Happy jewellery anniversary to me!
It’s been 10 years since I left my publishing career to start making jewellery and boy does it feel like time really does fly! Thank for your being here and supporting me on this journey!
Here are 10 things I’ve learned about switching careers and running my own business:
I used to constantly wish I had started making jewellery sooner but I’ve come to realize that wasn’t what I was meant to do. After highschool, I thought about following in my dad’s footsteps and becoming a jeweller but I didn’t. I often think about how much farther along in my jewellery career I would be if I had started ten years sooner. I would be celebrating 20 years in the industry now! But my life wasn’t meant to be that way and I love a lot of the experiences I had in my publishing career days so I’m happy things worked out the way they did.
I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to be as good as my dad but I’ve realized that his skill level is something that took him a long time to learn and as such might take me a long time to learn!
Adding to that, I may never be as good as my dad. That used to really make me stress about not starting my jewellery career sooner. I felt like I wasted ten good years. But here’s the thing, I don’t have to be as good as my dad! I can be good in my own way!
My style is evolving and that is ok! Sometimes I wish I had a more pronounced jewellery style but I think my lack thereof is what has taught me what I know and what has helped me succeed. Because I haven’t stuck to a certain style, I can do and learn more!
Although we learn through trial and error, it’s also ok to ask for help. Why spend 50 hours doing something when you could cut down that down to 20 hours simply be asking for help?!
It’s ok to admit to people when you have no idea what you are doing. I used to be scared to tell people I didn’t know how to make what they wanted because it made me feel and sound like an amateur. But here’s the thing, a) there are people who specialize in certain aspects of jewellery making which means it’s actually smarter for me to contract them out as it saves me time and money, b) it actually gives customers peace of mind knowing that you’re bringing another expert on board , and c) it’s crazy to think that everyone can do everything!
You can’t let peoples scarcity mindset get you down! I used to get really bummed when I tried making friends with other jewellers but they weren’t interested at all. Like why don’t they like me?! WHO CARES! The way they react to me is their problem, not mine.
Which leads me to: GROWTH MINDSET! It really is the only way to succeed in business. I’ve gotten farther along in my jewellery career being positive, building relationships, and helping others than thinking I should keep everything I learn to myself because there isn’t enough pie to go around.
Never take your peers for granted! This might seem obvious but over the years I have seen many people ask my dad for favours but then not return them. I have also seen how often people help my dad because he does people favours but more importantly, respects their time and pays them on time.
Don’t forget to work ON your business! Sometimes we get so busy working in our businesses that we forget to work ON them. Working IN your business means getting the actual work done. Working ON your business means working on backend tasks like marketing, education, etc. You can only grow your business so much by working IN it. At some point you need to work ON it to successfully manage growth. As an entrepreneur, sometimes you might be embarrassed that you let certain aspects of your business go so long without managing them. It’s ok! You were working and getting the job done! But eventually those backend tasks have to get done and you can ask for help. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if those backend tasks need to be revisited every couple of years. When your style changes, maybe your website will too, etc. It’s all part of the entrepreneurs journey!
Do you have any important business tips/wisdom to add for anyone starting or resetting a business?
