Launching My Jewelry Business During Quarantine

Race against your doubts, a lot of ya'll aren't running fast enough.

It's easy to think about how you wish things were, but what about actually doing something to point yourself in the right direction? Like many of you reading this, I've had a lot of time to think about what I really wanted to do with my life. I'm fresh out of college, now what?

For me, it never made sense to graduate with a business degree and have a plan to work for someone else for the rest of my life. It might be good for now and certainly is a stepping stone, but there has to be more to life than just that... right?

I've had years of internship experience, workplace experience and continuously had companies turn me down because I was still considered "inexperienced." Instead of moping around and wishing I had landed that job, I decided to take the negative impacts of what they said and turn them into a positive. Everything they said I wasn't qualified to do, I went ahead and did them - ultimately creating my jewelry line, fière minimalist.

How did I do it?

I still work my full-time job which allowed me to pay for everything I needed to get started. While I am extremely grateful to still have a job during this time, it isn't what motivates me to get up in the morning. Having a business to call my own sparks a light in me and once it's on, there's no going back! If you don't have a huge budget to work with, don't give up hope! There are plenty of tips and tricks online that'll teach you how to start your own business with little to no money. After countless hours of watching YouTube videos reading multiple blog posts from other entrepreneurs, I took matters into my own hands. 

Business Check List:

• Come up with a business name. I'm proud to introduce my baby, fière minimalist.
• Work on branding! What colors are you going to use? What fonts or prints best suit your aesthetic? Who is your target audience? 
• Create/design a logo. I personally used fiverr and highly recommend it to anyone looking for some custom work done by talented freelancers.
• Get business cards and thank you cards. These are great for adding a personalized touch and make your brand a lot more memorable. I got mine from Zazzle.
• Buy your domain and claim all your social media pages. I recommend posting on social media at least a month before launching your site to help build your online presence.
• Find your vendors/source your products. I did extensive research online to ensure that all the products were hypoallergenic and tarnish resistant. My goal is to give customers great quality jewelry at affordable prices. Keep this in mind when selecting vendors. Pay attention to reviews and order samples before placing a big order.
• Packaging! I'm a sucker for cute packaging. One thing I love about small businesses is the amount of time and effort people put into shipping out orders. Get creative and allow the recipient to have a full experience when opening your package. I purchased some rose gold bubble mailers and crinkle cut paper from Amazon to start.
• Choose a platform. You have a product, now it's time to get it to the consumer. I personally use Shopify since I find it easy to use and have experience with using it in the past. There are so many other platforms such as Wix, Big Cartel, Squarespace, Etsy etc. Do your research and choose one that best fits your needs and budget.
• Plan your launch. Don't be discouraged if you don't make any sales right away. Remember that consistency is key. I launched on July 27th and some days I'll get 6 orders and other days I'll get none. Give yourself time to grow, Rome wasn't built in a day.

If you're looking for a sign to start your business, this is it! Believe in yourself and the rest will come. If you have any questions about starting a business of your own or have tips for owning a successful business, drop them in the comments below.

P.S. use code SOCIAL at checkout for a special discount ;)

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xo, Lisette