Business: Efficiency- Less time, more money

Business 2: Efficiency-More Money, Less Work
In production, you are looking to streamline your making process. The goal is to eliminate as much down time as possible and to make the most out of each hour in the studio. Since time is money, thinking ahead and save you time, and increase your profits.
Tips:
Are there elements like jump rings, holes for stone settings, bails, or tubes for settings or hinges that you can include on your prototype and have molded, do so. Think in terms of time- it may take 2 minutes to solder a jump ring on, but 10 seconds to clip it off. In that case, have the mold made with the jump ring. Overall it saves you time.
Make sure your prototype is well finished. Any scratches or dents will be in every single piece, adding time.
Work on a task with an array of pieces. Solder a bunch of things in one session rather than going back and forth to the soldering area. Spend concentrated time on the flexshaft or with files. Get a bunch of pieces ready to patina or stone set and then do all of them at once. By working in this way, you will become more efficient at each set of tasks, reducing time.

Also, work smart and set yourself apart. What you can sell your piece for is not simply a product of the pricing formulas. You are also subject to the fancy and whims of the overall market and the perception of worth.
There are several ways that you can increase the perceived value of your work without spending a great deal of time or money.
• First of all, you can make such original designs that there isn’t anything out there like you! This is easier said than done, additionally you won’t know if you have succeeded until you get out there.
• If you are using a specialized technique or skill that is time consuming, educate your customers. Tell people through signs and in discussion. Practice a “cocktail party” version of the skill that makes the piece so great. Be able to clearly describe the technique in laymen’s terms in 30 seconds to a minute.
• Add value through additions. Gemstones/pearls are an excellent example of this. Patinas are another great example.
• Do the extra little things that you can point to. Make your own clasps, and make them distinctive. Use unusual cuts of stones. Finish the backs of pieces in a distinctive way. Pierce the walls or undersides of bezels.
• Use gold accents or bimetal instead of gold. This gives the looks of gold without the gold price.
• Stress anything unique about the piece. If you made a couple of a particular item and decided you don’t like it, it’s a limited edition!