In trying to adhere to the well known quote of encouragement “Do what you Love. Love what you do.” I have learned that this merely translates to mean that anything in life worth having is worth fighting for and where there is a fight there is struggle and where there is struggle a chance for loss is possible, but ultimately belief in oneself is the driving force to press forward. As an entrepreneur this is my reality…
I have recently added handmade handbags, now dubbed Glam-Bags, to Jurney Jurray’s assorted collection of handmade items. This has been a project that has been put on hold for more than two years, as I was encouraged by my good friend and former co-worker, Judy, to give sewing a try. And sew I did (pun intended:) although at that time I hadn’t the slightest clue of what I was doing, I knew I wanted to create something special. The floral print hand-sewn handbag was nothing short of special as I truly hadn’t the slightest clue of what I was doing, and that’s when that project was shelved over two years ago.
In between time I had continued to focus on handcrafting jewelry and accessories, as I have since come back to the “shelved project” with a renewed sense of direction. I have rediscovered my love for sewing, which I had neglected for 20 years. However, it took for me to focus my attention elsewhere to develop my style. And through it all, “Glam-Bags” by Jurney Jurray were born and I hadn’t realized the intense love I have by combining two loves from my past into one creation of designing, sewing and jewelry embellishment.
But so goes the saying “Do what you love. Love what you do” which again reminds me of the struggle that I face as a small business owner in trying to remain operational. As the price of materials continue to rise while our economy struggles to recover, the reality is grim in my business as fashionable jewelry and accessories will always be a want and never a necessity. Trying to work within those parameters is difficult enough for me as a small business owner who cannot afford to purchase in massive quantities at pennies on the dollar as multi-million dollar companies that outsource production are able to. To put this in perspective, here’s a prime example of my reality.
One purse from start to finish can take 12 hours to produce (typically a 2-day project)
- 3 yards of fabric @ $8/per yard = $24
- Purse handle before embellishment = $6
- Purse handle embellishment = $12.50
- Trim = $2
- Jewelry embellishment = $5-$10
- Floral decor = $3
Total before labor = $55.50-$60.50
Jurney Jurray Glam-Bags sell for $40. I have elected to not cut corners because I still believe in myself and my God given abilities. The fact remains, I cannot compete with companies that purchase massive amounts of materials and outsource production overseas for pennies on the dollar, but what I do offer are unique products truly made by doing what I love and loving what I do.
Rock Star LifeRespectfully,
Jenee DIonne
Jurney Jurray, LLC
www.jurneyjurray.com
jewelry@jurneyjurray.com
http://www.facebook.com/jurneyjurrayllc
Twitter @jurneyjurray
Jurney Jurray's Glam Blog 