This week Zibbet “traveled” to Gwinn, Michigan to interview Angela Carter, a fine jewelry artist. Angela’s shop name on Zibbet is Alternative Chic . You will find original jewelry designs formed from copper, recycled copper and silver. We at Zibbet think her work is exquisite and we know you’ll enjoy her interview.Angela has many passions including painting, sculpting, singing, songwriting, dancing, decorating, calligraphy, sewing, photography, and reading.Please enjoy the interview, leave Angela a comment, and then use the Share Tools so others can read it, too. Please spread the Zibbet Love!
I’m a bizarre combination of contradictions. I’m a little conservative and a little wild. I’m a dreamer and a realist. I’m a hard worker who LOVES to be lazy. I’m a delightful mash-up of many qualities. I can’t think of a single thing I do that doesn’t involve some creative element. If I really had to choose one, it would probably be eating. Yes, it would definitely be eating. I love food!It’s simple, really. The jewelry business is a culmination of all of my loves. I love making beautiful things. I love photographing beautiful things. I love teaching others how to make beautiful things. I even love creating brochures, making business cards, designing tags and marketing those beautiful things. I love everything about this business, except maybe figuring out taxes.
I look up to my mom and dad. They raised me to be a problem solver and an independent thinker. You can do anything if you can think outside of the box. Nothing is impossible.My passions are many. It took years to settle on one business venture because I pretty much love everything. My list would include writing, drawing, painting, sculpture, learning anything (I love learning,) cooking, singing, song writing, dancing, decorating, calligraphy, organizing, sewing, designing clothing, photography, some gardening, pets, pool and reading, reading, reading.Apparently my interview will be a bunch of lists because there are so many things I like about Zibbet. First and foremost, I love the community!!!! The staff participate in many of the posts. The premium stores are so customizable and the coupons are fantastic. Listings are streamlined to only the most necessary information. The images are larger than some of the other shopping sites.
Zibbet is full of features but what brought me to Zibbet in the first place is the payment structure. I prefer a consistent annual fee verses the constant fluctuations that come with listing and purchase fees.I am a long time proponent for the optional guest checkout. You can see my suggestion on the ideas forum. I have had so many people tell me that they don’t want to create yet another account on the internet. I know that I have lost at least a couple of sales because of the lack of guest checkout. I suspect there are many more though because a few of my local customers wait to find me at a show to avoid the membership. If they had made the initial purchase online they might have made a second purchase at the show. If they love Zibbet they will come back and I believe that everyone loves Zibbet once they try it.
This is actually my business goal for the year. I’ve been inconsistent when it comes to promoting and it shows in my sales on Zibbet and locally. When I am promoting myself on my Facebook page my sales go up. When I stop posting photos my sales go down. My plan for this year is to be consistent and reliable on both my fanpage and my blog. I am just starting to learn about Pinterest, so we’ll see.A picture says a thousand words, no, a million words. There is so much you can do to make the images of your work better without spending a dime. I love to buy from small businesses, but if I can’t see your product clearly, I’m not going to risk buying it on the Internet.Traveling the world, sharing what I know with other jewelers, metal workers and artists.Tags: Alternative Chic, Featured Zibbeters
