If you have a handcrafted home jewelry business of any sort then you've probably learned that running a jewelry business is not always as easy as it could be. You probably have lots inventory, lots of customers, plenty of invoices to print and some methods for keeping track of all your materials including your wires, clasps and even beads. You probably enjoy making jewelry, but you've probably had a heck of a time figuring out how much to sell your jewelry for and what price level gives you a decent profit margin.



There are actually a lot of different options you can use when it comes to choosing software to run your jewelry business, from homemade spreadsheets and databases to spending a thousand dollars or more on some sophisticated jewelry store and business software packages. Most beginner and home handcrafted jewelry makers will want to stick with a basic software package that costs no more than $200 and will end up paying for itself in time saved very quickly.

Here are five features you'll definitely want to have in any software package you buy to handle your jewelry business:

Inventory Control: Being able to keep track of what jewelry pieces and even what beads, wires and other items you have in stock is an essential part of any jewelry business software package.

Jewelry Pricing Calculator: Keeping track of what materials you have in stock is important for ordering and making sure you don't run out of essential items, but you should also be able to enter the materials used in each piece and the software should be able to calculate the amount of money it costs to produce each piece. This will help make sure you'll never make a jewelry piece and sell it for less than you paid for the materials.

Customer Tracking: This is amazingly important because if someone likes a piece of your jewelry enough to buy it then there's a good chance that the person will want to buy something similar in the future. Being able to send out mailings or keep track of past clients in one place is essential to growing your business and pulling in repeat customers.

Invoicing Ability: If you bought an elegant piece of jewelry would you really want a receipt that's scribbled on a thin yellow piece of paper covered with carbon paper marks? Of course not! You'd expect a professional receipt as well. Being able to produce impressive and easy-to-read invoices and receipts helps makes your business look more professional and more established, whether it's your first piece sold or fifty-first piece sold.

Low Cost: Again, the software you buy shouldn't cost more than $200 and preferably less, especially for a small business. Once your business really takes off and you can make a living income off it then you might want to consider upgrading or looking into software packages designed for professional jewelry or bead store management.

Remember that the software you buy should help you run your business, increase your profit margin and ultimately give you more time to do what you love best: creating and selling wonderful beaded jewelry!