Thrive By Design: Business, Marketing And Lifestyle Strategies For Your Jewelry Brand To Flourish And Thrive

Adaptation, creativity, and collaboration have been key to the success of our very own SOS coach, Ana Maria Andricain.   She’s no stranger to pivoting. She started her dreamy brand, Jewel of Havana, in her dressing room during her time performing on Broadway. As life twisted and turned, it soon became her full-time gig.    Her tendency for innovation led her to organize a virtual art fair with other artists and designers. It was such a huge success, she’s already planning the next one!   During a time of hardship for many businesses, Ana Maria Andricain is using live events to grow her sales and inspire other artists.   Here’s how she did it…

In times of financial uncertainty and online-only shopping, jewelry can still thrive. Merging creative marketing solutions with the adaptation of online retail, independent jewelry designers who once relied on in-store sales are able to both stay afloat financially and nurture customer relationships. Mallory Shelter, Joyia Jones, and Nichole Gariepy are all great examples of jewelry designers who’ve done just that.  Each designer has had to close down their retail shops during this time of social distancing, but they’ve all come up with creative strategies for staying in business and keeping customers engaged. 

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a jewelry designer move from a place of uncertainty to a place of power. Meet Dr. Sarah McAleer, a jeweler and long-time member of the F&TA community who designs jewelry for strong-minded women and their families.  Sarah faced some pretty intense conflict during the transition into life under COVID-19 restrictions. I think you’ll be inspired by what she has to say, especially if you’re struggling with some very real fears right now.

I want to tell you something: it’s OKAY if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now.   We’re creatives - we excel at thinking outside the box and finding ways to keep designing and inspiring, no matter what.   You’re in good company.   Today, I want to highlight just a few examples of effective strategies designers are using to move their sales online and spread positivity at the same time.

It’s time for you to show up for your business without worrying about what the external world thinks.   That’s what Susie Moore is all about! She’s a life coach, author, and good friend of mine. And she came on the podcast to talk about CONFIDENCE.   Susie’s been obsessed with mastering the confidence game since she was a kid. Now, she’s a confidence coach who helps people pursue success and live a life they love.   She’s got tons of valuable insight on how to shake off your need for approval and manifest success in a way that’s true to your vision...  

Breaking news: double-sided tape is about to rock your world.   At least, that’s what happened to me when I sat down with Corkie Bolton for a second round of podcasting!   Last time, she shared her story about founding Metalsmith Society, a community for jewelers to come together and share tips and tricks for working on the bench and improving your jewelry-making process!   This time, she’s sharing 7 of her favorite jeweler life hacks that she’s picked up over the years.

“Shows are cancelled, stores are closed, and sales are down. How do I sell at a time like this?”   This sentiment has been popping up all over the jewelry community. It’s a scary and uncertain time, but you still have a family to feed and a business to run.   So what do you do?   Here’s what I think, m’dear...

The Coronavirus situation has majorly disrupted people’s livelihoods all over the world, and small businesses have been hit the hardest.   It’s a scary and stressful time, but the good news is we’re all in this together - and Flourish & Thrive Academy is here to help!   There are plenty of resources available for entrepreneurs, jewelry designers, artists, and creative business owners that may be able to help you protect your business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re in the middle of some rocky, uncharted waters, m’dear. But that doesn’t mean we’re doomed!   It’s time to pull together as a community to support one another as we navigate this brand new territory.   I’m tuning in with my friend and co-founder Robin Kramer to answer your most pressing questions about what you can do now to protect your jewelry biz and preserve your creative energy.  

Are you freaking out a little bit? Don’t worry, the voice of reason is here!   I’m talking about Jason R. Ayers, of course.   In Part 1 we talked about what you can do to protect your mindset and creative energy.    I highly recommend listening to that first. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of your business.   Now, we’re diving into tactical strategies to protect your business and income during these uncertain times. 

It’s a scary time to be a business owner right now. I’m sure COVID-19 wasn’t a part of your 2020 business plan, but here we are.   Things will go back to business as usual, but in the meantime you have a choice...    You can freak out, make a bunch of fear-based decisions, and possibly tank your business, or you can be mindful, devise a strategy, and look at this as an opportunity for growth.   Yes, there’s always a silver lining, m’dear!   Take if from Jason Ayers. He’s a strategic business growth consultant and certified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner.   He recorded this two-part episode with me to offer some advice on what you can do NOW that will protect your business and put you a step ahead of this situation.

Do you ever stalk other jewelry designers on Instagram?   Yeah… I confess!   It was no wonder that after stalking this designer’s IG that I wanted to interview her. She’s a private jeweler and designer of all things sparkly, blingy and over the top gorgeous, Stephanie Gottlieb.   Lots of people say it’s hard to sell jewelry online, especially fine jewelry. Yet, Stephanie is legit CRUSHING IT!    She’s built a completely loyal fan base of online (and offline customers) and has learned to leverage online sales channels to grow her audience and keep the sales rolling in.   I mean she’s doing so well that she’s built an Instagram following of over 330K followers! Wanna know how she did it?

Some people think selling fine jewelry online is impossible. Oren Katz from Carbon & Hyde is here to prove them wrong.   Oren founded the high-end fine jewelry brand with her sister Yarden. their collections have decorated several high-end boutiques and retailers, and their pieces are loved by fashionistas and celebrities alike.   In the beginning, the sisters only planned to sell direct-to-consumer online. It was going okay, but getting new customers to buy jewelry online at such a high price point was a challenge.   They decided to expand into an omnichannel brand to allow in-person customers to feel the quality of the pieces and build trust and credibility for online customers.   Now that their brand is more successful than ever, Oren agreed to come on the podcast to share her secrets to developing a prominent omnichannel brand...

Jewelry designers are a kooky lot. We know how to embrace the weird that makes us unique in a world that would often rather stifle it. My friend Re Perez is someone who knows a thing or two about embracing his weird. Re is is the CEO and founder of Branding for the People, and is about to publish his first book, Your Brand Should Be Gay (Even If You’re Not). With expertise like that, I knew I had to have him on the podcast to talk about how jewelry designers and makers can create a magnetizing brand around their work. And boy did he deliver!

When was the last time you got something fun in the mail from a brand you like? The truth is, not a lot of companies are sending out snail mail anymore… which makes it the perfect opportunity for you to stand out! Meet Miriam Schulman, founder of Schulman Art and host of The Inspiration Place podcast. She sat down with me this week to talk about her creative snail mail strat that keeps her customers coming back time and time again.

What kind of questions are successful, in-demand jewelry designers asking about their business? Today, we’re going to find out - and answer them! I had some of our SOS students send in their most pressing questions about running successful jewelry biz. SOS is designed to offer guidance for jewelry designers with goals of scaling to multiple 6 figures and beyond. So, these questions were asked by some pretty smart cookies - just sayin! Listen to episode #238 of Thrive by Design to get your all-access pass to Ask Me Anything: Questions From Our SOS Students

Every time I get an influx of new students, this question comes up in one way or another: “Tracy, why do you care whether my jewelry business fails or succeeds? Why should I listen to you?” Ouch, but fair! To answer that question, let me share a little bit about my life-long journey to becoming a jeweler, mentor, and coach...

Building a business takes courage. I’ve seen designers try to do the same thing over and over again expecting things to be different because they’re afraid of what might happen if they try something new. The monotony is familiar and safe, but ultimately flatlines your business. To be a successful jewelry designer, you must find the courage to put yourself out there, try new things, and most importantly, ask for help. The Flourish & Thrive community is filled with brave designers who have done just that, and their businesses are taking off. Today, I want to celebrate them.

I wish I could say the jewelry market isn’t saturated, but let’s be honest… it is. But I’m not telling you this to discourage you. On the contrary, you need to know that it takes consistent strategy and effort to make your brand stand out! Truth bomb: It is possible to distinguish yourself among the crowd! With the right strategy. Let’s talk about what designers just like YOU are doing to make their brand stand out in this saturated market.

The jewelry industry can be notoriously secretive. In a true demonstration of #CommunityOverCompetition, Metalsmith Society is trying to change that. Just as Flourish & Thrive Academy has created a supportive space for jewelers to learn about business, Corkie Bolton has established a vibrant community where jewelers can share techniques, ask questions, and exchange ideas. Corkie came on the show today to discuss some of the questions she hears most from jewelers in the Metalsmith Society. Such as, “How do I price my jewelry?” and “Should I sell on Etsy?” With our powers combined, we were able to come up with some answers.