jewelrymaker.com

Maybe I'm Walking Backwards on Sand

2005-08-13T10:52:00.000-04:00

Still no orders. None. Zip. Zilch. I'm trying to remain positive. My goal today is to activate the eBay auction idea I had. The last few days I've had very little sleep and I've had to help with the babies a lot during the day. Which is fine. But I just don't know how this is going to work out. How do I get people to my site? How do I get them to buy all the cool stuff we have for sale? How do I get them to try building their own jewelry?

I guess the only thing to do is to keep trying.

Press Releases and Autistic Jam

2005-08-10T09:21:00.000-04:00

A press release is going out this morning via PRWeb. I wonder if anyone will pick up a story about what we're doing.

I think Autistic people might find themselves in jams more often than the regular population. I'm working really hard and so far have zero orders to show for it.

I just updated the site with more information and to clarify things that may be confusing users.

I'm going to start the Ebay idea. I have some jewelry already made out of beads we couldn't put on the website. I'll auction them off with a link to the site.

Anyway, I'm putting all the Halloween stuff back into regular pricing. I had a tutorial the other day and I now think I "get" MySQL. It's really not that bad. Now I want to learn MySQL language so I can create queries when the time comes.

More later.

We're Up!

2005-08-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

I was able to get into the MySQL database, so the website is updated and ready for our Homes For Our Troops fundraiser.

For every "I Love the USA" bracelet kit someone buys, Intelligirl Jewelry Maker" will donate $1.00 to Homes For Our Troops.

Anyone reading my blog, please spread the word!

Yeah - We Can Get Started!

2005-08-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

I heard from Homes For Our Troops today and they said I can go ahead and start our fundraising idea!

I am very excited about this.

Now, I am in Florida. I have to call Ross right away and see how to get online from my computer so I can update everything accordingly.

I'll post more later.

More Marketing Ideas

2005-08-01T00:54:00.000-04:00

I now have this great idea to auction some ready-to-wear jewelry on Ebay with 10% going to GRASP, the Autistic organization where I serve on the Advisory Board. This will enable users to get acquainted with Intelligirl. At least, I think so. To be honest, I have no idea how Ebay works. I've always shied away from it as too complicated. I have some homework to do.

Speaking of homework, recently this great developer I contracted to fix some errors with the code on the website converted our database to MySQL, assuring me it would be as easy as Access. Well, I really need to change around some things with some of the products - prices, descriptions, categories, etc. After an enormous struggle, I got the MySQL database to open. I might as well be trying to read some ancient language that doesn't use Latin characters.

I have to learn Ebay and MySQL overnight. Wish me luck!

Life Work Balance

2005-07-28T12:42:00.000-04:00

I know it's been about one week since I last updated, but I had to rush off to Florida. My personal life is crazy at the moment. I can't seem to mesh working and living. It's always like, one or the other and that's all I can handle.

Anyway, I started to run ad campaigns on the google website. I'm getting web traffic, but nobody is completing jewelry projects and buying them. I wish a marketing goddess would float down and help me attract customers.

Meantime, as I said, I'm stuck in Florida trying to deal with a tough personal situation.

Waiting To See If We Can Help

2005-07-21T12:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Moon landing. This is how I keep track of how old I am, since I was born about 5 months later.

I would like to be on the Moon right now.

I have this great idea for my website, Intelligirl Jewelry Maker. We sell a patriotic bracelet kit which when girls put together spells out, "I Love the USA." I thought we could raise money to help some cause for U.S. soldiers by donating a portion of each kit sold.

I found this great group, Homes For Our Troops. They are building specially adapted homes and modifying kitchens and bathrooms for soldiers returning from war with new disabilities. Since Intelligirl Jewelry Maker is run by someone disabled - me - I really jumped when I found their website. It ties in perfectly and I want to help. I hope something can work out. I'm waiting to hear back.

I forgot to eat this morning. This is a big issue for me. I might feel hungry, but not translate this to the action of eating food. Or I might not notice I'm hungry in the first place. In either case, I get to the middle of the day and I realize I have to eat something. But eating is hard for me to do. This is a common Autistic problem. I have lots of sensory issues with food. Plus, eating involves so many steps - so many conscious deliberate tasks that have to be accomplished in a set order - that the chore of eating wipes me out.

But it's a rule in our house that I must eat something at least twice a day. So I guess I'll heat up a pizza - I can only eat Amy's brand, plain cheese or once in a while mushrooms and olives. I can usually get myself to eat pizza, but the other day I couldn't even do that.

2005-07-18T22:53:00.000-04:00

I started this blog to describe my trials and travails as I struggle to get my business, Intelligirl Jewelry Maker, up and running - from the unique vantage point of being Autistic.

"Wait a minute, did I read that correctly?" you might be asking yourself. Yes it is true. I have Asperger Syndrome, a form of Autism. And yes, I am trying to get Intelligirl Jewelry Maker off the ground.

I went into business for myself because I've discovered over the years that the unique challenges I face make it nearly impossible for me to work in traditional environments. How so?

In order to answer that question, I have to discuss Autism for a moment. The stereotype is that Autistic people rock back and forth in a corner, do not speak, do not interact with anyone, and react aggressively if prompted to engage with the world. While some Autistic people are severely challenged, many of us are not. Plenty of us do speak, in one way or another. Plenty of us engage with the world - albeit somewhat differently than expected. Some of us work. Some of us are even married with children. I am married to Gena and together we are parents to twin girls, Ruby and Eislyn. They are 6 months old (almost 7) and absolutely amazing.

Although generally speaking I function well enough on a day-to-day basis, I still face inevitable limitations and certain frustrations as I try to navigate through life. Often at work I was unable to decode the social world of my co-workers and peers. I had terrible sensory issues. My "executive functioning" floundered. It was like I was trying to co-exist through molasses. I was so unable to function on the job that sometimes I did lose the ability to speak, to answer questions, to explain myself.

You can find out more about Autism and how it effects me on my personal website.

The upshot is, Gena came up with this great idea: People could go to a website and design their own jewelry. No more being stuck with whatever jewelry is mass-produced! I could run the website, hire disabled people to build and ship the jewelry, and voila - I could be self-sufficient and create jobs for other disabled people to be self-sufficient too in the process!

We thought we could throw the website up with pictures of beads, an interface for selecting specific ones, and the corresponding ordering process in 6 weeks. That was one year and four months ago. I faced technical disaster after disaster. Intelligirl Jewelry Maker is now up and running, but at an incredible cost.

I love the idea of creating your own jewelry online. I humbly think the site looks good and functions well. I'm ready to take orders. But now what?

This blog will chronicle my journey from in-debt start-up to, I hope, successful company - with a unique twist. How does being disabled come to play in all of this? Can I really do it?

This morning I ventured out to Staples. I had to get toner cartridge. Normally, I order online. But I needed ink right away. A simple outing to Staples is, for me, a big challenge. I was overwhelmed in the store and almost gave up. I remembered to ask one of the guys in those red jackets to help me. "Excuse me, sir. I need toner cartridge." I got the words out, carefully picked words to convey quick meaning.

He showed me the toner aisle and I grabbed a two-pack. At the counter, the cashier's screen flashed her an error message and instructed her to call regarding the authorization for my purchase using my Staples Business Credit Card. She called and after a few moments on the phone she gave me the receiver. I had to answer several basic questions: address, number, position in the company. It was tricky because we've moved so many times in the last year I've lost count. Then she said to hand the phone back to the cashier.

At this point I wasn't really paying attention because Gena called me from Florida on the cell. I guess the cashier and the lady on the phone continued discussing my credit card authorization problem because eventually the cashier turned to me as she hung up the phone and said, "You've been declined."

For a flash second I wondered in confusion how I was declined. Then I realized she meant the card was declined. "That's no good. I'm trying to run a business. Why was the card declined?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "You'll have to call customer service."

"Well, let me talk to customer service right now."

"O.K."

"Can I borrow your phone?"

"O.K."

The upshot is, I forgot to pay my Staples Credit Card bill in June and now July. I wish Staples had "auto pay" so they could just automatically deduct the minimum each month. But they don't. Unfortunately for me, I have immense organizational difficulties. I was really embarrased. I have my Staples account all set up online, too. It's just a matter of logging in and then clicking "pay". Why can't I remember easy things like this? Do people have systems to take care of these things that I don't know about? How do ordinary people keep track of all the hundreds of things that must be done?

The lights were hurting my eyes. I flipped on my sunglasses. The phone conversation with customer service was over. The toner sat in the plastic bag. The cashier was already maneuvering around her little area looking for something else to focus on. In that moment I felt viscerally how far away my world truly is.