Yahoo!!

  Yahoo, my business plan is finally done.  (And two days before it's due!)  I made a business plan the last two years but they were only a couple of sentences long.  I didn't really know what a business plan looked like but now I do and it is thirteen pages long!!!!  It is a little scary, especially trying to project sales and cash flow for the next year.  If only real life worked the same as it does on paper.  I guess that is why we put it on paper so we can work on making it come true.   Anyway it is done and all that is left now is to make my elevator speech on Thursday night, turn in the business plan and graduate.  (Graduation gives me a years free membership in the local Chamber of Commerce and you can bet your boots I'm going to take advantage of that.) 

  One of our assignments was to interview our competition and I want to mention the gracious ladies who gave freely of their information to help me out.  You might want to check them out.  There is some nice work out there.

   Mary Boden who lives right here in the Franklin area has been doing polymer clay jewelry, printmaking and silver jewelry for years.  Her website is www.woodthrushstudio.com

   From Warren, Pa is Adrienne Grafton.  She originally was from Franklin also.  Her silver smithing studio is just down the hallway from my studio.  Her website is www.adriennemgrafton.com

   Melissa Muir is from Akron, Ohio and does traditional silver smithing.  I became aware of her work from one of the forums I belong to and I bought one of her necklaces for my daughter.  Her website is www.melissamuir.com

   And, from the other side of the state of Pennsylvania is Holly Gage.  Holly is the only metal clay artist that I contacted.  She makes her living from making jewelry and is very involved and well known in the metal clay community.  Her work is gorgeous and can be seen at www.hollygage.com