Your Jewelry-Making Business and How to Be Your Own Boss
Business Saturday: An exclusive interview on how to be your own boss and run your own jewelry-making business with Anne Vaughan, jewelry designer and owner of Anne Vaughan Designs Original Jewelry.
Q: Why did you choose to become self-employed and start a jewelry-making business?
A: I wanted to have the opportunity to have more control of my time. Having just given birth to my second child, I wanted to be able to spend more time with him and his sister. I decided to start my jewelry-making business on a very small scale, having a goal to create just one or two pieces a day in the beginning. I quickly began to see the benefits of working for myself and really fell in love with making jewelry!
Q: What is the most difficult part of being your own boss?
A: It’s hard to wear many hats and feel like I am good at all of them. I try to hire help when it makes sense, but inevitably I know the most about my business so it is most effective for me to engage my customers on Facebook, procure materials, decide which shows I am going to attend, and sell my work in person.
Q: Are there rules you have set for yourself to help with time management?
A: Don’t allow distractions during creative time (don’t check your email, don’t answer the phone, don’t allow anything to get in the way of creative work). I try to schedule all of my appointments, meetings, procurement of materials, email catch-up days, and other noncreative aspects of the business all in one chunk, maximizing my creative time in the studio!
Q: What is your favorite thing about being self-employed?
A: I get to reap the rewards of my hard work, dedication, and commitment to my business. I love the flexibility in my schedule, and I love being able to be in charge of my own destiny.
Q: It must be difficult to “turn your brain off” when you run your own creative business. How do you give yourself some downtime?
A: This is so important to do! In the beginning of the business I worked almost all of the time. I had an amazing amount of enthusiasm and a drive to succeed that fueled my late nights and early mornings. But after a while, this unbalanced lifestyle began to take a toll. I have set work hours for myself now so I can assure quality time with my family, time to exercise, and time for my girlfriends, too.
Photos courtesy of Anne Vaughan.
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