8-Sept-2025: Ordering Custom Acrylics and Other Small Business Endeavors

Oh man this week has been hectic again. I'm working on my comifuro catalogue and samples but something came up and I have to go out of town again. Good news: I know what direction I want to take my products in, bad news: I won't be able to check the samples for another week until I get back home. But everything's fine, I'm doing this all very much ahead of time and I have a lot of wiggle room to tweak things.

I ordered a 5cm, one-sided 4mm acrylic for a sample and realized i'd rather have a 4cm, double-sided sandwiched acrylic. Production usually takes a week to a month. I consulted my friends and trusted colleagues and decided to go forward with the size decrease for the upgrade in quality.

Oh, I'm thinking about opening local pre-orders on the 22nd this month, because by 21st september I'll have the funds to go forward with production fees and such. Recap on what I want to sell at CF: my original jewelry, stardew beaded keychains, stardew buttons, and offer a selection of photocards to trade and give away as freebies. I have some leftover from my last con, so I'll be adding new designs for my existing OCs!

The upcoming con has me so excited I'm putting in my all into making products! But sometimes, I feel guilty for not having "handmade-enough" products. I use pre-shaped wire instead of looping it all myself (to be fair i do half the loops), I use mass-manufatured beads instead of making them myself, I don't use shrinky dinks and instead go to a vendor to make acrylics, Just Regular Impostor Syndrome Things. I try to compensate by making my charms unique and stand out, I don't know how well I've achieved it, though!

Hm. What else. I feel like I always have the Two Wolves of Pricing on my shoulders. One wants it to be more affordable but the other wants to be a capitalist. Although, I'm letting the affordable wolf indulge by making a lot of freebies to give away and trade. The capitalist wolf controls my prices otherwise. Though I will be pricing it cheaper for the pre-order because the affordable wolf is winning me over. Sorry if this wolf metaphor is complicated.

Eugh. Calling myself a small business owner is not my vibe. But it's true! I sell stuff at a small scale. I sell costume jewelry and other beaded trinkets. I just don't like the whole entrepreneurial schtick of it all.

That's it for today. That's been my weekly update. Cheers everyone. Hope you're all having a great week!