Analysis by paralysis. Ever heard of it? It's kind of what I'm going through at the moment with katie james. As we know, I'm trying to focus money on paying off debts (the supernova part is really addicting), so that has been a big hole in the development part of katie james, in that I have less funds to put towards fabrics, trimmings and production. As you also know, I'm in a production transition, as the shop I was working with shuttered. So I've got a lot to think about.
Production-wise, I've just tried a stitcher in Alabama, who is associated with the group Planting Stitches, whose mission is to teach women who need jobs the skills to sew in order to make a living and get some empowerment! This was a recommendation to me by my a friend who makes delightful purses, but I was a bit nervous to try them, not being a professional sewer myself, and having to rely on others. My samples came in this week, and were dyn-o-mite. I am so excited. Their quote for the jewelry pouch, however, was high, so I'll need to find another way to produce it (unless you're all willing to pay about $75 for it!). That means I still need to have a potential stitcher to my house and set up a sewing studio in here, beyond my own little space.
Marketing-wise, I've got a new ad coming up in September with IndieShopping.com which is an affordable spotlight and came right out of my PayPal account from website sales. I've just agreed to do another, longer-lasting placement on StyleBakery.com, and am kind of really excited about it. This will be in October, so I've got to sew like the wind and/or get a little bit of production happening so that I can sell more inventory!
Then, and I haven't juicily blogged about this yet because it hasn't officially started for me yet, I've joined the New York Ladies Who Launch Incubator to help me get my goals in order and reach them. I've just received my first benefit of joining the incubator by way of an eBay store they are launching. They are going to sell products and services of Ladies Who Launch members by way of drop shipping, and they are going to have a great looking, well optimized site to do it from. So we'll see what that entails (not sure what the upfront costs are, if any).
Oh, and I started an itsy bitsy Etsy.com store. hehe! I'll put things in there that aren't official enough to sell in at katie-james.com, or are random, like some exquisite plastic coated lace that I may cut into cup and plant coasters (there's nothing like the sensation of cutting wobbly plastic). Limited-edition stuff. (ps: I just ordered these vintage buttons from Etsy that will soon be on my katie james watch bands…)
TTFN! Any more effort into this post and I'll lose the tiny bit of second wind I have left after the day of work (and David is out scouting, so it's quiet!) to actually produce something!
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