starting up a small online business

[kymbi]

Some good points there Boo

It's easy to forget or overlook all the "back office" work that is needed when you are setting up and running your own business - the jewellery is just the tip of the iceberg.

[AlexandraBuckle]

It is hard work and there are a lot of hidden tasks you don't realise you will have to do when you start out (my online shop has been running for nearly two years now) but once you get to grips with it it's all good.

I'm currently preparing mine and my husbands tax return - v.tedious! I've been filing (paperwork, not silver) all day, infact I haven't actually made any jewellery for a while now.

The jewellery IS definatley the easy bit.
Just think yourself lucky - when I started out I didn't have so many helpful people just a message away! I had to figure it all out for myself, but I got there and you will too Silvergirl - if you put the work in

[Jayne]

Hi Silvergirl

Just a thought - have you had any contact with Business Link? They run free (yes free!!) courses in various locations across the country designed for people who want to start their own businesses. They cover all aspects of self-employment, have a website which is packed with info and a phone line for those trickier questions.

It really is worth a look
J x
Business support, information and advice | Business Link

[Ominicci]

Oooh thanks for that Jayne - I knew about business link, but that is a useful resource to have on line to dip int and out of.

SilverGirl if you look under Sales & Marketing on the link Jayne gave there are sections about selling online and they key issues to consider when setting up an online shop.

There are also free courses in your area that the HM Revenue & Customs run that you can book on to when you register as self employed. I've just done the Completing your Tax Return for Self Employed this week!

[glen]

thanks for the link to OFT Boo
I agree with many of the last posts. I have been running a jewellery company alone this year as well as making / running a website as well as trying to make jewellery. As you read in the other post, you can probably guess what I am going to say... I cant wait to make jewellery again.
I have been working on my website for almost a year, one wouldnt think it, but i have chisseled a little when i could. Lately I am spending days on the website and people have to drag me into the real world.
I can tell you from the experience it is not easy. I am in effect doing 3 jobs atm and because of that I am barely doing any of them properly.

My best advice to you is plan plan plan. Do not just jump into the water because you wont know what hit you and you would stress yourself out. Understand all the things you want to do and what you need to do first.

Have you decided if you are going to be a sole-trader or a limited company? That is the first step to take before you do anything else because it can affect everything else in the future including how your suppliers treat your accounts.

There are pro's and cons to each. the best way to figure this out is here:
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

It has taken me lots of years and tears in the jewellery trade before I even considered I was capable of going on my own. I am actually astounded by the amount of jewellery stores out there that even offer repair and bespoke services who dont have a clue what theyre doing. I can tell you stories that my customers have come to me with.

Look before you leap.
If you do not know much about webdesign I would reccommend a professional advice or services to set yr online store up if you can afford it. I have had quotes of thousands of pounds.

Good Luck, if you are determined, take your time and you will get there.

[glen]

forgot to say that a good site to set up an online store is ebay

[Di Sandland]

forgot to say that a good site to set up an online store is ebay

Ooh, I dunno Glen, it seems to me that those who frequent eBay want to pay peanuts.

[geti-titanium]

forgot to say that a good site to set up an online store is ebay

Ebay to me is the online equivalent of a car boot sale

[glen]

I will go back and use ebay in the future. I have pulled a few of my products off there because I dont want to get distracted now as I am trying to concentrate on the website.

The reason for setting up products or shop on ebay is for marketing reasons. I may come back in the future and discuss this further and tell you why my strategy is a winner.

For a beginner that might not even know much about online trading or website design ebay has paypal and the store is already there, for a small fee you can have a complete 'store' with several products. And the integration with Paypal is a world leader.
Another store option is the
Roman Cart
Cube Cart
etc etc

These are good places for a novice webdesigner to get started with userfriendly interface. There are 100's out there.

An online store will need a merchant account, which is a very important thing to consider, especially if you are not a company with a business bank account. You can sell things as a personal seller on ebay. << BIG POINT

I agree with what you say about ebay but there is more to it than just meets the eye.
Paypal was made for eBay, and PayPal is my stores preffered merchant. You can set up a 'Paypal Store' on your own webpages too, by just adding a simple button.

[Trudy]

I agree that handmade items on Ebay do sell too cheaply...BUT I have to say also that I do buy a lot of beads on there...I often see some amazing lampwork on there...I bought some great handmade beads a few days ago and because the maker had also listed her own website on her profile I then visited that I bought three more strings of beads so in that case it did work out quite well.
I also find that when I have bought something on there sellers often send out a business card with the products and then I usually have a peek at their site too and they get more exposure