Time Management....my old friend

I have spent years in and out of the military managing my own time from flying over a target within 5 seconds of the planned time to managing my personal itinerary over half the world, coordinating with relatives, booking flights, accom, things to do, finding a job etc etc. I set goals, I set time limits to realise them and I make sure they are realistic, I just did it naturally as that is what drove me........BUT what I didn't CONSCIOUSLY realise is that managing your time is a full time job when it doesn't come naturally and for me, creativity and time management have never been a natural partnership.
I have noticed that in order to let my creativity flow I need to turn off to the world outside and just let it happen, allow myself to feel happy or sad or whatever it is I feel that day and work with that in the studio or here on my blog or the website. Now that could be argued as a requirement for the job and I would agree......but and this is a big but.......where does the creativity need to get turned off and the business head turned on? That is what I have struggled with whilst setting up this company and I am sure many others do too.
At first I thought it best to just go with what I felt like on the day (surely that is the luxury of working from home and being an ARTIST no?), if I felt creative I would go to the studio and work and if not I would stay in and do computer work\bookkeeping. Sounds good but didn't work, I ended up indoors a lot, watching the TV, baking and not bookkeeping.
I started to read success stories from other small businesses and bloggers and I noticed a theme, many of them had children and thus a set routine, emails in the morning, making things in the afternoon and packing in the evening and of course they worked it all around the children. I wondered how they managed to find the time to do it all when I don't have any kids and struggle to get out of bed some days! But then it dawned on me (and it's not rocket science) they have limited hours in their day.......they had time management forced upon them all the time and the creativity was not on tap or free flowing it was more given a chance once a day to rear it's strange head and play...and that worked for them........time to give that a go me thinks (the routine not the kids!).
Now I know you are all thinking 'doh, we learnt that at primary school' but it's so different when you have to actually instigate it for yourself and discipline yourself (no teachers here)and there is no motivation around other than yourself (even travelling there are always others around to tap in to)so here I am forcing myself to get up at 6am everyday with the husband and stick to a routine, computer work in the morning but with a strict cut-off time (or I seem to disappear in to the ether for hours on end) followed by exercise (cross country skiing these days) followed by the afternoon in the studio.
Well it's only few days in to it and already I feel like I am gaining ground on everything.....I am almost excited that I can see the potential for my new website to be up and running and a routine whereby I make something, photograph it and post it up all within a week. I even have a new Facebook page for my business where I can separate my business affairs from my personal, hurrah.
So time management, tricky little devil if you take your eyes off it for too long or even misinterpret how to best use it for yourself.....even in the name of creativity. I have found that in order to tap in to my creativity and keep momentum within the business I need structure to tell me when it's time to do those things, even the deadline to get off the computer drives me to finish my web updates first instead of wondering off to Facebook and as for the creativity well that just pours out of me the minute I see my stones in the studio so right now I have no problem with that....more with putting the lid back on it in the evenings ;o)
Time management is so personal to everyone, as with the ladies with children who also run their businesses, there are often factors beyond our control that drive our choice of how we manage it but when you find yourself with the luxury of being able to choose it entirely for yourself it then gets really personal....you need to tap in to yourself and know what you need to get the best from yourself...AND JUST DO IT! Nike spokes girl maybe?

See you next week

London's over, Swedish Christmas markets begin

The London launch party was great! I had a wonderful time with friends and family and the whole week was wonderful for my company too. Not only did I get my advertisement out there but I got future ideas for ways to sell when in the UK....home parties here we come.

I got to spend some time with friends of an evening and show them my wears. I found when there is no pressure, some food and drinks available and time to explain and play with stones and ideas it produces a much satisfying outcome for both the customer and me. The larger party was great for advertisement and volume of sales but not something I think I would venture to do more than once a year.

Pictures from the event:




So with my sales strategies coming together slowly I look towards the next week and I have 2 winter markets in one weekend! I still have the card accept machine for this next week and I am interested to see how many Swedish people use it at these country markets....time will tell. I anticipate these markets to be hard to sell high value items at (although I may be proven very wrong) so I am pitching myself with low to middle priced items and a few high end items. I will only have on sale the stones that are set already and the rest will be silver items and a mixture of silver and beads.

Once the markets are over I will be head down, bum up, producing the Christmas items for Swedish and English customers alike in my newly refurbished and insulated studio (courtesy of my father in law and my husband) which is just fantastic!! Just try getting me out of there ;o) It was such a suprize when I got home I couldn't stop crying for a full 20 mins (I was a little tired too ;o).....hence the pictures are still a little bit blurry from the shaking! Who can ask for more in life? I am a very lucky and happy girl x

Spring in to Silver

(more pictures of my silver below)

Spring is here, the flowers are blossoming in the garden and the weather is as erratic as ever in Spring this far north. I have been working away building and decorating the new studio, ordering business cards (due this week), shopping for lots of silver and display stands\cases etc and trying to get my head around the bookkeeping!

So as summer edges closer every day I think I had better open a Silver by K8 website. I have purchased my own website and am developing it so that I can take sales direct from it but until it is ready to go I am starting up on Etsy. It's an American owned marketplace for people who create their own things, I love it just to buy something original now and again. Have a look around it, you could even sell your own things on there? Why not? If you do, let me know ;o)

Etsy.com

Expect my shop on Etsy shortly, until then a taste of things done and things yet to come......

The garage before building the studio




And after...






Some products of the studio

Pizza Fridays

Gotta love pizza Fridays and it a good time to update my blog whilst contemplating which kebab pizza I shall have tonight....with salad or chips on top?

This last month has been very busy and has seen me research spring/summer 2010 fashion must haves, produce a few more pieces and prepare the business for action.

Research
Layering of necklaces and bracelets, statement pieces, oversized hoop and chandelier earrings, large cocktail rings and floral patterns. And this is what will influence my current designs for my static line, of course always keeping in mind my philosophy of keeping it elegant and classic. More to come on my spring/summer 2010 line in future posts.

Pieces
I have made a pair of Swedish flag cufflinks to practice my layering of silver and sweating of solder techniques and 4 more pairs of earrings, 3 domed with different finishes and one square, similar to the rectangles already on flickr. None of these creations have had pictures taken yet as I am awaiting my first company purchase, a magnetic tumbler from the US. This little machine is able to polish gold and silver to professional levels in a matter of 20 minutes! I first used one on a course in London about 6 years ago and I promised myself one if I ever took up jewellery professionally.....so here I am waiting for it to arrive.
Otherwise I have been concentrating on the business side of life.

Business
I have applied for my VAT number and some help from the tax man in Sweden and guess what....they are coming to my house for the meeting over fika on Tuesday. Howz about that for service! I have also applied to register my company officially here in Sweden, just waiting for them to confirm "Silver by K8" before I get my logo designed and some business cards done.
I also had a look at the markings used on silver and the requirements here in Sweden for people who produce silver jewellery and amazingly there are no obligatory requirements for silver. There are for gold and platinum but not silver however, it is not permitted to mark silver incorrectly. So right now I am looking in to the cost of getting a Swedish recognised mark on mine so buyers have that piece of mind.
Very good article:
http://www.swedac.se/sdd/swinternet.nsf/webAttDoc/ADMR-64ZHGD/$File/Summary%20Swedish%20Hallmarking%20law.pdf
I have contacted the bank to open a business account too so I am really starting to feel like the business is coming together, still lots to do but making progress. How exciting.