Q: How should I dress for various shows? I don’t want to be overdressed, but at the same time I’ve seen exhibitors underdressed for higher-end shows. Is there a standard I should follow? I think our standard should be to dress ...
Q: We have been creating fused-glass jewelry for the past 3½ years and sales have been excellent (in fact, much better than we ever dreamed). Now we are considering expansion, which would require hiring help for the sawing, grinding and finishing. My ...
Q: How can I protect my trademark or my “brand?” I have been using a name for my business and website and found that someone else is using the same phrase. I contacted an attorney and was told that it ...
Q: I overheard a conversation the other day, and it intrigued me. They were talking about designing jewelry for a company, eliminating the need for doing art fairs. I make one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry and love the creative side, but the selling side, not so much ...
Q: Life and self-employment are filled with unexpected personal medical and family emergencies. As I run my small crafts business, how can I prepare for those times when, because of possible poor health, hospitalization, or my assistance with a loved ...
Q: With gasoline prices rising so substantially in recent months, my transportation expenses for attending shows and fairs this summer and fall will be exceeding what I had projected in my 2011 operating budget at the beginning of the year. ...
Q: Last year, I took my jewelry products to a couple of outdoor shows for the first time. The jewelry, I feel, is of good quality and priced accordingly, but I didn’t have too many people stopping to look. Many ...
I have a lot of collectibles in my home—many were made by artisans. The thing is, I have no idea how much I paid for any of these creations. I never saved any receipts and many were bought for cash ...
Q. What is a “gallery”? My friend says it is a shop that has a strong crafts presence, but I say it is more like a museum, where the items are for sale? Who is right? —Charity H., via e-mail A. This ...
Q. I was always good at math, so I have always kept my own books and done my taxes. Friends are surprised about that. They say I am losing out on changes to the tax code and other business incentives ...
