When it comes to launching a small business or entrepreneurial pursuit there truly has never been a better time. Thanks to the internet and the many different useful services and new technologies accessible through it, it’s now possible for anyone to get funding, to outsource manufacturing, and to market to a huge targeted audience. Whether you want to give up your day job, or whether you’d just like the satisfaction of making something a hit and to supplement your income, selling an art or craft is a fantastic pursuit. Here we will look at how you can use these various technologies and services to set up a jewellery business which is something anyone with some creativity can enjoy.

Funding
If you need funding or your jewellery business then you can always consider turning to Kickstarter. This is a site where it’s possible for anyone to promote an idea and then crowdsource funding from the masse of visitors to the site. If you have a great looking design for your jewellery that people are interested in, then they might be willing to put some money towards it to see it become a reality and to get a discount off of the finished product.

In most cases though this will be a case of bootstrapping. There are plenty of ways you can get your supplies cheaply, and in some cases you might even use print on demand services meaning there’s no need for an upfront investment at all.

Supplies and Manufacturing
When it comes to getting supplies and manufacturing your jewellery you will have two options. One is to go the traditional route and to make your jewellery from beads, wires and other materials each time you get an order and for this you will need inexpensive materials that you can buy in bulk in order to get a large discount.

Alternatively you might choose to take the newly available option of 3D printing. Here you simply upload a 3D model to a printing service and they will then be able to produce you the item in a range of materials. For your jewellery you will most likely choose silver, steel or glass which are all often options. It’s then up to you whether you let your buyers buy directly from the 3D printing company, or whether you order a bulk load yourself and sell them on at profit.

Of course you may even choose to buy and sell jewellery that has been made by other organizations and this is a quick way to make some money – buy in bulk and sell at a profit.

Optimization
This is a business remember and as such you need to apply a business nous to it. This means making sure that you are getting your supplies as cheaply as possible, it means making sure that you aren’t using more materials than absolutely necessary in order to make your jewellery (could you make the width of your steel ring slightly thinner for instance? Or sell smaller sizes for a cheaper rate?) and you also need to optimize the speed of production. Even if your jewellery is hand-made you can speed this up by using an assembly line and getting some friends to help.

Marketing
There are several ways you can get word out about your product. One is to go through eBay and to use their site to sell your bulk orders to the general public. At the same time you should have a website where people can find out more and where you can begin to build a brand. You may want to get this professionally designed. Other outlets are of course social networking sites where you can take advantage of your existing network of friends to help your product go viral.

I’m Grace Stanworth, web designer and writer. I work with the brilliant folks at Moschino fashion design house and am fond of making web sites that are loved by users and clients.