GOOD BOY MERCANTILE FAQ
A lot of people ask me questions about how I started everything. And, especially during this horrible time, I want you to be able to sell your work to keep your own self afloat. I want my experiences to help you with your endeavors!
Please use the Contact page to have more in-depth questions answered.
Consider leaving a tip through the Shop page if this helps you!
How do I start making a website?
What kind of products are you making? Are they in bulk? Do they vary in style? Do you have the means to afford a website? A few years ago, I didn’t even consider a website. I just sold everything through Instagram. I laid each shirt on my bed and decorated it - all while holding a bendable desk lamp under my armpit - and took these photos. I only had 100 followers at the time and hashtags felt like my best bet to reach more people. I bought all of my bubble mailers from the Dollar Store that was a short bike ride away, and word of mouth shortly followed that I made these shirts.
Another common option I see through Twitter, Instagram, other social medium platforms, especially when you don’t want to take individual photos is to set your product up in a grid-like pattern and label them. I used the Instagram Story Editing Tools to label each of them, but you can easily just label them 1-10 or A-K, whatever makes the most sense to you.
Depending on the platform you’re using, I suggest crossing out each product that gets sold so that your audience can know what’s available and for you to know also what you have. If your products are close to being identical, I suggest putting them in individual bags and labeling what you labeled them in the photo.
I chose Squarespace because MBMBaM had a discount code hahaaha. Obviously do your research, there’s tons of options. Reach out if you need help deciding.
What programs do you use?
I do all of my photo edits on my phone. If I just need a crop or adjust brightness my phone already has those options when I’m viewing the photo. As for Apps, Instagram has the options to change the highlights, add a bit of color, and adjust the plane the photo is on. Plus, you probably already have this app. I bought the $2 version of Kuji Cam that I use almost in all of my photos.
How should I price my pieces?
This is an absolute can of worms. What I can offer you is that you should always time yourself on how long it takes to make something, how much did you spend on each individual piece of the product? If this is about earrings, I factor how much I spent on each thing and how much I feel would be an accessible amount without going under. Most artists I know charge themselves $20-40 an hour. And, the best advice I was given starting out is to charge yourself what you see as reasonable and the more you grow the more you can start to raise your prices. To this day, I still price my pieces based off how much I personally would pay for a piece.
Where do you get your jewelry parts?
Getting started can be really expensive. You can get a 6-pack of varying small wire pliers at most hardware stores for under $10. Going to craft stores can be like $13 for just one. I started making earrings by taking apart earrings, necklaces, and finding things that were light enough for my ears to hold in my own room. Thrift stores are a great place to find odd objects to make into earrings. Keep the mentality “Anything can be an earring, even you, even me” this can also help you stand out from other folks also making earrings. Parts of toys from when you were a kid? A shape you cut out from a belt? That’s an earring, baby!
A great rule of thumb when finding stuff is searching broad terms like “stainless steel charms 1mm hole” - “popular chains” - “hypoallergenic ___”. and then once you found something you like through a site ex. “Blue Glass Pendant 2in” and then googling it with keywords like WHOLESALE or BULK. Depending on where you are in the world, different sites will be at different costs to you. Most sites you can stay at for a long time and unlock deals the more you buy. Unfortunately, there are many sites to look into, so it’s important for you to find one that you like so you can not only get to know your materials as you invest, but find the amount of bulk that works for you. Some sites will give you 5pieces while others will give you 500. To this day, i still compare prices through multiple sites, and will usually try new ones over the same ones.
Something that happened to me once, is that I bought a bulk order of O-rings from a vendor and checked every review and description to make sure they were stainless steel, I mean, it was promised right there in the title that i would get stainless steel. Come to find out 3 month later, i got an email saying a piece someone bought from me with an o-ring was fading into Brass. You just sometimes gotta roll the bones. Many of my failures in finding jewelry parts has really expanded my knowledge of what i’m working with. I cannot implore you enough to learn this on your own, you can have all the information and all the sources with the best materials and still don’t know how to work with it or what it can withstand, etc. without trying for yourself.
White people especially ask me the most on my specific sources, and I hope you consider leaving a tip on venmo (@goodboymercantile) before you ask me for years of my labor.
We don’t gatekeep here, shoot me a DM or email if you still don’t wanna do the work ur dang self
My ears are really sensitive to metals
So are mine! I gotta have plastics, glass, aluminum, or surgical steel or else my ears will get inflamed. That’s why I list the material types in each product listing! Stainless steel is always a safe bet, although pretty expensive if you’re first starting out.
I really like a pair of earrings but I can’t afford it/don’t get paid yet/don’t want it to be gone by the time I can get it
I will always hold onto a pair for you by taking it off the site. If a month goes by without any contact, i’ll reach out to you. If still no contact, I will put the listing back up. Also, always feel free to reach out to me. I am always a friend to you :-) and can do bi-monthly payments through PAYPAL only (for now). You deserve something nice and I promise it’s not any trouble.
How to get your W.A State Business license
This process was so confusing. Even when looking it up it sends you on a wild goose chase. It ultimately cost $335 total.
This should apply for all business within W.A. so even if you are contracting, you are going to buy a location for your business, etc. This process will be the same.
Here are the steps I took.
https://dor.wa.gov/open-business (if clicking Start a Scenario doesn’t open up the link)
And, well. Start a scenario. It will help you figure out the right vocabulary to use when you do apply for your businesses. For example, I chose Artist, Jewelry Making, Clothing Apparel.
I suggest starting the scenario vs just going right to it because it takes the time to describe the vocab to you so that you can find whatever fits best for your structure. I chose Sole Proprietorship because it best described how I was and plan to continue running Good Boy.
next page will ask if you plan to hire any employees.
The page after will ask a Yes/No question if you know where you’re going to have your shop. Since this is just a scenario, you can just pick “No” the next couple of pages will just be asking you what counties you might have planned.
You can just put your home address, but knowing the general location of your shop (even just your home address) will help the site know what applications you might need based on your county/city/etc.
Finally, clicking the Apply Now is actually the 3rd step to this process haha since when you click it it’ll ask you for your UBI number which you probably don’t have just yet. A UBI is a 9-digit # or “tax registration #” that allows you to do business in Washington State. You’ll need one if you plan to own your business name and unfortunately, put your income on your taxes :/ it’s also so the IRS doesn’t come for your ass.
2. Getting your UBI
This process will have you cough up $200 so definitely make sure you have that before continuing.
You will need to go through the Washington Corporations and Charities Filing System.
https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov/#/
Make your login, and begin the Create or Register a Business section of the site found on the left hand side of the navigation bar.
If you’re a small business you will most likely want the LLC. This is just what I did for my case, so be sure to research as best as you can to ensure you have everything you can possibly need.
This page is a lot longer than what I screenshotted but it’s going to ask you for your business name to check it’s availability. Once you find a name that hasn’t been taken yet, be sure to type “LLC” “L.L.C” or “Co.” next to your name or else you cannot complete the page.
It will also ask you things like “Add a Governor” and “Add an Executor” if you are the sole proprietor of your business, that’s you, baby!!! Don’t forget to hit the “Add Executor” or “Add” button under each one!
Once you are done with the entire filing system you’ll get your confirmation email, and then x many days until they have reviewed it and sent you the a-ok! For me it took 1 day!
3. WA State Business License
This process will have you cough up $135 so definitely keep that in mind before moving on
Remember that place they sent us in Step 1? Well, now it comes into play.
https://secure.dor.wa.gov/home/Login
We’re going back to Department of Revenue (DOR), setting up an account if we haven’t already and will be selecting “Apply for a Business License” upon the login dashboard.
Hopefully, by this point, you have gotten your certificate through OSOS (Washington Secretary of State) via email and on a fancy blue lettered certificate, will be your UBI number!
This process will ask you similar questions from the LLC filing like “What is your business address?'“ , “Are you a building contractor?” , “How much money do you plan on earning?” , “Are you going to hire employees?” Just questions that are generally straightforward and easy for you to answer since it is your own business.
This process takes 2+ days for them to give you the okay. But, now you will have your LLC and Business License in W.A. :-) I’m so proud of you!!!
4. City Endorsements - To Conduct Business in Your City
This section is about $50. Here is a list of WA state cities, yours will be different in another state.
Here is how we add these city endorsments:
Start by scrolling all the way down from the main page (click the big green LET’S GET STARTED if you start at that page)
Then you will add your city after some security questions, be sure to have your FEIN/EIN. The reason why you need to do this is so that you can obtain a license that basically lets you use the city as a base for your business. The City Endorsement license will be something you’ll have to return to if you plan to constantly return to a city for markets, For example, I conduct my business in Bellingham. However, I frequently venture to Seattle for shows so I also have a Seattle Business License, most legit places wont let you apply to markets unless you have a license in their city. This mostly protects you for if anyone ever asks lmao but its really so that the city can see how much revenue they’re generating *d*ck sucking noises*
This brings you to the endorsement page, this is where you can also hire new employees, change your business name, and also update your address, We wanna check the City Endorsements box. It will ask you more questions, but basically just what kinda business you have and the type you wanna conduct in that city. The questions might seem scary, but you’ll probably say no to a lot of them (are you a non-profit, do you do construction, etc.), and then finally when you want to start your license and how much you think you might make while you’re there.
5. Business And Occupational Taxes - B&O
You remember in the fox version of Robin Hood where the King sent a guy to collect taxes and the family of rabbits were so poor and hungry and the guy was still like cough up the gold coins? That’s exactly what this feels like.
This part is the sneakiest of all parts of having a business. No one ever tells you that you need this part. The DOR does it for you, you’ll get emails from your city that’ll give you your own account, pin, and will email you reminders to file.
You can look up “_____(your city name here) business and occupational taxes” that should bring up your city’s website. Bellingham is this one
They will send you annual tax filing emails, but you will not owe anything if you make under 20k.
Please reach me through my CONTACT page for further help!