Small business interview:
JacQueline Jewelry Design.
Jewelry design, much like anything these days is competitive, meaning there are a lot of you out there! Designing, creating, and being a maker is a passion for many, one that requires hours of practice and dedication. So, it's understandable that working on your website or Etsy store, sending out newsletters, and building a social media following takes precious hours from what you love to do. But of course, it's essential if you want to sell you work and grow your business.
Today, I wanted to introduce you to JacQueline, a jewelry designer who has been building her jewelry business for almost 25 years and recently took our Brand Essentials course to brush up on her brand building skills and refresh her jewelry design business. While she works full time now on her jewelry business, she actually got her start because of the Grateful Dead! Her boyfriend at the time was an ardent fan and she took up making “dancing bear” earrings from sheet silver to pass the time on the road following him (and the band). She found herself selling every pair of earrings as fast as she could make them and saved her profits to study at the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology where she learned the fundamentals of jewelry design, fabrication, and stone setting.
Since then, she has built a thriving business designing and handcrafting her jewelry and selling everywhere from high end art jewelry shows like the Smithsonian and American Craft Council to local festivals and specialty boutiques. For the past 25 years, working with LEGO® bricks has been a big part of her work. She sands, cuts, drills, and sandblasts each LEGO® jewelry piece and sets them in sterling silver and 18K gold. They are modern, colorful works of jewelry art. Her playful jewelry appeals to people of all ages, genders, and lifestyles!
While she still creates bespoke pieces for clients in platinum and gold with diamonds and colored stones, her work with the LEGO® brick is her bread and butter. For that reason she has shifted her focus to shows that cater to this niche of customer like BrickCon and Brick Rodeo. In other words, she meets her customers where they are, which is a brilliant marketing move! From LEGO® engagement rings to beautiful necklaces that resemble a strand of pearls, she's made it all and continues to delight her fan base.
Since the beginning, Jacqueline has paid attention to her branding. Her imagery is fresh, modern, and colorful, much like her work, and she always ensures that her brand exemplifies the quality of her work. She pays a lot of attention to customer service, has recently launched a loyalty program, and spends the time and energy on special touches like her packaging – which is a Lego box!
With that introduction... meet JacQueline!
JacQueline is someone we can all learn from, so we wanted to ask her a few questions about being an entrepreneur and jewelry designer to understand her journey over these past twenty years.
What is your favorite thing about being an entrepreneur?
I guess my favorite thing is that I get to do what I love! It's never boring and my business has definitely changed over the years which keeps it exciting. Being able to create my own schedule is amazing and I get to work around my family and friend's schedules so that I never miss out on important life events. Some days I'll work for 15 hours in the studio and the day will just fly by!
What is your least favorite thing about being an entrepreneur?
Having to do it all! I wish I could just do what I love which is create jewelry and meet fans/customers at shows. But the reality is that I have to do most of the sales and marketing myself. Even now, after all these years, I still have to be a jack of all trades! That's why it is so important to me to make sure my branding and marketing is optimized and helping me find new customers online.
How do you keep your business relevant year over year?
Since LEGO® is such a huge part of my business, I stay connected with the community and familiarize myself with all the trends and builders out there. It's a passionate and connected community which I love and I network a lot, but mostly everyone just becomes friends. I also try and keep my website fresh with new photography and now I'm working on my SEO so that I can grow my digital presence.
How do you prioritize all you have to juggle in a day?
Lists! I have three to four lists a week to stick to. Someone once suggested that I break the week into sections, phone call day, designing day, creating, etc... but my brain doesn't work that way. I tend to be more organic, so I will have an overall list for what I want to accomplish but I'll move through it depending on my mood.
What is the best advice you'd give to a small business owner just starting up?
Baby steps, just start – don’t wait till you get everything done. It will all fall into place with one action taken every day. Just don’t give up!
What do you wish you knew before you started your business?
That it would be this hard, but I wouldn’t have believed it anyway. Plus, it's also super fun and I could never sit at a desk, I'm a creator at heart.
Check out JacQueline's beautiful work and try our free branding course if you are thinking about taking your jewelry design business to the next level!