Building Your Support Team: Your Web Network

Getting To Higher Places, Together

A strong support system, a real support system, is something that all artist, not even artist, just anyone that is trying to begin their dreams of having their own business or function, needs. Anyone that feels this is a survival of the fittest WITHOUT any form of help, is sadly misinformed. No one and I mean NO ONE in the world of business obtains success without someone believing in our visions; our products. This is a necessity for our growth and how we shape our outward image to not only consumers but to the partners we will meet along the way in helping to achieve our goals. Even though I am not well versed, yet, in the art of networking and building strong relationships, I am beginning to see the benefits from the few relationships that I have built and am building. However, one common theme that I continue to hear is that, people seem to be solely out for self. So, I wanted to take a moment to blog about it.

Increasing Our Reception: Bringing It To The Table

The Roundtable Reception: Communication

As a designer, once I made the decision late last year to forge ahead with revamping my jewelry line and image, I realized that I would truly need help and a strategy to get there.  Up to that point, I had a good number of wonderful people that believed enough in my work to allow me place my work in an art gallery, create a post for my pieces on their online beading newsletter and to feature some of my work on their site in the featured photo section. As of right now, this is a weakness that I see needs to be strengthened.

 After the silent art auction I participated in last year, I met a wonderful photographer, Debora Cartagena of DeboraC Photos. I just completed my first jewely photography session with her about two weeks ago. I am glad to say that from this meeting, I have decided to hire her as my personal photographer for my jewelry. I will continue to work with her on other projects with the hope of getting her other clients for profession and building the much needed professional portofilio I have been dreaming of. Working with her, helps me, help us helps all....acheive and the next thing....SUCCESS! The quality of the photos were simply amazing. From this meeting, a relationship has been formed and I am making it a point to keep up with her works, milestones and events as every success is a true feat and needs to be celebrated by people in your circle. Working with Debora increases a part of my business which depends heavily on quality photos. Sure, I can take the photos myself, but I have someone who has offered to do so and is also trying to increase their visibility as well. We are at the same place. So now, we're building, building our portfolios and success and we are doing this, TOGETHER. One network relationship built. Yeah!!!!!

Cassandra Suttle-Tucker of Divine Purity natural hair care products, is another young business entrepreneur I met as I began to build my visibility on Facebook. I met her through another business woman on  my job who supported my work and bought my pieces. Cassandra, being a natural sister herself, liked the piece she purchased and decided to check out my work. I happen to post a piece on facebook (The African Violet Necklace) before even listing it on my Etsy shop. This wonderful lady saw it. The necklace spoke to her soul, she purchased it. I was very happy that I had something that spoke to her soul and matched her persona. I am also a woman that rocks natural hair and her products surely spoke to the needs of my hair. She quickly sent me two samples, the whipped hair butter and the scalp elixir, which I love both!! The hair butter is AWESOME and didn't sit on top of my hair and scalp like other oils. The butter is true whipped oil and the scalp elixir is all natural products that has helped me with my dry scalp. Needless to say, I purchased a batch! Not only can she sale the product, she is also very educated on the state of natural hair and the needs. She is the reason that I now use sulfate free shampoos.We both have similar names for our products and we both have the same theme and focus. I am looking forward to doing more work with lady Cassandra and to see where this venture will lead us. I can see the potential for a collaboration show filled with natural jewelry, natural purses and natural jewelry and all in the name of art! At this time, I have a jewelry show coming up and I am aware that most of the women that will be in attendance at my show are rocking the natural hair. I will be sure to have her information and possibly samples in all of the gift bags. This is a relationship that will most certainly grow. I will see to that, :-). Here's a photo with the lovely Cassandra and my African Violet necklace,a  match made in heaven.

 She kind of has an Egyptian feel to her style as well. I love it!

Being Stingy and For Self Gets You......Haters
 of The Growth Blocking Kind.

The ConBiz Burglar

I simply laugh when I see that someone is afraid of others stealing their designs when it comes to jewelry. Every piece of jewelry is more of a variation of other works before them. Nothing under the sun is new. I have met individuals that will not share with you where they got their beads from nor share anything about their methods or even a good book to read. I've even been to a bead store where I have heard a lady flat out tell another woman after she inquired about seeing her website say "You better not steal my designs!" and she wasn't polite about it! I scoffed and laughed when I heard her say that. I mean, the audacity and cockiness of this individual! Her aura was not inviting and little did this lady know, she broke a possible line of communication. I cannot count how many jewelry websites I frequent to learn about new designs and methods of jewelry making. I have a name for individuals like this. I call them the

" ConBiz Burglar"

This person is always out for self, collecting ideas from other and money while stepping on potential relastionships. They desire to contribute as little as possible to help others but desire much from other to get ahead.  Little do individuals like this realize that hurting people along the way or being for self causes you to burn potential bridges and to build haters of your work. What I mean by " haters" is not what is meant in the slang sense of the word, even though it still may apply,  but in relation to business matters. You will have people that can potentially "block" your continuing growth because of your "preceeding" repuation and the notion of selfishness that you may give off.

I can recall from an older post in my blog about an encounter I had with a boutique owner. She just opened up her boutique but was very adamant about letting it be known up front that she accomplished everything on her own. Not the best attitude to have. I realize that I do much of the work for my jewelry but I must increase my visibility, in which, I want others to see me and possibly work with me. For my upcoming jewelry show, which is a big project for me, I am relying on the help of others for me to make this show a success. I am looking into having a vendor for purses and a vendor that is a image consultant. I already have the photographer and this venture has the greatest potential to build excellent relationships. We are putting people to work, not to mention that I pray the attendance at my show is big enough that the restaurant and bar will receive good business. That's what I call good business all around....circulating the potential revenue and increasing visbility with gaining new clientele. That's a beautiful thing.

Do I have any specific tips for building prosperous relationships with potential business friends? At this time, I can't say that I do as I am not that experienced in business building. However, there is one piece of advice  that I would like to give others is the opportunity to help. If you meet someone at an event, like spirits connecting and you see that their service fits a need with what you are doing, give them a chance. If the service was good, refer their services to someone else. Be sure that you offer your best services to them as well and they will do the same for you. Customer service isn't just for the client as business partners are clients' too! We may start off as a small plant as the picture above shows, but together, we can become the forest. All trees in the forest began as a little seed. Let's build.