MJSA Launches "conFab" to Help Designers Profit
The inaugural MJSA conFab, a one-day event focused on “profit lessons” for jewelry makers and designers, will debut Oct. 14 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Sponsored by the MJSA Education Foundation, it will cover such key areas as strategy and planning, digital marketing, inventory control, and pricing.
In addition, attendees will be able to access special password-protected “Online Extras” on the MJSA website, where they can find additional information. New articles, videos, and other resources will continue to be posted to the pages following the event, creating a digital extension of conFab.
“Our goal is to help jewelry makers and designers make a better living doing what they love,” says MJSA president/CEO David W. Cochran. “The event will offer best business practices in a way that’s memorable, rewarding, and even fun. We’ll present pricing strategies by staging a game show—our own version of ‘The Price Is Right”—and invite attendees to submit their own jewelry creations for the contestants to review. They can also submit their websites for critique during the ‘Websites That Work for You’ session, or post their favorite ‘words of wisdom’ on our Board of Best Advice. It truly will be an event to which everyone can contribute.”
The scheduled conFab presenters include:
Andrea Hill, owner of StrategyWerx, a consulting firm focused on helping small business owners succeed and prosper.
Arthur Skuratowicz, co-founder of the Jewelry Training Center (JTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he serves as director of education.
Gary Dawson, owner of Gary Dawson Designs, an internet-only business that was recently named among the “Best of the Best” by Instore magazine.
Lee Krombholz, owner of Cincinnati-based Krombholz Jewelers and Just Like You Designs, which specializes in personalized jewelry.
Eugene Brill, online marketing manager with industry supplier Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico; he has more than 20 years of experience and expertise in internet marketing communications (search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media, etc.).
Tina Snyder, editor in chief of MJSA Journal and MJSA Journal Online.
The event’s registration fee of $125 includes unlimited access to the online conFab pages. To learn more, visit the conFab pages.
To register, click here.
Top Ten Reasons Why You Should conFab
Number 10:
To hear the laugh of Andrea Hill, rumored to have once made a Buckingham Palace guard grin, interspersed between insights into strategic planning, marketing, branding, and just plain how to run an amazing business.
Number 9:
To watch Arthur "Price Point" Skuratowicz and Gary "Profit Margin" Dawson go head to head in our version of "The Price Is Right" game show, and to learn if there really is a better pricing strategy than multiplying the number of letters in a client’s last name by $100. (Hint: You bet there is.)
Number 8:
To learn Eugene Brill’s and Gary Dawson’s thoughts on how to make a jammin’ website, as well as hear their priceless collection of Bill Gates’s favorite knock-knock jokes.
Number 7:
Because a Ouija board can go only so far in helping you to develop a three-year business plan. Seriously.
Number 6:
To hear Andrea Hill laugh some more, as well as describe how you can increase your stock turns and free all of that cash tied up in inventory.
Number 5:
To watch Andrea interview Cindy Edelstein, Bree Richey, and Malak Atut on what it takes to have a successful design firm, and to see whether they’ll tell a knock-knock joke that makes Andrea laugh. (Yes, in addition to being incredibly smart, Andrea likes to laugh a lot, and everyone likes to help her do it.)
Number 4:
To learn from Lee Krombholz not only how to cater to those clients who want everything customized and to have it "their way," but also to hear his picks for the best new indie rock bands. (Lee is an eclectic fellow.)
Number 3:
Because you can actually have your own designs or websites critiqued by our experts, who will no doubt offer several ideas for how you can make your great work even greater. (The oohs and ahhs of your fellow conFabbers as they admire your designs are an added bonus.)
Number 2:
To actually say to someone, "I’m a conFabber," and to learn the secret conFabber handshake. What could be cooler?
Number 1:
Because, hey, who doesn’t want to make a better living doing what they love?
Ready to sign up? Click here—you won’t be sorry.
MJSA and the MJSA Education Foundation thank the benefactors of MJSA conFab, the LeachGarner Group and the Richline Group, as well as all of our fine sponsors. Click here for a list of all conFabulous sponsoring companies.