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That little broken tooth issue I went in for today turned into a referral for a root canal (it's a molar, and my dentist refers those out. Which is not encouraging.)
He was hoping I would take their 8:45 AM Thursday morning opening but uh, no way. I am already sure I'll be scrambling until the last minute to get everything together for the show, plus my one current album in revisions.
(Heh. One current album. In November. When I am normally putting in late nights to get a glut of holiday deadline albums done. I think even if I hadn't decided to transition away from albums being my main thing, the market did it for me. Yay big companies with teams of designers in Peru & India who can charge 20% of what I do!)
He was hoping I would take their 8:45 AM Thursday morning opening but uh, no way. I am already sure I'll be scrambling until the last minute to get everything together for the show, plus my one current album in revisions.
(Heh. One current album. In November. When I am normally putting in late nights to get a glut of holiday deadline albums done. I think even if I hadn't decided to transition away from albums being my main thing, the market did it for me. Yay big companies with teams of designers in Peru & India who can charge 20% of what I do!)
I'm not even sleepy
Nov. 4th, 2016 12:25 amI'm up past midnight and I've clearly had WAAAAAY to much sugar (probably all the tea with honey becuase my sore throat/cough is still brutal) but at least all but one thing on my to-do list is finally checked off? Which is extra good becuase half of it was for a project that has a drop dead due date of Sunday (and many hours of work to do to finish it. I like to hit my school volunteer hour quota before Thanksgiving, apparently.)
Of course the thing that isn't checked off is "make stock every every day" since I have a full weekend holiday show in TWO WEEKS. For which I need to finish at least 20 christmas ornaments, a whole mess of jewelry, at least 3 light switch plates and, shockingly, I think I need to make prints. Becuase apparently when surrounded by all the sparkly space jewelry, my weirdo space digital art suddenly attracts people, and I actually ran out of the cat and eclipse prints. (I only print max 5 at a time, even though I think the edition is set at 50, becuase let's be real, this stuff doesn't move fast.)
I like paranthetical clauses way too much.
I have been listening to this song lots; it's technically kpop but it feels like something Natalia Kills would have done, or maybe even Lords of Acid?. There's swearing. And it's only partly sung in English, but you really don't need to understand it to get the song, it's nasty club nonsense with a rumbly hook.
Of course the thing that isn't checked off is "make stock every every day" since I have a full weekend holiday show in TWO WEEKS. For which I need to finish at least 20 christmas ornaments, a whole mess of jewelry, at least 3 light switch plates and, shockingly, I think I need to make prints. Becuase apparently when surrounded by all the sparkly space jewelry, my weirdo space digital art suddenly attracts people, and I actually ran out of the cat and eclipse prints. (I only print max 5 at a time, even though I think the edition is set at 50, becuase let's be real, this stuff doesn't move fast.)
I like paranthetical clauses way too much.
I have been listening to this song lots; it's technically kpop but it feels like something Natalia Kills would have done, or maybe even Lords of Acid?. There's swearing. And it's only partly sung in English, but you really don't need to understand it to get the song, it's nasty club nonsense with a rumbly hook.
too much glowing in my face
Oct. 2nd, 2016 03:45 pmI am really tired of the online parts of running a business. I don't want to be spending this much time on the computer, I just want to make the things.
And fix my house, becuase my house is so cluttered to be extremely tiring.
I'm considering just ... not applying for the two holiday shows I'm halfway through the applications for, and just sitting with the current schedule. Which, among other things, would mean NOT trying to get enough of the housewares/Christmas prototypes done to be photographable and up where the people choosing vendors can see them. (Doing just jewelry, and at the level I currently work at, means mostly getting told "nice, but we have too many jewelry artists" at most shows that aren't SF conventions.)
I have two SF shows (LosCon, TusCon) and two "in person" shows (OddMall and CK8's Winterfest) scheduled for the rest of the year, and am waitlisted for two more SF shows. I definitely need to make more inventory to be able to cover all of them, but the very first is still 4 weeks off, and that's only one art show panel, so there's much more wiggle room for prototypes to take time to work.
(I did manage to make a pretty ornament today. It doesn't really look space-y, but it's pretty.)
And fix my house, becuase my house is so cluttered to be extremely tiring.
I'm considering just ... not applying for the two holiday shows I'm halfway through the applications for, and just sitting with the current schedule. Which, among other things, would mean NOT trying to get enough of the housewares/Christmas prototypes done to be photographable and up where the people choosing vendors can see them. (Doing just jewelry, and at the level I currently work at, means mostly getting told "nice, but we have too many jewelry artists" at most shows that aren't SF conventions.)
I have two SF shows (LosCon, TusCon) and two "in person" shows (OddMall and CK8's Winterfest) scheduled for the rest of the year, and am waitlisted for two more SF shows. I definitely need to make more inventory to be able to cover all of them, but the very first is still 4 weeks off, and that's only one art show panel, so there's much more wiggle room for prototypes to take time to work.
(I did manage to make a pretty ornament today. It doesn't really look space-y, but it's pretty.)
halfway there
Sep. 8th, 2016 11:03 pmI (almost) have a new website
The about page isn't written, the portfolio section isn't up, and there are still weird places the background goes dark, but it's functional, and it won't take too much more work until I can swap it into being at the URL that is on my business cards and on my show applications.
(And will look good on a phone, and will be reasonably searched by google, becuase my current one fails the "mobile friendly" test, and is generally annoying on many fronts.)
It took entirely too much thought and angsting to decide whether or not anything besides jewelry could go on it; I ended up compromising with having only the space-related art on it as well, which is good for branding but is going to be a big weird if/when I do more with non-space mixed media and photography. And I still have non-space work in my online shop. But... I'll deal with that later, I guess.
As always, the farther I get in to working on a website for anything I do, the more I end up saying "dear gods I need better pictures". Larger than life is not kind to my process, and I need pictures with people in them. But... I think that will have to be next month's project.
The about page isn't written, the portfolio section isn't up, and there are still weird places the background goes dark, but it's functional, and it won't take too much more work until I can swap it into being at the URL that is on my business cards and on my show applications.
(And will look good on a phone, and will be reasonably searched by google, becuase my current one fails the "mobile friendly" test, and is generally annoying on many fronts.)
It took entirely too much thought and angsting to decide whether or not anything besides jewelry could go on it; I ended up compromising with having only the space-related art on it as well, which is good for branding but is going to be a big weird if/when I do more with non-space mixed media and photography. And I still have non-space work in my online shop. But... I'll deal with that later, I guess.
As always, the farther I get in to working on a website for anything I do, the more I end up saying "dear gods I need better pictures". Larger than life is not kind to my process, and I need pictures with people in them. But... I think that will have to be next month's project.
so how should I run a benefit sale?
Aug. 30th, 2016 01:28 pmI want to do something to up my ability to help the Washington for Good Policing initiative (I-873) but don't really leave the house enough to be an effective signature gatherer, so I was thinking about running a benefit sale. I can think of a couple ways to do this:
- Announce that proceeds from online sales of work will go to wfgp until the petition deadline; a complication to this (all of it, really) is that right now I only have 12 jewelry pieces online (not that it wouldn't apply to other stuff, but, well, they flat art is not exactly popular.) Adding listings takes from 10-30 minutes per pieces, depending on how good the pictures I already have are. Doing an additional photoshoot to get side views/etc of pieces that could go up should happen anyway, but realistically, it will be slow going.
- Announce that with proof of donation/payment to me to pass on you can pick any equivalent piece, which would mean sticking up my inventory shots in bulk somewhere -- many of which are quick and dirty cell phone shots still on the weird sticky mat I work on, becuase they are normally just for my own tracking purposes. (Like so:
which is oh so enticing and professional and there would be between 100-140 of them. Commissions? For donations, pick a shape and color scheme?. (Never mind, there are way too many ways for that to go wrong right now- ???
the shop is actually happening
Aug. 1st, 2016 09:13 pmGiven several kicks in the pants and two projects I really want to avoid (heh) I have finally sat down and started pushing through listing jewelry online. I expect to be adding more daily throughout the week (and then putting the shop in vacation mode for a week yay) but stuff is actually going up at Jeliza.Artfire.com
LJ won't let me use spiffy widget that shows the most recently added stuff. Sad. So you will have to either take my word for it, or go to the link :)
It's going to be a little heavier on the more abstract pieces than what I would send to a convention, but there will definitely be very space-based stuff as well.
LJ won't let me use spiffy widget that shows the most recently added stuff. Sad. So you will have to either take my word for it, or go to the link :)
It's going to be a little heavier on the more abstract pieces than what I would send to a convention, but there will definitely be very space-based stuff as well.
One of the cats left a little "present" on the special fitted tablecloth I need for the show tomorrow. But apparently using a washing machine can mean it ends up a massively wrinkled mess, and I don't know that I even own an iron. Aaaaaagh.
And part of me wants to not put out my favorite new bracelet because I don't have (and probably won't have time to make) a good photo, since I can't scan them. bleah.
In case I haven't plugged it enough, I will be at the Greenlake Great Hall tomorrow for the Seattle Makers Market. I have stopped being stressed about all the other jewelry artists being of the "chic and elegant" variety because they all charge twice as much as I do (and use real silver and gemstones and stuff) so it isn't like I'll really be competing with them for sales. Though I might not be the right vibe for the market in general, but that's a different issue and remains to be seen.
I am dignified profeshnul artist and totally an adult and not a sack of squirrel in a human suit. Rilly.
And part of me wants to not put out my favorite new bracelet because I don't have (and probably won't have time to make) a good photo, since I can't scan them. bleah.
In case I haven't plugged it enough, I will be at the Greenlake Great Hall tomorrow for the Seattle Makers Market. I have stopped being stressed about all the other jewelry artists being of the "chic and elegant" variety because they all charge twice as much as I do (and use real silver and gemstones and stuff) so it isn't like I'll really be competing with them for sales. Though I might not be the right vibe for the market in general, but that's a different issue and remains to be seen.
I am dignified profeshnul artist and totally an adult and not a sack of squirrel in a human suit. Rilly.
This Saturday I will be at the Cascade Winterfest with a passel of jewelry and cards and prints of all kinds! I have been a busy, busy bee on the jewelry front so there will be a ton of new work to choose from. Also, the bake sale is usually pretty wicked.
10 am to 4 pm at Meridian Park Elementary, just off the 175th street exit from I-5. free admission.
10 am to 4 pm at Meridian Park Elementary, just off the 175th street exit from I-5. free admission.
halp? should I make cards?
Nov. 22nd, 2015 09:40 pmI (possibly unwisely) have two panels at Arisia, with the original intent to send just jewelry, but they said "please send prints too, we have these long hooks for mulitples, it'll be great" and suddenly I have two panels and yikes is that expensive for mailing in and it takes a lot of jewelry to fill up that much real estate (and cover costs)
But I don't actually have multiple prints of that many images, and part of my mailing-to-convention-art-shows again thing is that jewelry fits in a much smaller box, bringing shipping costs down to a place where it doesn't wipe out all possibility of profit. (Bless USPS flat rate boxes) So, I don't want to send anything bigger than, say, an 8x10.
However, the place I have had greeting cards made in the past is running a special until the 25th, so I thought, hey, I could do cards? Which I can print in sets of 4 for about $1.75 per card with teh sale on. (Sets of 25 bring that down to $1.40 per, but, um, that's a lot of cards.) Which I guess would mean pricing at $3, since convention art shows only do whole dollars. I would probably have them in time for when i vend at Winterfest on the 5th.
But right now I hate all my genre artwork that doesn't involve glitter, and can't tell if it's a good idea or not. Any opinions on worth or the idea, and or which
would make good cards? I love my silly flowers/fish in space stuff, but oddly have only been able to sell them in non-convention environments (to anyone that isn't already a friend of mine.) I've got maybe half? of my genre work up on my website
Any word from the peanut gallery?
I've been inhaling bleach fumes for the past hour, which means my brain is fuzzy, judgment is impaired, and head is tipped with hideous spurs of pink.
I get my first results of mailing to a show either tomorrow or Tuesday; I have no idea if the box from Windycon is coming back full or empty or in between or what, just that it is on its way, and of course my brain is sure that Norwescon/Sasquan were flukes and nothing will sell ever again and I've wasted a huge amount of money and time. Becuase my brain is helpful like that.
But I don't actually have multiple prints of that many images, and part of my mailing-to-convention-art-shows again thing is that jewelry fits in a much smaller box, bringing shipping costs down to a place where it doesn't wipe out all possibility of profit. (Bless USPS flat rate boxes) So, I don't want to send anything bigger than, say, an 8x10.
However, the place I have had greeting cards made in the past is running a special until the 25th, so I thought, hey, I could do cards? Which I can print in sets of 4 for about $1.75 per card with teh sale on. (Sets of 25 bring that down to $1.40 per, but, um, that's a lot of cards.) Which I guess would mean pricing at $3, since convention art shows only do whole dollars. I would probably have them in time for when i vend at Winterfest on the 5th.
But right now I hate all my genre artwork that doesn't involve glitter, and can't tell if it's a good idea or not. Any opinions on worth or the idea, and or which
would make good cards? I love my silly flowers/fish in space stuff, but oddly have only been able to sell them in non-convention environments (to anyone that isn't already a friend of mine.) I've got maybe half? of my genre work up on my website
Any word from the peanut gallery?
I've been inhaling bleach fumes for the past hour, which means my brain is fuzzy, judgment is impaired, and head is tipped with hideous spurs of pink.
I get my first results of mailing to a show either tomorrow or Tuesday; I have no idea if the box from Windycon is coming back full or empty or in between or what, just that it is on its way, and of course my brain is sure that Norwescon/Sasquan were flukes and nothing will sell ever again and I've wasted a huge amount of money and time. Becuase my brain is helpful like that.
I was really excited that I successfully designed and executed cards for my necklaces that will contain the chains and look good when hanging, AND cajoled my laser printer into working with cardstock, and was all set to put the 22 pieces going to Windycon on them... and then realized that the afternoon photo session to document all the new pieces didn't happen yet.becuase chaos is the natural order of things around here. (I have to ship them by Saturday, so ... )
I really need good pictures, too, because I'm possibly going to be applying to juried things, and in general I need to put things up on the website that aren't nasty cell phone shots -- and glitter infused paint under glass is not exactly an easy subject.
Wah. I suspect Friday night might involve Red Bull. (We have hit holiday season in album-land, so I have three of those to design by Monday-ish, too, with somewhere between two and five on the immediate horizon.)
I really need good pictures, too, because I'm possibly going to be applying to juried things, and in general I need to put things up on the website that aren't nasty cell phone shots -- and glitter infused paint under glass is not exactly an easy subject.
Wah. I suspect Friday night might involve Red Bull. (We have hit holiday season in album-land, so I have three of those to design by Monday-ish, too, with somewhere between two and five on the immediate horizon.)
assistant-ing
Oct. 11th, 2015 04:56 pmI am not in a place right now where I want to do a big hiring search (so this post is not going up on craigslist or such, and is much more casual than normal), but my last sales/customer service assistant left a few months ago, and it would be nice to have a new one. Tammy has been wonderful pitching in where she can, but her heavy season is at the same time as mine, so she can't really pick up the things I would like more regular help with. I can manage, it just would be better if someone else was helping.
The job is:
PRIMARILY
Contact with prospective customers -- answering initial inquiries, but most importantly keeping in contact with people when they are deciding whether or not to book.
This is technically a sales job, but not hard-sell, and is more like customer service in vibe.
POSSIBLY/OPTIONALLY (depending on workload, chemistry, etc.)
- Helping me manage current clients who have dropped off the radar when faced with decisions.
- Helping with social media (which may take the form of nagging me to blog/instagram, but possibly expand into actually writing short posts, IDK)
- If I do the Lovesick Expo again, help working the table would be nice.
This is a telecommuting job, though some initial training (learning about the books) is best done in person (North King/South Snohomish County). Customer contact is basically entirely by e-mail; internal communication is mostly e-mail or IM (I hate the phone)
It is usually 2-5 hours a week, possibly up to 10 if it gets busy. I need someone to check/send e-mail 4 days a week, and I need to know which days of the week those are, but they can pick them. Hours are whenever fits their schedule. Basically, it's not a very lucrative job, but it is incredibly flexible.
Design/photography experience is unnecessary, but being able to talk a bit about visual style and the qualities of mid-to-high-end crafted objects will be required. Comfort in selling high-end (i.e. expensive) items is needed. The product line is big and somewhat complicated, and helping customers find the right solution for them while avoiding Choice Fatigue is key.
If you think weddings are petty bourgeois extravagances, this isn't going to work.
Since writing is 95% of how the customer experiences us, good semi-formal writing skills are needed.
Software used is e-mail (imap, NOT gmail), CapsuleCRM (which is a pretty simple CRM), and google drive docs/spreadsheets.
They/you would be an actual employee, with w-2 and taxes and all that, so must be a washington state resident, though someone who is already has a business set up as a VA and would prefer to stick with that mode might work. Payroll is monthly, $11/hour. Under the table is not an option.
E-mail me at admina at alacartealbums.com with questions or to apply. No Microsoft Word documents, please.
sparkly things, part seventy gazillion
Sep. 29th, 2015 04:40 pmA box with alchol inks and little sheets of plexi arrived yesterday, which I am super excited about. The inks in particular will let me add more watercolor-y (and consistently translucent) effects, since they stick to glass, and I am going to experiment with taking the mode I am working in with the jewelry and moving it up just a little bit in scale.
I should be taking advantage of the good weather to do ALL THE GLUING (e6000 will melt your brain cells, so I like to do it outside in a big batch) but keep hoping the settings that are currently stuck in customs will show up for about 10 pieces I don't know which setting will be best for. And if I glue them now, then the order will arrive and it would be overwhelmingly obvious that things that rectangles that were vertical should be horizontal and circles that are pendants should be bracelets. Wah.
I'm still struggling with how to take good photos of these pieces, both the final and in-process versions, but this is what I have so far for the current batch (LJ lets you post instagrams with the username and comments but not the description, or with the description but not the rest of the instagram info. This is really annoying to me):
I should be taking advantage of the good weather to do ALL THE GLUING (e6000 will melt your brain cells, so I like to do it outside in a big batch) but keep hoping the settings that are currently stuck in customs will show up for about 10 pieces I don't know which setting will be best for. And if I glue them now, then the order will arrive and it would be overwhelmingly obvious that things that rectangles that were vertical should be horizontal and circles that are pendants should be bracelets. Wah.
I'm still struggling with how to take good photos of these pieces, both the final and in-process versions, but this is what I have so far for the current batch (LJ lets you post instagrams with the username and comments but not the description, or with the description but not the rest of the instagram info. This is really annoying to me):
Today's new crop of painted cabs. I am particularly pleased with the medium round one, which looks like black opal in person.
My first attempt at earrings! I am trying to decide between the silver and gunmetal settings.
They match more than this pic implies, as flash works very oddly on my pretties; the one on the left is more accurate.
I might actually be relaxed
Aug. 6th, 2015 10:17 pmI was sternly told to go do some self-care, so I had Indian food and a loooong massage on a table with the warmer on high and wow. Even though there were some ouchy bits (I think something trigger point-ish wss happening) I actually ended the massage all floaty, which hasn't happened in a long time.
I also go started on the video crash learning, and got one more album design approved and off my hands so yay.
I have been approved for promoted pins on pinterest, which of course makes me think I don't have a pin worth actually promoting. (I have one really POPULAR pin but it is to a tutorial and I am unsure if that generates sales, or just goodwill.)
Yoga has been basically impossible to get to; I think next year I need to just assume I can't regularly go in the summer and have a different plan next year.
Dan is progressing in his skateboarding at a rapid pace. I'm going to try and take some video of THAT too, though it will probably be more challenging than the relatively slow moving books.
I also go started on the video crash learning, and got one more album design approved and off my hands so yay.
I have been approved for promoted pins on pinterest, which of course makes me think I don't have a pin worth actually promoting. (I have one really POPULAR pin but it is to a tutorial and I am unsure if that generates sales, or just goodwill.)
Yoga has been basically impossible to get to; I think next year I need to just assume I can't regularly go in the summer and have a different plan next year.
Dan is progressing in his skateboarding at a rapid pace. I'm going to try and take some video of THAT too, though it will probably be more challenging than the relatively slow moving books.
I feel awful, which goes so well with the to-do list from hell.
Leaving the house is a terrifying prospect. And yet, if I leave the house, I can get good ramen from Aloha, which my body is totally craving.
I dearly, dearly hope I am over this cold by the wedding expo on Sunday. This could suck really hard.
(BTW, I still have 4 spots on my complimentary guest list for this Sunday's indie Lovesick Wedding expo, which has, like, booze and burlesque and chill vendors like me and babeland and Wai Ching. If you know someone doing wedding planning and they wanna go for free, e-mail/comment at me.)
Leaving the house is a terrifying prospect. And yet, if I leave the house, I can get good ramen from Aloha, which my body is totally craving.
I dearly, dearly hope I am over this cold by the wedding expo on Sunday. This could suck really hard.
(BTW, I still have 4 spots on my complimentary guest list for this Sunday's indie Lovesick Wedding expo, which has, like, booze and burlesque and chill vendors like me and babeland and Wai Ching. If you know someone doing wedding planning and they wanna go for free, e-mail/comment at me.)
quick pretty thing help?
Dec. 27th, 2014 05:22 pmThe last thing I need to do to order my (epic) new sample album is pick a cover, which I need to do ASAP so I can get the album in time for my wedding show in February.
I have made over 100 mockups. I have narrowed it down to 16, and at this point do not trust my eyes at all. If you could look through this gallery and tell me which one(s) you like best, that would be super helpful.
http://jepphoto.com/proofs/nextonesamplecover/
Possibly relevant: this is what some of this kind of album look like in real life, which will maybe give you a little sense how the mockups translate to real life:
I have made over 100 mockups. I have narrowed it down to 16, and at this point do not trust my eyes at all. If you could look through this gallery and tell me which one(s) you like best, that would be super helpful.
http://jepphoto.com/proofs/nextonesamplecover/
Possibly relevant: this is what some of this kind of album look like in real life, which will maybe give you a little sense how the mockups translate to real life:
Cyberweek coupon codes
Dec. 1st, 2014 10:17 amIf you are into the cyber monday thing, here are the discount deals/codes I got sent recently by my affiliate-program-overlords; I am not sure which of these are the codes they don't otherwise publicize. (no, I don't plan on doing this often.)
Cheap Art Supplies:
Get your Cyber Monday savings at Blick! Use code CYBMON to get 15% off order $79 or more, 20% off orders $129 or more, 25% off orders $199 or more, plus free shipping on orders of $79 or more. Exclusions apply. Good through Monday, December 1st, CST.
Nifty photo holiday cards and such:
Use code CYBER40 at TinyPrints for 40% off all cards. Works through Dec. 4th.
Photoprints
20% off everything at Shutterfly with code CYBER20 through the 4th.
Why No Books?
There should be a Blurb one, but the only one they sent me expires today so unless you already have a book made, that's unlikely to help. I do pretty much always have blurb codes, frequently the affiliate-specific ones they don't advertise on the site. (How I started doing affiliate stuff if because I design blurb books for people at my business, and do not mark up the price on blurb, so this way I get a cut for sending them all those sales), and then the affiliate place (shareasale.com) was like -- hey, you should look at these too!
Cheap Art Supplies:
Get your Cyber Monday savings at Blick! Use code CYBMON to get 15% off order $79 or more, 20% off orders $129 or more, 25% off orders $199 or more, plus free shipping on orders of $79 or more. Exclusions apply. Good through Monday, December 1st, CST.
Nifty photo holiday cards and such:
Use code CYBER40 at TinyPrints for 40% off all cards. Works through Dec. 4th.
Photoprints
20% off everything at Shutterfly with code CYBER20 through the 4th.
Why No Books?
There should be a Blurb one, but the only one they sent me expires today so unless you already have a book made, that's unlikely to help. I do pretty much always have blurb codes, frequently the affiliate-specific ones they don't advertise on the site. (How I started doing affiliate stuff if because I design blurb books for people at my business, and do not mark up the price on blurb, so this way I get a cut for sending them all those sales), and then the affiliate place (shareasale.com) was like -- hey, you should look at these too!
tech thoughts
Nov. 24th, 2014 12:31 pmI turns out I can, conceivably, afford a laptop that can run photoshop/indesign. (I'd probably still do all color correction on the desktop machine with the old but high-grade monitor); They've come down in price by about half since last year, which is to say, still four figures, but starting with a 1 instead of 2/3. The question then is, will it actually be sufficiently useful to justify it?
Pros:
Can go work places where it is
Cons:
Big chunk out of business budget.
The question then becomes if that would result in sufficiently improved productivity/parenting/health to be worth it.
(Also, the ex-boss/continuing client needs a new PC to somewhat custom/graphics workstation specifications, and it would be super awesome if she could get it from somwhere such that she has access to tech support that isn't me. Suggestions welcome.)
Pros:
Can go work places where it is
- warm
- in the same room as/easier hearing distance to the kids
- possible to work standing up
- out of the house
Cons:
Big chunk out of business budget.
The question then becomes if that would result in sufficiently improved productivity/parenting/health to be worth it.
(Also, the ex-boss/continuing client needs a new PC to somewhat custom/graphics workstation specifications, and it would be super awesome if she could get it from somwhere such that she has access to tech support that isn't me. Suggestions welcome.)
Hiring PT office/sales assistant
Jul. 28th, 2014 03:11 pmI need some help! I'm hiring an assistant to help with e-mailing current and prospective customers so I can concentrate on the actual designing of books.
Main responsibilities
Main responsibilities
- responding to potential customer inquiries for custom wedding albums, mainly answering questions and offering information. My product line is very wide, and helping customers through decision fatigue is crucial.
- following up over time with potentials who do not immediately book.
- keeping track of deadlines/due responses for current clients (sending internal reminders, mostly to me)
Client communication is done via e-mail; you will need your own computer and internet connection. Excellent written communication skills are a must. You will also be constructing custom price quotes.
This is a no-pressure sales environment, with a focus on finding the right option for the customer, ranging from minimal to luxurious budgets.
An interest in handmade books and/or weddings is helpful, but not required. Prospective and project management is currently done with an online CRM (can train) and google docs. You will need to answer e-mail 5 days a week, but can choose which days; time of day is also up to you.
Initial training will be in person in the Seattle/Shoreline area; and there may be occasional in-person meetings (monthly or less) once training is completed. Internal communications will be via (mostly) e-mail, IM and/or skype.
4-15 hours/week. $11/hr to start. Employee, no benefit package.
Must be Washington State resident. Work-from-home parents welcome.
If you an uncomfortable working with queer and other-than-Christian people, please do not apply.
This is not a design position.
If you an uncomfortable working with queer and other-than-Christian people, please do not apply.
This is not a design position.
Send resume and cover letter explaining your interest (text, pdf, or rtf; NOT WORD) to admina @ alacartealbums.com
Only those shortlisted will be contacted.
Company website is alacartealbums.com
[This is a changed/expanded job from the position advertised in January.]
[This is a changed/expanded job from the position advertised in January.]
