✨ Welcome + Introduce Yourself

[Ani_]

You made it! Welcome to Square’s togetHER community 🙌

Our purpose is for you to find connection, advice, encouragement, and community with fellow women in business and allies. This community is built for and by you, so make it your own.

First step: Introduce yourself in this thread! We want to get to know each and everyone one of you here. Stuck on how you should introduce yourself to other lady bosses? Here are some things to cover: Tell us who you are, what you’re working on and what type of business you own. If you have an online store, feel free to share with the group!

Our guiding principles

We all want productive, friendly conversation propelling us forward. Keep these in mind when posting:

• Share actionable information/material. We want this group to provide advice and actions that you can implement immediately to improve your business. Give context when asking questions and be detailed in your responses. Post about the difficult things so we can figure out an answer together as a community.
• Assume good intent. Tone on the internet is very difficult to convey. Let’s assume that everyone posting here comes from a place of good intention, so we can do the same. If anything feels amiss, please report it to our moderators.
• Treat your fellow sellers with respect. We all come from different backgrounds and may not always agree with one another, but we can always treat each other with respect. We have a zero tolerance policy for harassment or abuse of sellers or moderators because this should be a happy place on the internet.
• No spam or excessive self promotion. We’ve all seen those groups with the same people posting the same thing every single day. Let’s respect each other’s time and refrain from this type of excessive self promotion. But, by all means, when it’s time to celebrate you, shout that accomplishment from the rooftops!

Can’t wait to see your posts and celebrate you! 🎉

[katieand]

Welcome @kncarney! What kind of handmade goods do you make? 

[kncarney]

I make earrings and decorate items (car accessories, electronic cases and covers, home decor, wedding cake toppers, etc) with Swarovski crystals. 

[SandyDeet]

Hi Karen, I love anything handmade!  What sort of creations are you working on?

[jaylharris77]

SuperBowl AtL 2019

Hi  Everyone,  

My Name is Jackie Harris and I am the owner of Jay L Harris Creative Werks.(www.jaylharris.org) I digital branding and marketing firm. I specialize in graphic design and social media strategy.  In a former life, I spent 15 years working in the non-profit sector.  I am also an author who goes by the name of Jay L Harris.   

This year I had the wonderful opportunity to be one of 30,000 people chosen to be a Superbowl Volunteer. (see picture above) Since then, I have volunteered for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, The Dogwood Festival, and upcoming Chik Fila Bowl Kickoff. 

I love meeting new people and drinking mango margaritas!  I am super excited to be apart of the group. 

[katieand]

Such a great picture @jaylharris77!  I can feel the spirit 🎆 and you sound like quite the Renaissance woman! 

Hopefully, this group will have lots of advice and digital mango margaritas for you to enjoy 🍹

[jaylharris77]

Thanks for adding me!

[jthorvaldson]

Hi everyone! I'm Jennifer and I am the bookkeeper for a local sporting goods company, Todd & Moore, in the heart of downtown Columbia, SC and right by the University of South carolina campus - Go Gamecocks! We are celebrating our 75th anniversary this year! I've been working here for almost 19 years and one of the challenges I have faced during my time is getting our systems and processes more automated. Almost everything we did when I first started was on paper still! It has been a slow and steady process. We finally took the plunge into a point of sale system back in 2015 and moved our system to Square in October 2018. Square has really helped to get things more organized and all our marketing efforts together. I love how the marketing and loyalty work in Square (and can't wait for text marketing!). As a full-line sporting goods store with literally thousands of products (think shoes all the way down to screws for a football helmet) it has been a challenge to come up with a system for building our item list. We still use a lot of variable price products as we go through this process. Thanks for the add to the group. Looking forward to getting new ideas and sharing.

toddandmoore.com

shoptoddandmoore.com

[katieand]

Excited to have you here, Jennifer! We also can't wait for text marketing and I can't wait to hear how you all find the best solution with organizing your extensive item library. It seems like quite the challenge!

[SandyDeet]

Hi Ladies,  My name is Sandy Dieterich and I live on the Western Slope of Colorado.  I own 2 businesses and my husband and I also have a small homestead.   My first business is Aspen Carriage and Sleigh, a horse-drawn carriage and sleigh business based in Aspen, Colorado.  We purchased the business over 15 years ago as a way to finance our passion for rescuing draft horses and committing to caring for them with love and respect for the remainder of their lives.  We currently stand with a herd of 20.  We love the work (who wouldn't love hanging all day with your horses and meeting lovely new people on their vacation) but find as we age that we need to have a plan B.  I developed a second passion in educating on natural ways to detox, live healthy, and raise animals in a more natural way.  When I discovered a line of essential oils that provided quality and efficacy that I had not experienced previously, I knew it was a perfect match and Essential Renaissance was born.  Now I love teaching people how to care for themselves, their family, and their animals incorporating essential oils to provide a healthier happier life! I love networking with other entrepreneurs and supporting and serving them in any way I can.

[katieand]

So great to have you here @SandyDeet! Your businesses sound amazing and I love the amount of foresight you put in to both of them.  I love that you've introduced yourself to others on the thread and can't wait to see how we can be of help in the future for you! 

[thesunnyside]

I haven't been able to read everyone's story. Everything I have read has been inspiring to hear. To hear so many women starting their own businesses and making their ideal lifestyle. My name is April and I am the "tap dancing acupuncturist." I see clients in MA, NJ, and NYC. I currently live in Jersey City with my guy (what I call my boyfriend). I help others get towards better health in all parts of it. I am also a professional tap dancer. I do many performances throughout New England, NJ and NYC with my company @subjectmattertap on IG and as a solo artist. You can find me on IG as @asunnyaprilday and my business is @sunnysidehealing. It would be so good to connect there and watch each others businesses grow! You can find out more about me at www.aprilnieves.com. I am in the process of updating the website. 

 🍉🌻

[Helen]

Welcome @thesunnyside!

I'm fairly confident you're the first tap dancing acupuncturist in TogetHER.  But who knows, maybe you'll meet another one here! 💃

[VickisJewelry]

Hi ladies 🙂

I'm Vicki and I'm a jewelry artist. My jewelry is something different. In my almost thirty years in the business neither my husband nor I have ever seen anyone do exactly what I do.

I have taken the classic elegance of strung pearls and beads and updated it by removing the string and replacing it with decorative wire wrapping. All the materials that I use are all natural, coming from the Earth: semi-precious and precious gemstones and precious metals. To be clear, by precious stones I'm referring to diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, and precious metals are sterling silver, gold, and platinum. I do not use glass, crystal, imitation, clay, or anything else.

Further, I do not make the same thing over and over again either. Each piece is unique. I may make similar styles but rarely will I duplicate anything (unless by request). Many of my customers have been buying from me for over twenty five years, either designing custom pieces by themselves or in collaboration with me.

When you look at my table at a show you will clearly see that my preference is to not use typical stones, but to use unusual and uncommon ones. Perfect examples would be the beautiful blueish purple Dumortierite or Lodolite, highly included quartz where no two pieces are ever the same.

My background is actually in diamonds, and I am a Certified Diamond Grader from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). I also have a number of other certifications from them as well, including pearls and bead stringing. I worked for GIA as a diamond grader for a while, then moved on to work for jewelry manufacturers. My favorite memory was looking at jewelry case in Macy's and seeing one of the pieces that I actually helped create.

Audrey Hepburn said "Elegance is the only beauty that never fades," and I think she would have loved my work. My hubby calls my jewelry "classic elegance with a twist" which is a subtle nod to my wire wrapping as opposed to stringing. 

I moved from NYC to (comparatively) the middle of nowhere, PA. I started doing art shows about a decade ago to meet new customers who would become custom order customers. I've been using Square about five years and it makes the world of difference.

We don't have a website for my jewelry. Photographing jewelry properly is really difficult, even for professionals. I've spoken with a few who wouldn't even try it, knowing the challenges. Plus, if I hire a pro to take pictures of twenty pieces I just made, and sell most of them at my next show, then the pictures would be no longer needed. It's a weird spot to be in... What I do have, though, is a website that shows my (somewhat) recent work, a little bit about me and how I work, and my show schedule. Here's the link if you're interested.

http://unusualgoods.us/jury.html.

Thanks for reading. I didn't expect to write so much! 😄

[Helen]

Welcome @VickisJewelry - your jewelry is beautiful! I had no idea that photography is such a big challenge for jewelers. Have you tried Instagram? I see from your website that you go to a lot of shows too. Do you try to go to as many as you can or are you selective? 

We have a few other jewelry artists and makers here in togetHER — meet @fayesaurous @mccicc @Reigninggrey! 👋

[VickisJewelry]

"Have you tried Instagram?" I'm not following... tried Instagram for what?

As for shows, I certainly am picky on what shows I do. My jewelry is precious stones and precious metals. My jewelry isn't appropriate for a free to everyone street fair, for example. In those shows most of the attendees are just there to look, eat and drink. I have always done better at shows that require patrons to pay admission, and typically the more the entrance fee is the more I sell. However, I don't do the shows that are too expensive to set up at or get in to. I've learned that most people don't 'get' my work. I'm not a smith. Some shows consider what I do assembly work since I didn't make the components. That's ludicrous of course. The nations top Native American beadworkers will be allowed in to those shows and they don't make the components either. Bead weaving is certainly assembly, by anyone's definition, and yet they still get into those shows.

@Reigninggrey Do you know about CJS Sales? Carl, the owner, has a fantastic place to get supplies. http://www.cjssales.com.

[Helen]

I'm sorry! I meant have you tried using creating an Instagram account to showcase your work? With Instagram you can take pictures with a smartphone (or with a camera) and use filters to edit your photographs.

I'm glad to hear the shows with admission fees are worth your your while! It sounds like some shows require you to pay a fee too? I can absolutely see why you'd have to be selective!!

[VickisJewelry]

We've been selling stuff (mostly antiques) on ebay for about twenty two years. My hubby is quite skilled with cameras and cell phone camera, and with photo editing.

If we cannot get (what we consider) good pics of my jewelry for my own website, why I go to Instagram with (what we consider) bad pics?

[cdlapier24]

My name is Caitlyn, I am 25 and own a consignment shop called DressCode in upsate NY. We resell used clothing and donate anything we don't sell or want to local charities.

I love to read, watch Rachel Hollis and all the good content she has to offer, work out (just picked up boxing) and my cat Whitner.

I am here to connect with other business owners in hope to spark creativity, new ideas, and ask questions. You are who you surround yourself with and I am always striving to make my business better each day.

Lots of light,

Cait

[thesunnyside]

Nice to meet you. Do you have an IG? How have you been growing your business so far?

[cdlapier24]

Nice to meet you too! My instagram for the store is @dresscodeconsignment.

So I took over the business 2 year ago. Just the past several months I have been really trying to grow my business with true intention. So I have transferred over to sqaure because  I love the simplicity the look but also the marketing. I switched to appointments to make my shop more shop-able. It was getting packed. I also tried to start doing events and re branded myself 

[TotallyColleen]

Welcome Caitlyn!  That sounds like a great shop 🙂 I love shopping used clothing, such unique and cool finds 🙂 

I am a doterra wellness advocate, and using my IT background also do tech support for entrepreneurs. Because I am a cosplay nerd I also dove into Mermaiding and run a Merfolk Academy too!

Speaking of cosplay, my friend launched a company called Trove Costumes, its a peer to peer costume rental company.  IDK if you come across costumes or costume pieces much but it may be something you could leverage for some of your more unique items. (www.trovecostumes.com)

What are your socials? Happy to follow and check out your threads 🙂

Colleen

(TheCelticSiren)