Laura: My "Aha! Moment" - Narrowing My Focus

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We’re wrapping up the first 24/7 (24 hours, 7 days) of the Creative Biz Marathon.  I had a real “aha! moment” yesterday.  It was born from the rose watercolor I created on New Year’s Eve.  Amazing how my art has already fed into a jewelry idea!

Before I share the “aha! moment,” here’s a short background on where it came from…

Thanks to the S.W.O.T. exercise, I’d already come to a few realizations…
  1. There are thousands of competitors on Etsy in the jewelry category
  2. My designs are varied and can’t be described in unique enough words.  “handmade” and “custom” certainly are not rare in the Etsy (or jewelry market) space. That may be one reason I am not getting as many shop and item views.
  3. I may need to turn my focus to local craft shows and markets. 
  4. I need to develop a Facebook marketing plan
  5. I need better, more consistent photography
  6. More unique, higher quality products = higher price point
The “promotion” exercise asked me to define my target customer and develop my value proposition.  

I struggled with the value proposition, knowing full well that “beautiful, handmade jewelry simply” wasn’t specific enough.  I wrote “at great prices” and immediately crossed that out.  I don’t want to compete on price.  I don’t want to be the cheapest.  My target customer isn’t looking for that, anyway.

In summary, it is time to NARROW MY FOCUS!

Here’s the “aha! moment”…

What if…I turned my watercolor art into the center/pendant/focal piece for a handmade necklace? Scanning in water color designs and surrounding them by unique floral shaped beads in vibrant hues?




I got to my journal to put this idea on paper (watercolor paper, at that!).  I even put a copyright mark on the corner of the page, because this idea is that special to me.

I’m excited about this narrowed focus and have the Creative Biz Marathon to thank for it!