There is a large market for keepsakes that allow parents and grandparents to remember children. One such business is the creating unique jewellery pieces that have childrens fingerprints as an integral part of the design.
Over the last couple of years a few frnachises have started to spring up in this area, a sure sign that there is a market. Probably the largest at present is Smallprint
However this type of business would not be that difficult to start. It revloves around the use of precious metal clay. This is a type of silver which comes in a putty like form and can be molded (or used to capture a finger print). It can then be fired in a kiln and polished up and then used to make all different kinds of jewellery such as pendants, cuff links, bracelets etc.
You can find training with one of the following providers:
http://www.chunungatree.co.uk/index_files/Page3042.htm
http://www.magnoliastudios.co.uk/silver_jewellery.htm
http://www.pajed.co.uk/asp/ClassesHome.asp – £85
http://www.artclaysupplies.co.uk/art-clay-workshops.shtml
Once you have mastered the techniques at one of these course, which should only take a day you will then need the following:
- Kiln for firing pieces of jewellery
- Rotary tumbler for finishing jewellery
- Precious metal clay
- Packaging materials
Most of these items can be found easily on Ebay or in online craft shops.
To market this kind of business it should be possible to set up a stall in a shopping center or childrens clothing or toy store. Also word of mouth and a good website will be good for attracting parents of small children. Gift vouchers could also be sold via gift shops. The possibilities are endless.
I think your comments re starting up your own fingerprint jewellery business are a bit simplistic and could be applied to many of the franchises you outline on your website ie go out and by the equipment, get a bit of training and do it yourself.
Now obviously I am somewhat biased being the founder of Smallprint (Franchising) Ltd, which currently has 50 franchisees operating in the UK, 16 in Australia and one in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
However, there is a little bit more to setting up any business, including a fingerprint jewellery business, than buying a few tools and attending a short course.
Perhaps it would help if I outlined some of the ways our franchisees have benefited from being part of the our network:
1. They do not have the financial risks involved with starting up any business – we’ve taken those risks out of the equation. When a Smallprint franchisee has completed their training, they are ready to trade, because we have already done a lot of the hard (and expensive) stuff:
• Research and development of jewellery designs;
• Research and development of tools required (a bit more than just a kiln and a tumbler – our franchisees receive well in excess of 50 pieces of equipment required to run their business);
• Design and print of all marketing materials from flyers and business cards, to posters, and purchase orders;
• Design and upkeep of a sophisticated website with great google ratings
• Investment of thousands of pounds in intellectual property (and ongoing investment as we protect every new brand we introduce);
• Tried and tested ways of selling and marketing our jewellery
2. Smallprint franchisees benefit from the support and advice, not only of the franchisors and their team, but also from each and every one of the other Smallprint franchisees. As sole traders they would have no one to turn to – competitors don’t support each other, franchisees do.
3. As a sole trader, someone setting up a new jewellery business will pay over the odds for all their tools and equipment, but more importantly for the raw materials involved in making the jewellery – ie precious metal clay and silver findings.
Smallprint franchisees benefit from the discounts we have negotiated on their behalf with certain suppliers. In addition they benefit from the investment made by the franchisor in silver findings – we buy in bulk, and therefore the franchisees get their findings much more cheaply than a sole trader.
Lower costs equal greater profit margins.
4. When it comes to introducing new products and ranges (we have recently introduced three), it is the franchisor who does the research and development, it is the franchisor who designs the new range; it is the franchisor who has all the items photographed and put onto the website; it is the franchisor who has new promotional material designed; it is the franchisor who invests in more intellectual property; it is the franchisor who writes training materials and offers courses for the franchisee; the franchisee makes a minimal investment in a couple of new tools, makes their samples and off they go.
Now I am not saying our franchisees don’t work hard. On the contrary, they do. But their hard work can be focussed on marketing their product, getting sales and making money.
As you can tell I feel passionately about our business. But I also feel passionately about the opportunity that we are offering to people who don’t have the time, money or inclination to start this up from scratch. We have some extraordinarily motivated franchisees who, while they may have been more than capable of setting up their own business, recognise the benefits of joining what is becoming a brand known for making the best, and most affordable fingerprint jewellery on the market and offering the best service to their customers.
Maija Pykett
Smallprint (Franchising) Ltd
In response to the above postings – firstly I would like to thank whoever it was that advertised our details re the Fingerprint workshops and secondly I would like to point out that setting up a fingerprint jewellery business is very easy simple and a lot cheaper than buying into any franchise opportunity that is currently available. In the course that we offer which costs £110 we cover every facet of making the jewellery and we also give you great advise about marketing your products, etc. Also we constantly refer business to our customers and we offer non stop advise to them about any part of their business without taking any more money and our customers can trade wherever and whenever they choose. We do also offer our customers great discounts on bulk purchases. The average cost of setting up a fingerprint jewellery business is the £110 for the course and about £425 for the tools, kiln, tumbler and the initial silver clay etc.
We are constantly introducing new products that complement the fingerprint jewellery range and these are normally offered first to our customers before being offered to the general public.
We are inundated with people wanting to do the Fingerprint jewellery course and normally run a waiting list. We have had people travel to us from all over the world and the feedback we recieve has been wonderful. To date we have trained over 75 people and helped set up over 60 businesses all over the world. I think our courses are good value for money and you do not need to spend exhorbitant sums of money for a franchise when you can get the knowledge, tools and initial materials for less than £700. All our courses are also run by fully qualified instructors with lots of experience so some research before booking a course or buying into a franchise
In repsonse to the above listing, there are a number of points I would like to make.
Firstly it is physically impossible to teach the techniques for making fingerprint jewellery in one day. Even if you did it really really badly it would be simply impossible to teach someone everything from expert clay preperation and print-taking, through engraving and finishing your pieces before firing, the various technique you need to apply after firing and soldering.
Our franchisees are trained in every aspect of making Smallprint jewellery and running their business over a three-day intensive course with pre-course preparation and follow-up. They leave the course with the majority of their samples (that’s some 30 pieces).
Secondly, a decent kiln alone costs around £600 pounds and a tumbling machine nearly £100, so the idea that you can set yourself up in business for less than £700 is also highly misleading.
If you were are setting yourself up as a hobbyist, you could buy the minimal tools and equipment and this would cost you under £1000. And if you are only interested in doing this as a hobby, then investing in a franchise would not be for you.
However, if you are looking to start a business, here are some of the costs you will need to consider
The tools, equipment and materials you need to start running your business (our franchisees received well 100 items in their start up kit, as well as enough pmc and findings to make in excess of £5000-worth of jewellery)
Flyer design
Flyer print
Poster design
Poster print
Packaing design and print
Website design and build
Insurance
A large stock of silver findings (chains, clasps, toggles etc)
Initial marketing
Advertising
Intellectual property
the list goes on….
Franchising takes out the risk and high costs involved in starting up a successful business. Our franchisees benefit from ongoing support from professional advisers at head office. This is not someone just offering advice on making the jewellery, but support with marketing, customer complaints handling, accounts, product design etc etc.
We take out the hassle and expense, or running a business as a one-man-band. All your materials will cost much more if you go it alone.
We also have a Quality Control Adviser who ensures that each and every franchisee is making jewellery that is of a high quality.
While Larissa may have taught some of the basics of making fingerprint jewellery to some 75 people, unless these individuals have some former expertise in using precious metal clay I would question their ability to make a good piece of jewellery after such a short induction. You only have to look at some of the offerings on the internet to see that there are individuals making great claims about their jewellery and describing themselves as ‘craftswomen’ when you can see from the images on their websites that their offerings are, quite frankly, atrocious.
One final point I would like to make about the initial investment is that it is exactly that – an investment. This is not money that simply ‘disappears’ – franchisees are buying a business and a brand. If in 5 years time they decide they want to do something else, they will be able to sell their business and, assuming they have made a success of it, they will be selling it for substantially more than they brought it for.
I am not for one minute against the idea of people attending workshops to learn how to use pmc, however I would urge anyone who is wanting to set up a fingerprint jewellery business to look very carefully at what the ‘real’ set-up costs are going to be – because it is certainly not going to be £700. I also take issue with individuals who are critical of what is a highly reputable business model ie franchising. The simple fact of the matter is that the majority of business start-ups fail within their first two years, while the majority of franchises succeed.
Well all I can say is that we have obviously broken the laws of physics. I can also say that it is entirely possible to set up a fingerprint business for a lot less than £700 and we have hundreds of customers from all over the world that can testify to this
My suggestion would be for you to attend one of our courses so we can show you how it is possible to achieve this in 1 day. We will even offer this to you for free – that is if we actually have any availability as this one of our most popular workshops