Pay it forward lives on.

The pay it forward movement is still going on strong. The latest sign that the movement continues is a commercial I have been seeing where someone has something good done for them and they in turn do something good for someone else.

Of course more information about what pay it forward can be found on Wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward. I remember when the movie first came out and at that time I hadn't seen it, someone paid for my lunch at a Wendys drive thru and the cashier told me the person ahead of me had paid it forward. I didn't know what that really meant at that time. It was a while before I saw the movie but when I saw it I was really moved by it and could see how someone would pay it forward. Later, I joined www.etsy.com to sell my jewelry designs and deciding factor for my joining the site was the pay it forward movement that was going on at the time. People would like an item and give it away for free. Whoever accepted the item would be asked to pay it forward by either giving away an item or doing something nice for someone else. There were 171 items currently listed as "pay it forward" in a recent search I performed on Etsy. I participated a few times and will probably do it again.

It is a good feeling to give. My newest project is Bead BEARer^TM bears. They are cute little miniture bears that bring gifts of the beauty of beads. Once they arrive in your home, they can either sit or stand anywhere you put them and keep you company, bearing your bead for you. They are tiny in size but big in heart.

God Bless Everyone,

Jenean
Designs by Jenean

Are you discouraged or encouraged?

I've been reading a few threads on a forum where some jewelry designers are appearing to feel discouraged because there is a lot of jewelry being sold on the site. I think a person has to keep a positive outlook in every situation or discouragement will set in.

Discourage
To deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit

Encourage
To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence. To give support to; foster and to stimulate.

The common word in each definition is the word confidence. In one definition it’s a lack of confidence and in the other there’s no lack of confidence. The key is to develop and maintain confidence.

There's always going to be competition in all areas of sales. I shop in an area that has a Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart and a Meijer in the same area. They pretty much sell the same things. You don't see Target making statements about closing up shop or becoming discouraged because the other stores are selling what they sell and there's too much competition. Instead, they all attempt to develop a better marketing strategy than the competition. They have created a brand name for themselves. If you see a big letter "K" you know its Kmart. My son knew the word Kmart before he could read. If you see a red bull’s eye, it's Target. Each store tries to distinguish itself from the other by marketing techniques such as branding. That's what each jewelry designer has to do on their site. Create a slogan or phrase. Develop a specialty. Offer quality products.

Always extend excellent customer service. That's how Nordstrom became popular after changing the type of products it was selling. Someone returned some automobile tires to Nordstrom and they took the tires and refunded the person's money. What’s unique about this? They didn’t sell tires. Offering exceptional customer service created a media blitz that cemented Nordstrom’s customer service policy.

My slogan for Designs by Jenean is Handmade Beaded Jewelry That Accentuates Your style. If you were wearing an outfit today, that you bought off the rack, you know many others living in the same area that you live in may be wearing the same thing you have on. With a Design by Jenean, you can separate yourself from the rest of the crowd by adding a beaded necklace. This way you are not looking exactly the same as someone else, you accentuate your style.

Before - A top right out of the store. After - the top with a Design by Jenean

Stay encouraged and be confident!

Jenean
God Bless Everyone