How To Determine Your Correct Bangle Size - It Isn't All In the Wrist

How To Determine Your Correct Bangle Size - It Isn't All In the Wrist

My sterling silver and gold filled bangles are very popular and I get a lot of questions about sizing.

Since bangles slip over your hand, the size is not determined by your wrist. I happen to have very small wrists, but still wear a size medium because my hands are a little larger.

I've created a YouTube video that gives a complete explanation about sizing for my bangles. A visual is so much easier to follow than a written explanation!

Expanding My Business - fibi & clo Sandals

fibi & clo - cute and inexpensive sandals

I'm so excited to announce that I'm expanding my business! As my handmade jewelry line has grown and business is booming, I have been looking for opportunities that complement my jewelry. Quite accidentally, I came across Fibi & Clo at a Wink, Women's Inkorporated networking event. As I continued to see the shoes and sandals (due to Facebook posts), I became more intrigued with the company and their products.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the plunge and signed up to be an independent fashion agent with this marvelous company.

So, why am I excited about this opportunity? Here are my reasons:

1. Um, it's shoes!!! Beautiful, blingy sandals - nuf said.
2. I now 'own' my own shoe company and I get to share these shoes with my friends.
3. The quality of the shoes is great and because it is a direct-selling company, we can offer the shoes at almost wholesale costs - ranging from $30.00 - $99.00.
4. They literally sell themselves. Even my husband is a believer now that he sees people's reactions when I wear them.
5. I don't wear uncomfortable shoes (just ask my daughter!), so finding pretty, feminine sandals that are both comfy and flattering is always a struggle. These shoes are seriously comfortable! I can walk around in them all day. I won't sell anything that I won't wear myself.

One of the biggest draws for me was that this company is fairly small, especially compared to other direct-selling companies. There are only 2000 independent fashion agents in the entire country! So I consider this a ground-floor opportunity. Not very many people have heard of fibi & clo, so the market is wide open.


Sun Cascade Sandal - $49.50

Please visit my fibi & clo website to see all the available styles: fibi & clo.

If you are in the San Diego area and wish to host a shoe party, please contact me at theresarosedesigns@gmail.com. The hostess incentives are amazing!

$245 IN SALES – 1 pair of flat sandals or $49.59 credit toward a more expensive shoe.

$550 IN SALES – 2 pairs of flat sandals or $100 credit toward shoes of your choice.

$1000 IN SALES – 3 pairs of flat sandals or $150 credit toward shoes of your choice.

Also receive two items at 50% off and earn gift certificates for referring friends!

So, what do you think? Do you see yourself wearing these great sandals?

Your Etsy Shop and Social Media - Part 1

I'm starting a blog series about how I am using social media for my Etsy shop.

I see a lot of posts on the Etsy message board regarding the value of social media, especially having a Facebook Fan page. I admit that I've straddled the line for a long time, but I'm now diving in head first and have really seen some amazing results in my first month! I want to share these ideas with you and maybe they'll help you in some way. For every idea I've implemented, I have 5 more that are on my 'to do list', so I hope to make this a regular blog series while we navigate this new territory together.

In a previous blog post, I wrote about the importance of having your own website, even if you do all your selling on Etsy. I do believe it is so important for your branding to have an on-line presence in as many areas as you can conceivably handle. The obvious choices are:

• Your own website
• Etsy
• Blog
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• Google +

I haven't dived into Google+ as I have my hands full with the others. You may choose only a few of these options - it's entirely a personal choice. Most of my blog posts in the coming weeks about social media will be centered around Facebook as that is where I'm going to concentrate my main efforts for now.

Exactly one month ago today, I had 298 Facebook Fans. I now have 353 (as of this writing). So, in one month, I've gained 55 fans - an approximate increase of 20%. And it didn't cost me a dime - no advertising at all.

So, for this post I am going to list 5 super easy things you need to do first to get yourself going with your Facebook Fan page. I'm going to assume you already have a page and that you're just sort of neglecting it because you haven't really seen the value of maintaining it - that's the way I was for the last 2 years. :-)

The main thing to remember about Facebook is that it isn't about making sales today - it's about creating a community with your fans and current/future customers. This is all about long term connections. You may not see sales coming directly from Facebook for a while, but it's important to have the presence and to update your page on a fairly regular basis.

Here is my Facebook page:Facebook.com/TheresaRoseDesigns

1. Creating a professional FB page has to be your first step. This is the first impression your future fans will have of you and it shouldn't be a picture of your cute kids, dogs, or where you spent your last vacation. Create a cover photo and profile photo that is professional and showcases your product(s). Here is my cover photo:

    

2. Change your Facebook personal profile 'work' to your business page. This way anyone looking at your profile page will see the link to your business fan page. 

3. Categorize your fan page as a Website. That way you can enter a direct link to your Etsy store. You want people to get to your products as easily as possible. To categorize your fan page, you need to edit the 'About' section. Click on the 'About' link that is displayed directly below your profile picture. Then on the 'About' page, place your mouse pointer over the big white 'About' section:

The 'Edit' box will pop up - click on it. The 'About' Edit screen will display. This is where you will select your category and sub-category. In the 'Short Description', enter your website link. Select 'Save Changes' at the bottom of the page.

Now on your Facebook Fan page, the link to your website will automatically be displayed underneath your profile picture. Nice and easy for anyone to find and click!

4. Add your Facebook Fan Page URL to your e-mail signature for all electronic communication. This includes the thank you e-mails that Etsy sends when you make a sale and the shipping notifications. Not to mention, you should also have the URL to your website (or Etsy site) there too!

5. Add your Facebook Fan Page URL to your business cards. Why not! People expect to see these links now and it doesn't hurt.

My next post will be about two specific things I did to start gaining fans.

Please feel free to comment with any suggestions or questions!

Why It's Important to Have Your Own Website

I've been selling on Etsy for over 4 years and have been very happy with the traffic and sales I receive on their site. People are always asking me if I have my own website and until recently, I never gave it much thought. I did sign up for my domain name - TheresaRoseDesigns a few years ago, just in case. I tried to create my own website but was overwhelmed with the task, so it went years wasted.

I have finally gotten my act together and launched my website and it only took me 1 week from start to finish! I'm so glad I finally completed this task and wonder why I didn't tackle this sooner. The reasons are so numerous why it's so important and I spell out the main ones here. Hopefully, this will get you motivated to do the same.

Here are the main reasons to have your own site, even if you are selling successfully on Etsy:

1. You own your brand name. TheresaRoseDesigns is my name, forever. As long as I pay my $10 or so every year, no one can take that name.
2. Your entire online presence can be accessed from one location. From my main site, you can link to:
• Etsy Shop
• Blog
• Facebook Fan Page
• Twitter
• Pinterest  
3. Increase your web exposure.  The more places you have your name, the more you will be found.
4. Complete control over content. While I love the way Etsy looks, I do not control the picture sizes, color, or logo. I want the first look a customer has of Theresa Rose Designs to be the image that I want to project.
5. SEO, SEO, SEO! I can drive customers to my site via SEO (which I'm still learning). I can't really do that on Etsy. 
6. Credibility. Having my own site shows that I'm serious about my business. If I'm invested in my business, then that builds trust with potential customers. It shows professionalism and legitimacy.
7. What is the future of Etsy? I'm pretty sure that Etsy will be around for a long time, but if anything happens, I'm positioned to link to a new store. If Etsy disappears and that's my only on-line presence, I disappear.

Your website doesn't have to be a massive undertaking. I have a couple of pages. I use it mostly to link to my other sites at this time. Once I realized that this was the way to start, the task didn't seem so daunting and I was able to get to work on it. In a later blog post, I'll explain how I was able to design and complete my website in only one week - for free (that was the best part).

Theresa Rose Designs