de Cor's Handmades - Handmade Jewelry Malaysia: online business
Showing posts with label online business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online business. Show all posts

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Build Your Own E-Commerce Site

This is really exciting!

I occasionally provide web services such as raising an online store and providing SEO consultancy, and due to my handmade jewelry business, I get queries from a fair number of indie designers, some came with great budget, majority would opt. for a DIY solution.

I was one myself - wanting to have an online store to sell my jewelry designs and digital products, but not spending a lot for it.

It was not easy back then - but it is now! So how exciting is that? In WordPress - with combination of the right WordPress theme and plugins, you don't even need to know how to code and yet you can setup an online store at ease.

This tutorial is cater for entrepreneurs that want to have better understanding in how to build a fully functional e-commerce site a.k.a. online store with least capital. All you need is sign up for a webhosting services and register for a domain. I had been with Hostmonster since day one, so far so good, so would recommend them; as for domain registrations, Exabytes and Namecheap offers great deals from time to time - so do check them out. Then, just follow this tutorial to build a simple yet fully functional e-commerce site for yourself.

This Simple E-Commerce Site/ Online Store is fully functional to allow you to sell:
- Real Objects (Actual Product)
- Digital downloads (with limits and tracking!)
- Customize Shipping charges calculation
- Coupons
- Google Analytics eCommerce
- Sales Price
- Unlimited product variations


Tutorial includes:
- Installation Plan.
- Configuration Plan.
- Test Plan - for functionality test purposes.
- List of theme being used (Colorway Lite by Inkthemes.com)
- List of plugins that contributes into building a fully functional online store/e-commerce site.
- At least THREE Customized Tweaks that worth USD$25 each.

You may use this guide to raise as many simple e-commerce site like this as you like.

View Live Demo at following website:
- Simple E-Commerce Demo Site
- Wired Chinese Knot Official Website
- Online Messenger Bag *

* Site with even more tweaks that are not included in this tutorial.

Note: Other than Simple E-Commerce Demo Site, the rest of websites might be modified in future.

Do check it out soon: Build Your Own Simple E-Commerce Site. I hope you like what I have put together for you, and hope that you will find this useful.

Corra @ de Cor's Handmades

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

How to Monetize Your Strengths




Category: Marketing Tool Series

Title: How To Monetize Your Strength
Artist: Corra Liew from de Cor's Handmades


Have you always been doing the same thing repeatedly? Be ware, you might be able to monetize it but you hadn't, and that is a complete waste!!!

We always do something we love to do and eventually got totally great in doing it without us noticing it, and we don't get paid for doing it. Just imagine - what if you are "aware" of your strength, and then, you "discover" a way to monetize it? Chances are you are going to continue to do it for a really long time, continue to earn money out from doing it, and eventually refining the process of doing it and turn it into a solid stream of income that would last.

So now it's about the what if's.

What if you get to identify your strengths and best of all, you find a way to monetize it?

It isn't a rocket science - All you need is to identify your potential and strength, and then find/create a right tools/ways to monetize it!

***REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES OF REAL PEOPLE***

For the past year I have helped myself and several jewelry artist friends and work-colleagues to identify their strengths as well as invented ways for them to create an additional or more streams of income, I believe if the methodology I have implemented on them worked out well for them, it will work out well for you, too.

This mini booklet include:
- Tool to help you identify your strength
- Tool to help you process your finding
- Tool (formula) to help you decide what you should do with your findings
- Worksheet that I personally used when I provide coaching/consultation job

***CREDITS***

Special thanks to Johnathen.L for proof-reading and refining this book, and Andy.M for inspiring and endless support!

***IMPORTANT NOTICE***
Please bear in mind that the sole purpose of this mini-booklet of mine is to share my own experience in choosing the tools and methodologies I have personally used, of which it might help you to identify your very own strengths and achieving your own goals.

Your purchased item will be delivered to you in printable PDF format (so that you could print out the worksheet) in within 24 hours (usually faster) upon payment made.

Wish you very success in discovering yourself! :)

Corra @ de Cor's Handmades

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Custom Book Publishing to Apple iBookStore

 Test1CoverV8_sample

Tada!!!

I have finally finalized a eBook Cover template for custom book publishing and listed this service in Etsy!

 

Like I said having a pretty, clean, timeless and presentable cover for your book is critical, why?

Because, when you are selling electronic products such as book or software that’s to be delivered or downloaded digitally over internet, without having a chance to convince or promote your product to your customers, according to research, you only have TWO seconds to secure your sale. Yes, nothing more than that golden TWO seconds, if you get their attention and at the same time delivered the message of what you are selling to them in that two seconds, chances are they would stop and flip your pages – to see your product descriptions or probably, check out who you are.

 

The cover design is the make or break of the deal, period.

Like I said in the previous blog post, that I have conducted an unofficial survey to gather feedback from people that’s in various area, including IT professionals that would spend their lunch hour surfing the net buying stuff from ecommerce website than going out for a social lunch), financial analyst whom get excited in seeing the bank notes and figures, COO and CEO of consulting firms which write and read proposals more than a highschool teacher marking student’s exam papers, a 3 years old that would only jump when he sees Barney the purple dinosaur...

And this is the most acceptable cover so far!

Who owns the copyright of the cover
By engaging this service you will be the sole copyright owner of the created cover(s).

How do I start:
1. Submit your original eBook cover image (or you might take this opportunity to change your eBook cover page)
2. Submit me your logo image
3. Wait for less than 24 hours
4. Finalize and confirm your cover design in within 3 revisions. (Check the sample covers I have shown in this listing)

THAT IS IT!!! You will be the owner of the cover image I have created for you, and you are free to use them for your eBOOK cover no matter where you publish it - Be it in Etsy, ArtFire, Smashwords and iBookStore(Apple).

 

Here’s some examples!!!

Special thanks to Anya and Gene for contributing Rosalie Ring picture LazziKittie picture respectively for demonstrations, they both now have the cover image (without the SAMPLE stamp) for their future usage. :)

3_AnyaiCoverV8sampleTest2SockToyCoverV8_sample

And please, take a look at how my craft eBooks look like on iPad’s iBook shelves:

iBookAll

Lovely, isn’t it? :)

Hope to see your book on Apple soon!

 

Corra @ de Cor’s Handmades

Friday, July 2, 2010

My Malaysia Online Handmade Jewelry Business and Live Coaching and Training

image

I received mails like this more than often that I would post them up every single time. Sometimes, ya know, I just want to keep these myself. I read these amazing E-mails over and over again and these E-mails are literary my Chicken Soup for the soul. I remember everyone’s name that had wrote to me, I learn their names by heart. I know one day I will fly, and I know I will call their names. Though every now and then I will allow myself to feel high for a little praise, this month it was Dr. Mary’s mail that have made my day. With her permission, I am adding this into my testimonials:
“I write courses and teach as well and I wanted to comment on your excellent well-written tutorial and thank you for sharing, at no cost, your beautiful design.
Mary”
I am thrilled with what I’ve been complimented. Thank you, Mary, for recognizing my hard work, all my late nights and tired squinted eyes paid off reading your E-mail, you have no idea how what you wrote had restore one’s faith. And… well, other than E-mail like what Mary wrote, I have people writing something like this too (click to enlarge the picture):image
“I like your handmade earring so much, is unique and attractive. May i know is it possible to attend some class to learn from you? can u pls let me know the fees of class, i am really interesting on this.
Thanks,
Wong”
If you are like Ms. Wong whom feels that my Wire Jewelry Tutorials that teaches you Wired Chinese Knots Jewelry OFFLINE isn’t enough, and are keen to learn it ONLINE AND LIVE from me – for making custom jewelry of your very own or, want to start a handmade jewelry business with minimal effort and capital, or, run an online business and see the world, like me – WRITE TO ME for more details, cause we are now planning to extend this online teaching business to live-coaching, I, personally, will teach you how you can utilize de Cor’s designs to adapt to handmade jewelry of your very own, with 100% of your own care and full attention, with your passion and with your love. My intention is simple, I do this because I can, and I want to.

Background of de Cor’s Handmades (Handmade Jewelry Online Business)
A little background of how I’ve came about my online business - I’ve gone through the process of how to start an online business with just USD$0.20, and made my first USD$10,000 in less than one year, and I think you should duplicate my success. So instead of just teaching you how to make my design(s) (you still can, of course, if you are dead-serious that you want absolutely nothing more than just my designs - I am more than happy to have you in class anyway), I am also keen to help you to find or identify how you can find your very own style and developing your very niche, and come up with your very own design, a design that’s completely yours, with just a little help (or push) from your mentor (which is ME) – everyone deserves a signature design, if you get what I mean. But let me be upfront and frank – I can’t afford to do this for free, so this is a charged educational program, so only serious enquiries will be entertained. And to start, I am only taking 5 students at this stage - I will only concentrate in grooming this 5 person before I move on coaching and training the next batch of students.

Who Should Take This Course
This LIVE coaching and training opportunity is only applicable for Malaysian and Singaporean at the moment for the time being, unless you are willing to travel and find your own accommodation and transportation though I can help booking – reason why I stressed about this part is because, this can NOT be an one-day training or course because there are too much to teach! Hello? Being successful is not an one day job, that I won’t lie to you, but you get to learn it the easier way, I am not saying that you don’t need to invest your effort, you will have to, my role is to coach and help you through it if you are unsure. I am going to make things transparent and easy to you by telling you of what I’ve done and which route I’ve took, of how I’d took advantages on of the current market trend so my business could ride on it instead chasing after it and watching just the tail of success. So on top of my head, it will be an at least THREE-FULL-DAY-COURSE. Full-day means you are going to see me from 9am to 5pm and if you can’t finish what I want you to do you can not go home (I am kidding).

One of the key doing right thing the right way is finding yourself a right mentor, in this case, can someone (which is ME, Corra Liew) that had just raised an online business with USD$0.20 capital and fetched USD$10,000 in one year have your attention? So other than learning my design to help you kick start your creativities, I am also going to “study” you and help you identify your strength and setting up your own niche, or to help you to finalize one signature design for yourself if possible. I am also keen to teach you what I’ve done to improve my creativities and photography skills (you will be interested to find out what did I do to myself to have steady hands that takes sharp photos), may be (I said may be) my lawyer friend will nod his head and agree to educate you on how to protect your designs when you are selling online as well as how you should deal with copyright or Intellectual Property issues when things go wrong – these are just part of it, and I am also going to feed you all kind of tools that I personally use (and still using) which helped (and still helping) me with the business, such as formula to determine my jewelry price, templates I use for my eBooks and for marketing purposes, and etc. I would also provide you a list of suppliers (I mean, HONEST and RELIABLE suppliers) of mine, as well as list of contact for great, great, few of the top Web designers in town that charge a completely reasonable price that would help you jump start your business by applying set of online marketing strategies..

Too many!!! I have to be more organized and do not overpromise and gosh this is HARD! Just bear in mind this is going to be a three full-day course and my goal is to hear you say “I am glad I have met you.” alright? How’s that sound? Haha!

Now last but not least, since I am self-taught online entrepreneur (I use the word “Entrepreneur” because I am not a fan of being a self-employed, the difference between self-employed and entrepreneur is that the latter get paid for the value they added to the society and for people they served, they (which is me), make money when they (which is me) sleeps, ride horses (no, really, I’ve got E-mail notifications from PayPal the day I went for horse riding in one of my relative’s house hahaha), and play. I am a sucker for that. I, am, a sucker for not having to be there all the time for my business and fear that if one day I don’t work for my business my business will disappear.

Why Education is IMPORTANT
I remember one of a phrase I’ve read: If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.
Like my favorite artist, Mr. Will Smith said: “too many people spending money they haven’t earned buying something they never need to please people they don’t like”, something like that and you get the idea. Investing to yourself can always wait – that’s what an ordinary person would tell themselves and that’s exactly why they stay at where they are.

Remember this:
“You always project on the outside, how you feel on the inside.”
Look at me designs, you will know I am a very focus person. For someone that focus cannot groom too many people at one time, and I look forward helping you to achieve your goal, you will have my attention throughout the workshop.

Take Action Before Your Seat is Gone.
If you foresee internet can be your world, internet business can work out for you, then this is for you. I remember when I start this I know absolutely nothing about it, as a Malaysian I don’t even know how I can cash out my earning. But today if you ask me, I would tell you I am glad that I’ve took the first step, and hence the rest is history. It would be a total different story today if I hadn’t, and I would probably asking myself just this question: “What did I do? When I can?”

So, Write to me, and remember to include following details otherwise your request will not be entertained.
Name:
Age: (I don’t mean to be rude but this is very important, I need to know this so that I could advise you on which jewelry making tool you might want to have it handy.)
Phone Number:
Address:

I will follow up with you of the course outline. Like I said, it’s going to be a workshop that would last at least three days depending on the finalized course outline, and, please, please only write to me if you are serious about signing up for the course, I appreciate your understanding. If you are keen to sign up, be quick – because there are only FIVE seats available at this stage.

Now go give it some thoughts and have fun considering – if you have been seeking for an opportunity and at the same time you are an employee, all you need to do is to sacrifice some of your golden time of day, i.e. 7pm to 11pm, to prepare, plan, build and groom your very own business while your friends or whoever it may concern are watching WaLaiToi or what not’s. If you have been thinking to start something, you either do something today to have something changed and gain something, or do everything the same way you did everyday and be okay with it for the rest of your life.

Corra @ Malaysia