SamSaraDots.ME: Colorful Hand-Made Jewelry
Today we have the pleasure of introducing to you a creative person and owner of a unique small business. Sara Prlja is her name, samsaradots.me is her domain, and what she seems to love the most are dots and colors.
This talented woman has been working on a creative project that has become a small business. More precisely, Sara creates hand-made jewellery, mandala canvases, and mandala stones. As for her technique, she uses the dotting technique and high-quality acrylic paint.
Moreover, each piece is unique and, as she puts it, “Made with love, passion, and patience.”
How did it all start?
First of all, Sara’s one-month stay in Morocco inspired this wonderful project. Colorful chaos, as she likes to call this Mediterranean country, connected her to the world of colors in a new, special way. After her visit, she started painting actively. Later she created jewelry out of her wish to “have her dots in wearable form.”
Why is it important to tell her story?
Because behind each successful business, there is an entire creation process. Every creative individual could use all the advice there is on starting their own endeavor.
As much as we’d like to direct all our energy into creating art and self-expression, there’s a business side to it. Things like branding, marketing, building a website, and always keeping your finger on the pulse of the market are parts of it.
That’s why we asked Sara to share her experience and advice with you, our dear MErs. We’ll share some tips and tell you what Sara had to say about business and the importance of having a personal website.
Building a brand
Every brand starts with a dream. Each person represents a unique combination of traits and experiences, and the same applies to dreams.
Although it might seem to you that your idea represents something that has been seen before, you can add your genuine mark to it. That unique quality comes from believing in yourself and your dreams, but putting an idea or a plan into action is what it takes to make it.
Sara agrees, and her recommendation for all of those who are just starting out is “to make the project they are launching unique”. She acknowledges that “This is not at all an easy thing to do with so many offers today, but it’s not impossible. Things that are musts are a personal signature, letting oneself go to their imagination, and awareness that there are no limits. I always like to say that you can be anything you wish to be and do anything you imagine only if you put your mind to it. Dream but take action the following day to make those dreams come true.”
Planning ahead
Another piece of advice is to make a plan and try to design every step of the process. Timelines and milestones help you stay on track of your creative adventure.
Sara adds ”Considering that Samsara was a hobby for a long time before it grew into a small business and when the decision about forming a brand was finally made, every step was carefully planned. I wouldn’t change anything about it then, nor now. Good preparation and a detailed plan are key to these kinds of projects.”
Creating SamSaraDots.ME website
A pillar of every creative venture is a website. Yes, audiences and people that you believe would resonate with your art’s message are online. The entire world is moving towards the online economy and that’s why you need to be there as well.
Sara confirms by saying “In general, it’s important to know that representing a professional image is very significant. For a small business, a well-designed website is a great way of instilling trust. Another important reason for building a website was to make all the information available to the clients, in one place in the fastest possible time. I wanted samsaradots.me to be simple and clear. My web page is my picture on the Internet. The design of the website had to match the very spirit of the product, which my programmer managed to implement and imbed perfectly.”
Choosing the right domain name extension
An important part of your website (and brand for that matter) is the domain name. It needs to be memorable and represent your brand name so that people can easily find you.
Next, it should be a trusted domain that will protect you from various kinds of online threats. This is especially important if, for instance, you plan to create an online store and start processing customer data.
Finally, think of registering a domain name with a TLD that will both help you rank better on Google and create a perfect CTA, just like .ME. 😉
To our great pleasure, Sara says that she chose the .ME domain name extension, quote, ”Because .Me domain offers quality and reliable domains. Also, it cooperates with big companies such as GoDaddy where I registered the domain name for my website.”
Investing in marketing
As you start to build your creative business, you’ll rely on friends, family, and other personal referrals.
However, making it to the first page of Google or any other browser’s search results is a process. And quite often, a time-demanding one.
While you’re spreading the news about your art and business, consider investing in advertising and SEO. This part of your online strategy gets neglected quite often for many reasons. People wrongly believe that they don’t need it or they’re simply not aware of its possible impact. So, until you get the ball rolling, think of advertising as your next investment.
Sara shares her insights indicating that “page optimization is quite neglected in our region. It’s very difficult to reach the first page of the search results if you don’t pay for advertising.”
Adapting to changes
What we’re seeing today in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are tremendous changes in the market. These terrific times showed us that we have to be flexible and prepared to adjust, especially work- and career-wise.
The importance of online presence has once again been confirmed. Many small business owners realize now what their next step should be.
As Sara insightfully responds, “What is certain is that after the COVID-19 pandemic, we are turning more and more to online shopping and the use of credit cards. So, in accordance with this situation, the plan is to create a Samsara online shop.”
Final thoughts
That’s it from Sara Prlja, the owner of the creative small business of jewelry, canvases, and mandala stones! Hopefully, her example and words of advice would encourage you to start your creative career.
To sum up, remember that, today, every small business needs to invest time and effort into building a brand. In addition, sharing the story behind it is another important piece of the puzzle. Customers are curious to know how the business started. If you present your story in an attention-grabbing way, you have a bigger chance of staying in their minds.
By creating an online presence with all the information about your business, (creative) work, products, and more, you increase your chances of success.
When people can find your website, that inspires trust. There couldn’t be anything more important for a business than that. You generate customers’ trust by providing high-quality products and services through a reliable personal website. And if you add a memorable .ME domain name to the equation, finding you online becomes easy as well.
