Jewellery parties

[Bea]

Now that I sell beads, quite a few friends have asked if I would do jewellery parties. And at the craft fair I attended last Saturday, I made some earrings for a lady there and then, and she asked would I do a jewellery party at her house.... Now I need some advice!!! Has anyone ever held such a party? Do I make stuff on the night and I finish whatever is not finished at home and bring it back once it's all done?
Is there any money to make out of all this? I am not an experienced jewellery maker, far from it! Give me some stretch magic and a few beads, great. Give me some wire and I don't know what to do!! And, er, okay I can do earrings but they're easy! I have booked a two-day course (it's free so I don't expect to learn a lot!!) later on in June, so that might help....
Any advice welcome!!!!

[minvera]

hi - this is how I started off nd its a great way to start a business. Heres why:
1. you have a captive audience! People know they're there to buy jewellery so they will.
2. Never leave without getting a date for another one. Makes sense to get two names, as one may cancel
3. Great for market research, ie. whats popular/what isn't; finding out if your prices are considered reasonable; etc. this is invaluable if you take it further and need to do a business plan
4. It's great advertising - have loasds of fliers made up, and hand them out, also remember to put a sticker/card in with the final orders. It gets you're name out there

finally, insofar as how to do it - everyones different, but I simply made up a few pieces and brought them and took orders (made up some order forms on the PC) People dont tend to take the stuff home with them - they order and then you send the order to the hostess within a given time - usually within 7-10 days. I would recommend taking a 50% deposit on the night to cover materials etc, with the balance payable on recipt of the order. Most people pay in full though. Remember to give the hostess a gift/discount. However what i noticed was that if I offered the hostess a discount, it became obvious that the hostess was ordering LOADs of stuff and the others just 1/2 items. Turns out the hostess was putting her guests orders under her name so they would get the discount - so I started then to offer a gift instead.
Hope this helps
Nicola

[Bea]

Nicola
Thank you so much for sharing!!! You're giving me lots of ideas!!
I use beads and haven't gone anywhere near Sterling Silver because of the price, although that's probably what sells!!!!
I'll have to do more pieces though, to broaden the choice... and matching ones too....
had a look at your website, very good! Your jewellery is completely different and very nice!!! No wonder it sells!!
Thanks!
Beatrice

[minvera]

thank you - you're very welcome - remember to let us know how you get on! Best of Luck
nicola