Michelle Murray

I am a Bookkeeper for two businesses apart from my own business.  I run my business from home in Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland and I am only trading for around 18 months.

I was looking for a new hobby and I did a jewellery making course which I loved so, I did more courses and ended up setting up a business.  I dedicated a room in my home to run my business from home.  I make beaded, fashion and wire jewellery and craft items.

What are your business objectives?

To continue doing what I love doing.

To make enough money to continue to making jewellery.

To be recognised for excellent service & quality work

My learnings from the Crafting Business programme:

Thanks to the Crafting Business programme I have learned that it takes much more than a greatly-crafted product to build a successful
business that can sustain growth. I now have an array of tools to help me bring my vision to life in a realistic way.
At the beginning of the programme I felt like I was merely “playing it by ear” in terms of how to set my prices, how to reach my right audience how
to deal with the financial aspect of the business.

Upon completion of the programme, I feel I have gained access to tried and tested strategies that can give my venture focus and a stable foundation for development.

After having sat down and distilled what I envision into the Business Model Canvas, I no longer feel the need to do everything by myself and at
the same time. I now have a more solid sense of structure that will prevent me from going around blindfolded from now on.

Setting up and running a business is not as simple as it seems. How to properly price pieces or, prepare for 3-5 years in the future.

This course changed how I view my business.  I will incorporate my Reiki & Seichem into my Jewellery.

My top tips that I have learnt on this journey:

Research and then research some more. If you have your business name then make sure that the business name is available, the domains are available and emails etc.,
Contact your Local Enterprise Office, and get mentoring support. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Check for courses that will help you to improve your business like Crafting Business.

Image credits:

1 & 2: Design credit to sonysree_creations

4b Design credit to Stacey Kemp

5 Adapted from a design by Michaels Stores

5 Reiki symbol credit – reiki.info