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How to start a jewellery business in 2026 with Jessica Rose — Transcript

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0:00Welcome to how to start a jewelry
0:02business in 2026. And I cannot believe
0:05that that is almost here. It's like
0:07weeks away, less than, you know, less
0:09than a few weeks away. So, it's it's
0:12coming for us. But we will be ready. Uh
0:14we have got this. Um so, first of all, I
0:17just wanted to say how exciting it is
0:19that you want to start a jewelry
0:20business next year. I remember when I
0:23first started my first jewelry business
0:25and I was so excited, terrified, had no
0:28idea what I was doing, but also just had
0:31this passion of like, "Oh my gosh, I
0:33just I want to learn how to do this and
0:36I'm just I'm going to figure it out,
0:37whatever it takes." So whether you are
0:40kind of all guns blazing or just sort of
0:43tentatively thinking about it, um I'm
0:46excited for you because it's nice to
0:47have an idea. It's nice to have a
0:49project. It's nice to have something
0:51that's giving you some energy. So uh I'm
0:54excited for you. And also I just wanted
0:56to share that this is 100% possible for
0:58you cuz that was the other thing when I
1:00first started is I wasn't sure whether I
1:02could do it. Um for all sorts of
1:04reasons. One because I couldn't actually
1:06make jewelry yet. So, I wasn't sure how
1:09that was going to work out and also
1:11because I'd not run a business before.
1:13Um, but whatever your experience,
1:15whatever your background, wherever you
1:17are in the world, there is always a way.
1:19Uh, so just wanted to to put that out
1:22there and there is room for you in the
1:24jewelry industry because I know I got a
1:25lot of messages at the beginning of my
1:28journey of people saying, you know,
1:30that's very saturated. It's not Some
1:32people just said, you can't do it. It's
1:34not possible. Um, luckily I didn't
1:37listen to them, but it wasn't super
1:39helpful. So, just in case anyone has
1:41shared anything like that with you
1:43before, I'm here to say that I it is
1:45100% possible and I see hundreds of
1:48jewelers every year building their own
1:50profitable jewelry businesses. So, uh,
1:53so yeah, I know. Um, so exciting
1:57exciting times ahead. So, in the session
1:59tonight, I'm going to be covering sort
2:01of 10 steps we're going to walk through
2:03to starting a jewelry business in 2026.
2:07So, there are some differences next year
2:09compared to every year, but also a lot
2:12of it is more of the same. So, there's
2:14some things you might recognize and some
2:16things that might be new. Um, I'm also
2:18going to be sharing what I would focus
2:20on if I was starting a jewelry business
2:22now, cuz it's very different to when I
2:24started my first jewelry business nearly
2:2620 years ago. It's a totally different
2:28landscape in every way. Um, we're also
2:30going to be looking a bit at how to
2:32combat overwhelm and to make progress
2:35because I think that's one of the
2:36biggest issues for a new business is it
2:39just feels like, oh my goodness,
2:41there's, you know, there's there's so
2:43much to do and sometimes we can get
2:45stuck in doing nothing because it's just
2:47overwhelming. So, we're going to move
2:49that aside and think about, okay, how
2:51can we make some good progress and also
2:54hopefully getting to answer your
2:55questions. So, if you have any
2:57throughout the session, please feel free
2:59to ask away. There's no such thing as a
3:01silly question, we like to say at
3:02jewelers academy. Um, towards the end of
3:06the session, I'm going to be sharing
3:07about the jewelry business academy,
3:09which is our one-year online program to
3:12support jewelers. It is our best way to
3:15spend a year together working on
3:17starting and growing a successful,
3:19profitable jewelry business. We run it
3:21every year and we are starting early
3:24January, so a couple of weeks away. Uh,
3:27so if you haven't already signed up, I
3:29definitely recommend checking it out. It
3:30is a great support as you go into
3:33building your business next year. So,
3:35I'll share a bit more about that a bit
3:37later. So, yeah, a big hello and welcome
3:40to anyone who's new here, especially if
3:42you're new to Jewelers Academy and if
3:44we've not met before. Hi, my name is
3:47Jess and I'm the founder of Jewelers
3:49Academy. Uh, I started, like I said, my
3:52jewelry career about 20 years ago
3:54nearly. Um, and I started by doing some
3:57beading on my bed in my bedroom when I
4:00was like in my late teens and just
4:03totally fell in love with jewelry and
4:04decided that that was going to be my
4:06life and went on to do lots of jewelry
4:09courses, training, uh, sold my work in
4:12shops and galleries, markets all over, a
4:15little bit online. Online wasn't so big
4:17back then. Um, and then I started the
4:20London Jewelry School where we helped
4:21over 40,000 people to learn jewelry
4:24making. That was in Hatton Garden in
4:26London. We did that for around 13 years,
4:28me and a team. Um, uh, before we started
4:31Jewelers Academy, which is our online
4:34platform to help jewelers all over the
4:36world to learn jewelry making skills and
4:38to build profitable, thriving jewelry
4:41businesses. So, here we are. Um, so this
4:44is why I know it's possible for you
4:45because I've seen it time and time
4:47again. So, I love seeing people at the
4:50start of this journey and watching them
4:52go through and build the business that
4:55they're passionate about. Um, so yeah,
4:58kind of shared my story a little bit
5:00there. So, like I said before, when I
5:02started, I had no making experience and
5:04no business experience. So, if you have
5:06either of those, you're already ahead of
5:09where I was at. Um, and I just think,
5:12you know, if it's something you have a
5:13passion for, there's always a way. And
5:16you know, I love sharing that you also,
5:19you know, how to do it really. You might
5:22not know all the ins and outs, but
5:24there's so much that you will already
5:25know from your life experience, from how
5:27to connect with people, from how to
5:30design. So, a lot of what we do is just
5:32bringing out what's already there inside
5:34of you and then giving you a bit more
5:36information, industry specific
5:38knowledge, some strategies, some skills
5:40so that you can build something that is
5:42going to last. So, a quick question
5:45before we get started, uh, just so I can
5:47find out a bit more about who is here
5:49tonight. And there's no right or wrong
5:51answer to this. It's just to see where
5:52you're at. What are your jewelry
5:54business goals at the moment? So, type
5:57in the comments a if your goal is to
6:00make and sell enough for a sustainable
6:03side hustle. So, you kind of want to
6:04make jewelry on the side, but you still
6:06got your full-time situation. Um, B is
6:10if you want to make jewelry your
6:12full-time job. that supports you. Um C
6:15is to create a well-known jewelry
6:16business with a following and a small
6:18team. So something a bit bigger. Um and
6:21D, world domination through the medium
6:23of jewelry making. I definitely started
6:26with a D and then I scaled back. I
6:29realized that I didn't need world
6:30domination. So I'm glad to see there
6:32aren't too many D's. Um actually we have
6:35a lot of A B's and C's. So interesting.
6:39And yeah, I think some for some people
6:40they're saying, "Well, I'm here now, but
6:42I'd like to be here." And that's really
6:45good to know as well, like if you're at
6:46A and then you want to move to B or if
6:48you're at B and you want to move to C.
6:50And for some people, they never want to
6:51get to see. Like they never want to hire
6:53people and they never want to have a
6:54team. They just want to have their own
6:56thing. And you know, I'm just here to
6:58say all of that is exactly as it's meant
7:01to be. Um, but it's good to know what
7:03you want because then when you're
7:04working on your business, you're working
7:06on your goals, you've got an idea of
7:08where you want to go. So, we've got a
7:10real mixture. Lots of abs and C's. Not
7:12seen a D yet, but that's probably for
7:15the best. [laughter]
7:17Um, who knows? Who knows? It's all
7:19welcome. So, whatever your goals, we are
7:21going to be looking at working them on
7:23them together. And really important as
7:26well is without burnout. So without
7:28working all of the days and all of the
7:31hours um and also without compromising
7:34on your values. So the way that we like
7:36to support jewelers at jewelers academy
7:38is to bring out your values. So whatever
7:40they are and sometimes we don't know
7:42what they are and that's okay. But your
7:44values might be around everything being
7:47handmade. They might be around
7:49sustainability.
7:51Uh they might be around really having a
7:53great connection with your customer.
7:55They could be something totally
7:56different. But making sure that the
7:58business you create is something that
8:00you really love because what can happen
8:02when you start a business is you create
8:04a business and it's successful and then
8:06you realize you don't actually like the
8:08business you created. Um and that
8:10definitely happened uh to me throughout
8:12the journey as well and and that's how I
8:14learned some of the things that I
8:15learned. Um, so yeah, it's important to
8:18get the goals, but also to look after
8:20ourselves in that process. And also to
8:22feel really enriched, which I think is
8:24where the values piece comes in. And
8:27like I mentioned before, you don't need
8:29a guru or someone to tell you what to do
8:31because that assumes that you don't
8:33know. Um, but we all don't know what
8:36we've not been told. So having some
8:38guidance, some industry specific
8:40knowledge, strategy, community, which is
8:43so important here for us at jewelers
8:45academy, um, and a supportive
8:47environment. And inside that, you're
8:50just going to naturally grow. You won't
8:51you won't be able to help but grow when
8:53you're in that kind of space. So all
8:57that said, we are going to get into the
8:59details of how to start a jewelry
9:01business in 2026. So number one, I
9:04always start with the jewelry. Uh
9:06because if we don't have jewelry, we
9:08can't we don't have a jewelry business.
9:10So the first thing I would say is create
9:12a small collection of pieces to start
9:14with. Whatever you plan to do in the
9:16long term, this is a great way to launch
9:19your business. So you don't need lots of
9:22pieces. An initial collection might be 8
9:24to 12 pieces. Um it can be even less.
9:28You know, it can be as little as four or
9:29five pieces if needed, especially if
9:31those pieces are taking a long time to
9:34make. The most important thing is just
9:35to get a few pieces together that have a
9:38similar theme, a similar thread. They
9:41look nice together.
9:43Then you can get some photographs taken
9:46of them, and that will be the basis of
9:48the content that we're going to be using
9:49to share, to market, and promote your
9:52business. So, I think the hardest thing
9:55here is trying to let go of
9:57perfectionism of creating the perfect
9:59collection before you launch and knowing
10:02that everyone won't see this initial
10:04collection because it actually takes a
10:06lot of work to do the marketing to
10:08really get your jewelry out there. So,
10:10it's just getting something down even if
10:13it's not perfect. It won't be perfect,
10:16but it be good enough. Um, and it'll be
10:18a really good place to start. So um in
10:21the startup world, which is where I've
10:23done some of my business training in the
10:25past, they have this concept called
10:27minimum viable product. And what it
10:29means is that to build a successful
10:31business, you don't want to create the
10:33best product in the world because that
10:35takes forever. And you actually are not
10:37learning about how to build a business,
10:39connecting with customers. You're just
10:41focusing on the product and nothing
10:43else. You actually want to get something
10:45out there that's almost like a messy
10:47version. It's the sloppy version. and
10:49it's the first run so that you can test
10:52it, you can get feedback, you can learn
10:54about your customers, you can start
10:56doing fairs and events and then your
10:59jewelry will naturally improve as you
11:01practice, develop and grow. Um, so it's
11:03the same with jewelry and I've seen this
11:06happen many times with jewelers where
11:07they're they're waiting to be good
11:09enough. Um, but I'm here to say if you
11:11have made any jewelry, just start
11:14selling it. Don't wait for it to be
11:16better because it will be better and it
11:18will improve. Um, but there's this kind
11:21of feedback loop that you need from your
11:23customers as well where they're saying,
11:24"Oh, do you know what? I love this, but
11:26I wish it was a bit bigger because it it
11:28doesn't fit me or I love that you've
11:30made it in silver, but do you have a
11:32gold option?" Or, um, could I change out
11:34the gemstones? And then you're almost
11:37involving your customers in the whole
11:39process, which is really helpful for
11:42growth. So, that's my first one is
11:44create a small collection and get them
11:46out there. The second tip is to create
11:50content from the start. So take pictures
11:53of everything you're doing and videos
11:55and document the process of your making.
11:58And the great news is they don't have to
12:00be perfect. Again, they can be really
12:02rustic, but just showing behind the
12:04scenes. This is going to really help for
12:06you to build a following online. So we
12:09want to get sharing the journey,
12:11particularly on somewhere like
12:13Instagram. That's my favorite platform
12:15for jewelers. Um, you might have a
12:17different platform that you prefer like
12:19Tik Tok or Pinterest, but for most of
12:22us, I think Instagram is a really strong
12:24place to be based and just, yeah, take
12:28pictures as you go, take videos, upload
12:30them. Don't overthink it. And I know
12:32it's so easy to say, and I do the same
12:34when I'm uploading. I'm like, "Oh, it
12:36just doesn't look good enough. I don't
12:37want to share it. The lighting's not
12:39good enough." But actually, when I start
12:42saying, "Just put it up there. Just
12:44share the journey. just show what you're
12:47doing. You start building that
12:49connection with customers, with
12:50followers, and again, you get that
12:53feedback loop of learning. What are
12:55people interested in? What kind of
12:57processes do they like? What do they
12:58want to see more of? Um, so yeah,
13:02creating content from the start, as much
13:04as you can. Number three is that the
13:08good news is you don't need a website
13:10straight away. So often it can take six
13:12months to a year to get a really good
13:14jewelry website up and running. So this
13:16is another thing that can hold people
13:18back. So I would say that whilst we do
13:21want to build a website because it's
13:22really important to have one, maybe just
13:25park that for the first little section
13:26of your business, work on building your
13:29Instagram account, start sharing and
13:32prioritize creating an email list. So,
13:35it's much more important to be talking
13:37to people than to have the shop front
13:40because people can buy from you in other
13:42ways by saying by sending you a direct
13:44message or by sending you an email and
13:46saying, "Oh, I've seen this piece on
13:48your Instagram. I'd love to have it."
13:50And then once you have done all those
13:52things and you've got those in place,
13:54then you work on building the website.
13:56So, know that it will come and it will
13:58be useful, but it's not the first thing.
14:00A lot of jewelers spend ages perfecting
14:03a website before they launch, but then
14:06there's no one to launch it to because
14:07they've not built the email list and
14:09they've not built the Instagram, so
14:11nobody knows it's there. And then it can
14:13be quite disheartening because you
14:14think, I spent so much time and energy
14:16and money on this website, but nobody's
14:18going to it. Um, and if you've already
14:20done that, you can work backwards, you
14:22know, but it's great if you're fresh and
14:25new to know that you can actually park
14:27that for a little bit and build the
14:29community first.
14:32Okay, number four, pick a name and some
14:35basic branding to start with. And I
14:38would say give yourself a deadline for
14:40this. Don't again, it's kind of a
14:42similar theme. It's like get everything
14:44done, get everything out there. So the
14:46chances are in the first two years of
14:49your business that you will change your
14:51name, you will change your logo, and you
14:53will change your branding. So that's why
14:55I always say don't think about it all at
14:58once. Um, and don't don't try and get it
15:01perfect because actually, as you develop
15:04and grow as a business owner, you're
15:07going to know more about your audience.
15:09You're going to know more about your
15:10jewelry. You're going to know more about
15:11yourself and your values. And you're
15:13probably going to want to develop and
15:15grow that branding and potentially the
15:17name as well. So for most jewelers, I
15:20recommend using their name and then
15:22jewelry at the end. I'd say nine times
15:25out of 10 that is the best name because
15:28it connects to you as the jeweler.
15:30People know you so when they message you
15:32they can say hi Anna or hi Emily or hi
15:36Sarah. Um without it sort of being a
15:39brand name that they then need to work
15:40out who they're actually speaking to. It
15:43also is really flexible because it means
15:45whatever jewelry you make, whether it's
15:47silver, gold, beading, metal, clay, you
15:51know, all types of things, you can eb
15:53and flow because it's all under your
15:55name. Um, and it's just easy. If for
15:58some reason you really don't want to use
16:00your name, uh, that is fine. You can
16:02pick a different name. That can work,
16:04too. But I'd say pick something that has
16:06a bit of a story that you can talk about
16:09or share about, even if it's really
16:10simple. And if you don't like your name
16:13100%, go for it. As long as you like it
16:1760%, that's enough. Um, I think even,
16:21and I share this quite a lot, Jewelers
16:23Academy, when I was trying to choose the
16:24name for for this business, I wasn't
16:27that sure about Jewelers Academy. I just
16:29couldn't find a name that felt like it
16:31summed up everything that I wanted us to
16:33be. Um, but I was like, do you know
16:36what? It's good enough. It works. It
16:37does the job. It's short. People can
16:39spell it. you kind of get an idea of
16:41what it is. Um, and now, you know, many
16:44years later, I love it. So, sometimes
16:47names really grow on you and sometimes
16:49they go the other way. Uh, also I should
16:52say with jewelers academy went through
16:53three or four names beforehand. Um, so
16:56we changed our name quite a lot of
16:58times. It started with jewelry from
17:01home, then jewelry school online, and
17:03then I can't even remember all the
17:05different iterations. But the point is
17:07it's okay um to go with something that
17:11you're not entirely sure about. I can
17:13also ver I can also see in the chat
17:15someone saying what if it's not
17:16something easy to pronounce and to find
17:18which is such a good question. And I
17:21think if the name is very difficult, I
17:24would maybe go for a shortened version
17:26because you're right, with the best will
17:28in the world, if I see someone at a fair
17:29or an event and it's a long um more
17:33challenging to spell name, I won't
17:36remember it. So it might be that I can
17:38use a version of it that's shorter. Um
17:41so yeah, but give yourself two weeks to
17:44decide on a name if you're feeling
17:45stuck. And then at the end of the two
17:47weeks just for me I would just make a
17:50deadline and say I'm going to go with
17:51the best one I've got for now and I can
17:53always change it in the future and I'm
17:56most people will you will change it.
17:59Same with the branding like color
18:01palettes typography logo just go with
18:05what you can. My gosh the first logo I
18:07had was terrible. It was it was truly
18:10terrible. And I even knew it was
18:12terrible, but I was like, I just need to
18:14get something out there. And the good
18:16news is it it doesn't matter too much.
18:18It would matter in the long run. You do
18:21need to update, grow, develop, but
18:23there's time for that. And maybe by that
18:25point, you've made some money. You can
18:27hire someone to do your branding or
18:29you've come and done the business
18:30academy and you're awesome at doing your
18:32own branding. So there's there's always
18:35the future. You don't need to get it all
18:36right in one in one go. Okay, number
18:40five is around pricing. This is one I'm
18:43very passionate about because of course,
18:45whilst we love making jewelry and we
18:48would probably do it for free if we
18:49could, it's so important when we're
18:51building a business to make sure that we
18:53can build profit into our business.
18:56partly so that we can fund the business
18:58and buy all the things and do all the
19:00training and everything that we need and
19:03also so we can grow it and of course
19:05support ourselves and the kind of
19:06lifestyle that we want. So my
19:09recommendation is to do your best to
19:12price your jewelry for profit from the
19:14beginning. So, I know it's really
19:16tempting to undercharge when you're new
19:19because you think, well, I don't have
19:20much experience and if I charge less,
19:23then somebody might buy it. And of
19:26course, you might end up charging a bit
19:28less per hour because you don't have the
19:30skills yet. Um, so, so that can come
19:34into it, but making sure that the pieces
19:36that you're selling are at a price point
19:38that you want to continue selling at is
19:40quite important because we can fall into
19:43the trap of undercharging at the start
19:46and then attracting the wrong customers.
19:48So, if all of your pieces are say under
19:50£100 to begin with, it's very difficult
19:53then to move people on to 200, 300,
19:571,000.
19:58um you will have to get different
20:00customers which is not impossible and
20:03many people do go through that journey
20:05but I would encourage you because you're
20:08here and you're learning and you'll make
20:10less mistakes to start a bit higher
20:13because that way you're going to attract
20:15the right kinds of customers who are
20:17going to be willing to make those
20:19payments. And I do believe it's better
20:21to have less customers paying more than
20:24to have lots of customers paying too
20:26little. Um, also from experience, people
20:29who are not paying enough for your
20:31jewelry tend to be the hardest customers
20:33to work with. The kind of bargain
20:35hunters, the ones looking for discounts,
20:38they can be a lot of work. Whereas
20:40people who appreciate handmade, who love
20:42what you're creating, who are happy to
20:45pay, you know, a decent amount for a
20:47handmade piece can really be a joy
20:50because they appreciate what you're
20:51doing. And your, this is a values piece
20:53as well. Your values align. And I would
20:56say almost all handmade jewelry should
20:58be priced at £100 or more. Uh
21:01particularly with the metal prices as
21:03they are it can there can be some little
21:06pieces that can go below but in most
21:08cases I would say that that is a good a
21:11good starting point.
21:13So number six is I've mentioned already
21:17but this one's such an important one is
21:19to start collecting emails straight
21:21away. So I'd really prioritize growing
21:24an email list. I know it's not that fun.
21:26Um, but it is such a good way. It is the
21:30number one way that jewelers will sell
21:32their jewelry online. So, I would
21:35recommend starting a list, which you can
21:37do before you've got a website. You can
21:39sign up to a platform such as Mailchimp.
21:42There are lots of platforms out there
21:44nowadays, but the one that I've used is
21:46Mailchimp. And you just go create an
21:48account and you say create a sign up
21:50form, follow through their little
21:52wizard. it's not particularly difficult.
21:54Um, and then create uh a page where you
21:58can uh collect people's emails. And even
22:02if you don't have many, even if you just
22:04start with yourself, your mom, your
22:07cousin, your auntie, and a few other
22:09people, that is a great starting point.
22:11I think the first subscriber on my email
22:15list was my brother, uh, who, bless him,
22:18is still on it today. although I have
22:20told him many times he's welcome to
22:21unsubscribe because he has no interest
22:23in making jewelry or building a jewelry
22:26business. Um, but they're they're the
22:28original supporters, aren't they?
22:30They're people who want to see how
22:31you're getting on. Um, so start
22:34collecting emails and I would recommend
22:36sending out a monthly email. Now, if you
22:39do this, you will be ahead in terms of
22:42marketing. you'll be ahead 90% of
22:45jewelers that I know, professional
22:48jewelers that I know. So, it really is
22:50lowhanging fruit. A lot of handmade
22:52jewelers are not doing this. And in
22:55terms of what to share on your monthly
22:57emails, you can keep it really light and
23:00fun. You can share little stories. It's
23:02a way of connecting with your customers
23:04throughout the year so that when you do
23:05have something to sell, maybe you've got
23:08an event or you're doing a launch. Um
23:10you you aren't just contacting them out
23:13of the blue. They already know like, oh
23:15yeah, I remember her. She was making
23:17this collection and then she told me
23:19about when she went to an event and she
23:21sold a piece or a commission that she
23:23made. So, it's all about building those
23:26kind of connections. And I find with
23:28getting people to sign up to your list,
23:30it's often slow at the beginning. Um,
23:33but it's quality over quantity. So,
23:35there's lots of ways you can encourage
23:37people to sign up through your Instagram
23:39that you're sharing on regularly. Uh,
23:41you can let them know that you're you've
23:43just had an email come out and it's on
23:45this topic and if they want to read it,
23:47they can sign up here. Um, you can do
23:50giveaways, you could do all sorts of
23:51things to encourage people to to sign
23:54up. But I also find that when you're
23:56sending out monthly emails, you're
23:59motivated to encourage people to join.
24:02So, it's almost like a chicken and egg
24:04thing. Like, it's hard to get people to
24:06join a list that you know that you're
24:07not really doing much with. But once you
24:09start doing things with it, you start
24:10thinking, how can I get more people to
24:12read this cuz it's great. Um, so it's
24:15just one of those things once you start
24:17it kind of snowballs. But like I said,
24:20you don't need thousands of people on
24:22this list. It's quantity. It's quality
24:25over quantity. So, if you're doing a
24:27fair or an event, it can go on your
24:29business card. Um, it can go on the
24:32bottom of your email signature so that
24:35when you're doing just general emails to
24:37people, it says, you know, for more
24:38information about jewelry making,
24:41goodies, fairs, events, uh, do sign up
24:44to my newsletter, that kind of thing.
24:47All righty. Number seven is not always
24:50popular but could be the most important
24:53one especially as we go into 2026 and
24:56that is to show yourself.
24:59Uh many jewelers are introverted and are
25:01like please just let me make up my bench
25:04and leave me alone and don't ever show
25:06anyone my face. Um but we can do this.
25:10We can do it together. And um yeah, we
25:13all know that people buy from people and
25:15anyone can go and buy jewelry from any
25:18high street store at any at any time.
25:20But the point of coming to you is you're
25:23a handmade jeweler. You're somebody that
25:25they have a relationship with in some
25:27way. You are part of their story. So
25:30help them tell that part of their story.
25:33And this involves showing yourself in
25:35lots of different ways. So, I would
25:38recommend getting someone to take some
25:40nice pictures of you that you are happy
25:41with in some nice light with some nice
25:44clothes on so you feel you're feeling
25:47your best. Um, and put them everywhere.
25:50You know, put them on your Instagram,
25:53share them every few months. You need to
25:55be probably reintroducing yourself
25:57because we know that only a small
25:59percentage of people see each of our
26:01posts. So, it's a really good idea to do
26:03introduction posts and keep sharing that
26:06regularly. Once you do have a website,
26:08you want a section that has an about me
26:11page. So, an interesting thing um about
26:14the about me page on a website is it is
26:17one of the most visited pages on every
26:20website. And we often think that it's
26:22not that important, but it's really
26:24important because the customer journey
26:27on most websites when they're buying
26:28from a handmade jeweler or a similar
26:30kind of business is they'll go on and
26:32they'll look for the jewelry first. They
26:34want to see what am I, you know, oh, I
26:36saw this ring. It looks gorgeous. How
26:38much is it? What's the shipping? All the
26:40logistics. But before
26:44they go and make a purchase, they want
26:45to check, wait a minute, is this person
26:48for real? Like, is this a scam? Is it am
26:50I like am I going to get the jewelry
26:52once I've ordered it? So, this is where
26:54the trust element comes in. And this is
26:57where people will go to the about me
26:58page and look and read and see, okay,
27:01she's been making jewelry for this long
27:03and this is where she's based. And these
27:05little connection points help people to
27:08be able to say, okay, I'm ready to to
27:11take the leap and go with purchasing
27:13something, especially when you're
27:15online, which a lot of jewelry is sold
27:18online these days. So, get some pictures
27:21of you in your element looking happy.
27:23They can be at your workbench. Um, you
27:26know, they can be in a jewelry setting
27:28if you're a bit nervous as well. You can
27:29be making. Uh, but this connection is so
27:33important for building trust. If I found
27:36an incredible jeweler online, but there
27:38was no picture of them on their website
27:39or on their Instagram, I don't think I
27:42would buy from them because, especially
27:44in the days of AI and all this kind of
27:47stuff, there's a lot less trust around
27:48on the internet. So, when somebody does
27:51show up and they're sharing little
27:53stories, they're sharing moments from
27:55their life. And of course, you don't
27:56have to share anything you're not
27:58comfortable with, like you don't need to
27:59share about your personal life, but just
28:01moments, things that have happened,
28:03things that you would share about in
28:04small talk if you were connecting with
28:06someone. Um, this is going to really
28:09help. And jewelry is a trustbased
28:11purchase. So, it's it's it's one of the
28:15most important things. A lot of jewelers
28:18um you know, very famous jewelers will
28:20say established in and the year. And
28:23part of the reason for that is they're
28:25showing we've been here a long time.
28:26We're not going anywhere. You can trust
28:28us. We are here for you. So we don't
28:31have that cuz most of us haven't been
28:32established that long. But what we can
28:35show is our personalities, a little bit
28:37about ourselves, about our journey. And
28:40again, that just really helps when
28:42someone's thinking about making a
28:43purchase because they say, "Oh, yeah. I
28:45feel like I kind of know her. I I feel
28:47comfortable buying from from him or her
28:49online."
28:51Awesome. Well done. You guys are doing
28:53well. We're getting there. Number eight,
28:56so this is particularly for 2026 as
28:59well, is to think about ways of making
29:02your jewelry accessible to people who
29:04want it but maybe don't have the funds
29:07initially or don't have them all up
29:09front. So, I recommend offering payment
29:12plans for more expensive pieces and
29:15offer pieces that hit different price
29:17points. So, for many jewelers, the goal
29:21is to be selling high-end jewelry
29:24because if you're selling high-end
29:25jewelry that's, you know, £1,000 or
29:27more, you don't need to sell anywhere
29:29near as many pieces as if you're selling
29:32pieces for £100. Um, so it's an easier
29:36business model. There's higher profit
29:37margins when you're working with
29:39higherend stuff. But we often don't
29:41start there. It's something that we
29:42build up to. So, if for example, you
29:45know, you want to sell pieces for around
29:471 to 3,000 and that's the goal, we
29:50definitely want to make those pieces.
29:52But it's also good to have some pieces
29:54for what if someone's not quite ready to
29:56make that level of commitment yet? They
29:58don't know you and they need to build up
30:00that trust. So, are there any pieces in
30:03the say 300 range? Are there any pieces
30:06in the 100 range which are just a little
30:08taste of what you offer? Something where
30:10I can just get started. There might even
30:13be something very small like a little
30:14charm um in the 50 pound range where
30:17they could just say, "Oh my gosh, I love
30:19this jeweler. I love what they're doing.
30:20I can't afford their jewelry right now,
30:22but I just want a little taste of it."
30:24Cuz you never know, they may buy that
30:26piece, wear it, love it, build up some
30:30more funds, come back for something
30:31else. A lot of jewelers customers are
30:35repeat customers. So, there will be
30:37people who buy from you one-off, but for
30:39many people, they'll come back. And it
30:41might not be for another year. It might
30:43not be till the next anniversary or the
30:46next big event in their life, but you,
30:48we want you to be their goto jeweler.
30:51Where they say, "Oh, I know a jeweler.
30:53So, I'm looking for some jewelry, so I'm
30:55going to go check them out because
30:57they're my jeweler." Um, so yeah, people
31:00are buying at all different budgets at
31:02the moment. Um and the great news is the
31:04jewelry industry is growing year on
31:07year. It is growing. Um and it's growing
31:10quite rapidly as well. So there is lots
31:12of opportunity. There is lots of uh
31:15demand out there for all different price
31:17points. So it's great if we can offer
31:19things where people can just sort of get
31:21on the ladder and have a go and then
31:24invest a little more and then perhaps go
31:27to a bigger investment um when they feel
31:29ready to.
31:31Number nine, and this is not just for
31:342026, this has been forever, but we'll
31:36we'll make it especially for 2026, is
31:39that marketing is the key to attracting
31:42sales. So, one of the mistakes I see
31:44jewelers make is they think that they're
31:46not selling because of their pricing.
31:49Their prices are too high or people
31:51don't have enough money. But the prices
31:54are not too high and people are spending
31:56lots of money on jewelry all the time,
31:59but they're spending the money with the
32:01people who they are connecting with. And
32:03how do we connect with people? It's
32:05through our marketing. So, I'd really
32:07encourage you to share on social media
32:09as much as you can. Do those regular
32:12emails that we talked about. Do some
32:14fairs and events. And when you're new,
32:16it's about just getting out there and
32:18just meeting as many people as you can,
32:20telling people as many as many people as
32:23you can about your jewelry business and
32:24just building. It's like getting that
32:26getting it off the ground. It takes a
32:28little bit of oomph at the beginning.
32:30Um, so yes, if you are struggling with
32:33sales, you know, always connect. I'm
32:35struggling with sales. I need to do
32:37marketing. I'm struggling with sales. I
32:39need to do marketing. Because it can we
32:41can get lost. Why am I struggling with
32:43sales? Is my jewelry not good enough? Is
32:45my pricing off? Nine times out of 10 or
32:48more, it's that they're not doing any
32:50marketing. So, sometimes I do oneto ones
32:53with jewelers and we're looking at their
32:54whole business and they're saying, you
32:55know, I just I just need more sales. And
32:57I say, okay, great. What marketing are
32:59you doing? And a lot of the time it's
33:01like, well, I'm not doing any. Which is
33:05great news because it means, okay, we
33:08can change that. That's something we can
33:10work on. Um, so definitely a place to
33:14put our focus in the coming year. And 10
33:17is just to remember that a jewelry
33:19business takes time and it can take many
33:23years. My general guide, although it is
33:25very general, is that a jewelry business
33:28takes 3 to 5 years to get off the
33:31ground, start making a good income, make
33:33it something you can do full-time. And
33:35for a fine jewelry business, that can be
33:37closer to seven to 10 years because
33:39again, you're building trust for people
33:41to spend thousands with you. Um, so my
33:45message is that everyone can do it. You
33:47can do it for sure, but it's not going
33:50to happen overnight. So remembering that
33:52it's a marathon, not a sprint. So we
33:54want to enjoy the journey. Um, and be
33:57gentle with ourselves. I I think a lot
34:00of jewelers start and they're really
34:01passionate and they go for it, but after
34:03a year they haven't made uh a profit and
34:07so they stop. Now, most jewelry
34:10businesses do not make a profit in the
34:11first year or the second. I would say at
34:14least the third year is when we should
34:16be looking to make a profit. Initially,
34:18we're just looking at training,
34:20investing, getting our tools, building
34:23our audience. There's a lot of spending.
34:26Um, and hopefully we can cover our
34:28spending. That's the goal. Um, they call
34:30it bootstrapping where you kind of spend
34:32and then make a bit and then spend and
34:34there's not really any profit. Which is
34:37why for most jewelers, you might have
34:38another business alongside. I know when
34:40I started my jewelry business, I was
34:43nannying three days a week and I was
34:45running the business all the rest of the
34:47time. And eventually the business got to
34:50a stage where it was taking over so I
34:52could leave that part-time job. So
34:55finding something I I think for me it
34:57was finding something that I could do
34:59relatively easily that didn't take a lot
35:01of I mean it took energy to look after
35:04children but it didn't take a lot of
35:05mental energy in terms of I could focus
35:08on my business the rest of the time. So
35:10that was a great balance for me but you
35:13guys will find your own way and what's
35:15going to work for you. If you can go
35:16part-time at some point that can be a
35:18really nice transition. Um but you know
35:22if you're going all in then go all in.
35:24just know that uh it takes time for for
35:27the income to come and that is natural
35:30and normal part of it. Awesome. So just
35:33a little recap and a bit of a focus what
35:36I would focus on if I was starting a
35:38jewelry business now. So I would make a
35:41small collection, not spend too long
35:43making loads of pieces that I don't know
35:46if I'm going to sell or I don't know how
35:48I'm going to market them. uh get some
35:50good photographs of them. If you can
35:52afford professional photography, it's
35:54really worth it's really worth it
35:56because it elevates everything that
35:58you're doing. But if not, just get the
36:00best pictures and videos that you can.
36:03Focus on building a strong social media
36:05presence. And again, a strong social
36:07media presence doesn't need to be
36:10thousands of people following you. It
36:12can be a small engaged audience. Um but
36:15it's about sharing regularly. I would
36:18say try and aim to share four to five
36:20times a week if you can. I know it's a
36:22big commitment. Um I know it's a lot of
36:25work, but do what you can. You know,
36:27even if it's three times a week or two
36:29times a week, try your best to be as
36:31consistent as you can. If you drop off,
36:34it's okay. There's no social media
36:36police that are going to come and tell
36:38you that you've done it wrong. Just pick
36:39it up as soon as you can. then those
36:42regular emails. So sending out a monthly
36:44email even if it's just to three people
36:46right now and start gradually building
36:48that list knowing that that is going to
36:50be kind of the gold mine of the future.
36:53And then really focusing on connection I
36:55think especially with the rise of stuff
36:57like AI and a lot more sort of
37:00autogenerated content we are almost the
37:03antidote to that. You know, we're making
37:06things with our hands, with hammers that
37:09were invented however many centuries ago
37:12that last a really long time. So, our
37:15message is slow. It's that slow fashion.
37:19It's the Yeah, it's the kind of, you
37:21know, slow things down, work with our
37:23hands, everything's very authentic
37:26connection, trust. Um so lean into those
37:30and don't worry about competing with the
37:32mass produced or the mass or the mass of
37:36anything.
37:37Um sharing stories this is how we
37:40connect as humans. So even today
37:42throughout the session without thinking
37:44about it I've shared little things about
37:45when I started and and that helps us to
37:48connect with okay that's their journey
37:50that's how they did it m how will mine
37:53be similar how will mine be different
37:55and we start to find our own thoughts
37:57and our own voice so your stories don't
38:00need to be super exciting they don't
38:03need to be something massive has
38:04happened it could be where I got an
38:07inspiration from this week I was on a
38:09morning walk and I saw this beautiful
38:11ray of leaves and I just had to sketch
38:13it down and now I've started making this
38:15ring and people will be like oh my gosh
38:17yes I I love looking at the leaves or I
38:20love it's just something for people to
38:21connect with. So sharing those stories
38:24and I would put I have like notes on my
38:26phone and when something happens a
38:28moment or something that makes me think
38:31I just jot it down because that's great
38:33for using on social media for using in
38:36your emails or just for engaging with
38:38people around um small steps each day.
38:42So my real mantra around doing pretty
38:45much everything but particularly for
38:47jewelry businesses is to just try and do
38:50one thing a day towards building your
38:53jewelry business. Now some days you'll
38:55be so tired and overwhelmed with the
38:57rest of life that it will be the tiniest
38:59thing like maybe researching a design or
39:02posting on Instagram
39:04or uh looking for a logo or something
39:07small. And other days it might be
39:09something big like working on building a
39:11website or creating a new collection or
39:14investing in training to be able to do a
39:16different design. But I try each day,
39:20you can take the weekends off, but each
39:22day during the week to just do one thing
39:25instead of trying to sit down and do 20
39:28things and having a massive to-do list
39:30and feeling like, "Oh my gosh, I can't
39:31do all of that." Just one thing. So I
39:34guess from the session today, it might
39:36be good to think about one thing you
39:38could do tomorrow or the day after or as
39:41soon as you can to take one next action.
39:44It might be, okay, do you know what? I'm
39:46just going to finally name my business
39:49and I'm going to buy the domain for the
39:51website. So I'm going to commit to it.
39:53Uh something like that. Um or I'm gonna
39:56I'm gonna design a small collection and
39:59that's quite a big thing, but you know,
40:01we can do it. Um, and the final thing,
40:04and this has always been my mantra as
40:06well, is to keep learning. Every year,
40:09keep training because your training,
40:12whether it's jewelry making or building
40:15a business training, it's all going to
40:17feed into the energy that goes into your
40:19business. It's going to help you to stay
40:21inspired, encouraged, and to stay on the
40:24right track. It's going to save you a
40:26lot of money in the long term. Um, and
40:29it will help you grow, help your
40:31business to grow and flourish. So, I
40:33always suggest for everyone, and I'm the
40:36same, every year I'm doing more training
40:38in both these areas, uh, to just keep
40:41learning, keep developing, and keep
40:44growing.
40:45So, a little note on combating
40:48overwhelm, which we have talked about a
40:50little bit, but I know that this can be
40:51a lot. You think, "Oh my gosh, I need to
40:53do these emails. I need to do my
40:54Instagram. I need to decide on name.
40:56need to come up with the collection and
40:58there's other things probably in your
40:59head, packaging, all all that kind of
41:01stuff. So, whenever I feel the
41:03overwhelm, I just remind myself one
41:06thing at a time, one thing at a time.
41:09And what's the next thing? And that's
41:11all that I need to do. And I'm very kind
41:14of I zoom out and I look at the year and
41:16I look at roughly what I'm planning to
41:18do, but then I'm like, okay, what's
41:20today? And then maybe what's tomorrow?
41:22And that's it. because you've been
41:24thinking too far ahead, then it's very
41:26hard to be present with the thing that
41:28you're trying to achieve right now.
41:31Setting manageable goals. So, giving
41:33yourself enough time to do things. Often
41:36when people are starting out, I ask, you
41:38know, what the plan is, and they're
41:39like, "Well, I'm going to create a
41:41collection, get it photographed, create
41:42a website, build my social media, and do
41:45my email marketing and do some fairs and
41:47events." And then there's and and and um
41:51and we do want to do all those things,
41:53but I always say just stretch the
41:55timeline. Maybe that will take 2 years
41:58to do all those things. So what can we
42:01put aside for now? Okay. Well, we
42:04definitely need the jewelry because
42:05without the jewelry, we don't have a
42:06jewelry business. So maybe the first few
42:09months of the next year is focusing on
42:11building that small collection. And so
42:14giving yourself time to do these things.
42:17And there's an exercise we do in the
42:18jewelry business academy which I love
42:21which is getting a page dividing it into
42:23four quarters which are the four
42:25quarters of the year and we call it your
42:28your year in a nutshell and you put one
42:31key goal in each quarter. So what are
42:33you going to get done between January
42:35and March? What are you going to get
42:36done between April and June and so on
42:39and so forth. And it really challenges
42:41you to strip things back and say if
42:43there was only one thing you got done in
42:45that time, what would it be? Because we
42:48often overestimate what we can get done
42:50in a day or a week, but underestimate
42:52what we can do in a whole year. So it
42:54helps us spread out that time and make
42:57it much more manageable. So yeah, give
42:59yourself time. The other thing for
43:01overwhelm is connecting with others. So
43:05speaking to other jewelers, learning
43:07about their journey and them saying, "Oh
43:09my gosh, me too." You know, and you say,
43:11"Oh gosh, I've been wanting to do this
43:13website for ages, but I just haven't got
43:14it done." And they say, "Me too. I'm in
43:17the same boat. I've struggled with that
43:18as well." And that connection is so
43:21important for not giving up, I think, in
43:24the long run. Because there will be
43:26stages in your business where you do
43:27want to give up. um in any business
43:30there's going to be a time when you
43:32think why why am I doing this to myself
43:35and having other people there who say I
43:38feel the same way and getting that
43:39connection and also people saying do you
43:42know what have you tried this what about
43:43that is so important so getting that
43:46support that you need is one of the most
43:49important things you can do for yourself
43:51and for the future of your business so
43:54we would love to help you build and grow
43:56your jewelry businesses as you can
43:58probably This is something we're super
44:00passionate about. Um, so I'd love to
44:02share a bit about the Joy Business
44:03Academy program as we come towards the
44:06end of the session tonight. So, it's a
44:08one-year professional online course
44:11designed to help you start and grow a
44:13thriving jewelry business. And it's for
44:15people at all levels. So, we have people
44:17who are brand new, who've not done
44:19anything in their jewelry business
44:20before. And we have people who've been
44:22doing it for years and years, decades
44:25even. So, we follow a system of monthly
44:29themes because every year in your
44:31business, you'll need to work on the
44:33same monthly themes. And the great thing
44:36about monthly themes is you have a whole
44:38month to work on one area, make some
44:41real progress, and then move on to the
44:43next. Because another thing that a lot
44:45of us struggle with, myself included, is
44:47focus. So we pick up one thing and then
44:50we start another thing and then another
44:52thing and it can be hard to make real
44:54progress in any area. So this is a way
44:57to get focus on creating some practical
45:00action that you can take to grow your
45:03business. Now the monthly theme lessons
45:05are all professionally filmed and uh
45:08they are filmed all over the country
45:10with different jewelers with different
45:12levels of expertise in different areas.
45:15There's also lots of onscreen guided
45:17support through the projects. Um,
45:20there's Excel spreadsheets, all sorts of
45:22things that you can use and download and
45:25PDF class notes for each section as
45:27well. So, here's a quick look at the
45:29monthly themes. I won't I won't go
45:31through them all in detail, but just
45:33very briefly, we kick off in January
45:35with vision setting and planning for
45:38success. So this is all about planning
45:40ahead, looking at our goals, like I said
45:42before, making things manageable, but
45:44also moving forward and having a sort of
45:47vision for the year ahead. February, we
45:50look at your branding. So this is going
45:52to be your name, your colors, your logo,
45:54your typography, but also the values
45:57around your branding and what kind of
45:59message you want to communicate to your
46:00customers and how you're going to get
46:02that across. So we have a lot of fun in
46:04that month. March is all about the
46:06jewelry. So, this is your product. So,
46:08it's about what you're going to be
46:10selling. Are you doing collections? Are
46:12you doing commissions? Are you doing
46:14one-of-a-kind pieces? How will that
46:17work? And what is your plan going
46:19forwards? April is all about photography
46:22and videography. Like I mentioned, it's
46:24so important to be taking photos,
46:26creating content from the start. So,
46:28we're going to be learning about
46:30lighting, about how to create great
46:32videos and photographs, and also how to
46:34take beautiful images of your jewelry,
46:37which is quite quite a challenging
46:40thing. Uh, it's not the same as taking
46:42photos of a landscape. It's a tiny shiny
46:45thing that we need to make look
46:46beautiful. So, it's a bit of a journey
46:48to learn how to do that and also to
46:50learn how to work with photographers,
46:52models, and things like that if you want
46:54to do professional shoots. May is all
46:57about marketing for your jewelry
46:58business and with a special focus on
47:00Instagram because that is where many
47:02people are putting the bulk of their
47:04effort and energy in terms of their
47:07marketing and seeing results. June is
47:09all about creating websites that sell.
47:11So whilst I mentioned you don't need a
47:13website to start with, you do need one
47:16eventually. So um how can we create one
47:19and how can we create one that is going
47:21to really help the selling process. July
47:24is about pricing your jewelry for profit
47:27which we mentioned is so important from
47:28the start and also your money mindset
47:31because it's one thing to know how to
47:33price your jewelry but it's a very
47:35different thing to manage the whole
47:38pricing and selling and telling people
47:40how much things cost and dealing with
47:42the potential challenging customers who
47:46say it's too much or these kind of
47:47things and it's your precious baby that
47:49you put everything into. So, we really
47:51work together on how to be robust and
47:55how to be authentic to ourselves in our
47:57money mindset as well. August is the
48:00business matters month, which is kind of
48:02where we just cover lots of business
48:04related things that don't quite fit into
48:06any other month. So, it's things like
48:09how to set up as a business, um managing
48:12taxes, all these kind of things,
48:14logistics, insurance. Um there's lots of
48:18guides and PDFs and downloads. This is
48:20the kind of month you can dip in and out
48:22of when you need it. So you might not
48:24need all of it. Stuff to do with
48:26copyright, all that kind of stuff. Um,
48:28so understanding the kind of legalities
48:30and logistics around building the
48:33business. September is all about email
48:35marketing because like I mentioned that
48:37is one of the key sales tools that
48:39you're going to be using to build your
48:41jewelry business. So, we go into detail
48:43there and we look at how to build out uh
48:45an email marketing plan for the year,
48:48how to build up different layers of
48:50email marketing and how to grow your
48:52list as well. October is all about
48:54launching in your jewelry business. So,
48:56how to sell your products, how to do a
48:59campaign, how to put something out
49:01there, and we talk about um revenue
49:04generating activities, which are
49:06activities that you do with the sole
49:09goal of bringing money into the
49:11business. So instead of just sort of
49:12making your work, putting it out there
49:14and hoping that someone buys from you,
49:16you can be more proactive in doing
49:19campaigns and we call them launches,
49:22kind of structured marketing campaigns
49:24around a certain time in your business.
49:27Then November is all about selling your
49:29jewelry because uh that time of year is
49:32the Christmas sales season. So it's a
49:33it's a busy time for jewelers to be
49:36making, selling jewelry. And December is
49:38about understanding and attracting your
49:41ideal customers. And there's loads that
49:43goes into that as well. So that's a
49:45brief overview of what we cover
49:47throughout the year. And what's really
49:49interesting is jewelers come back and do
49:50it year on year. And each year they just
49:52it's like peeling another layer of the
49:54onion. It's like there's more to do,
49:57there's more to learn. Um so as well as
50:00the monthly content, which is all the
50:03training and all the videos, there are
50:0510 monthly group calls. So this is where
50:07you come together as a group in small
50:10groups that you get to know each other
50:12and this is really where you can build
50:15community connection with other
50:17jewelers. It's your place to do your
50:19networking and it's kind of bringing
50:21your learning into action. So whilst
50:23you've looked at things and you've done
50:24some training, you're now ready to
50:26connect with others. Um we have lots of
50:29groups from people from all over the
50:31world in different time zones. So, we
50:33will ask you before you start, when's a
50:36good time for you and match you with a
50:38group that works the best. Also, one of
50:40the most valuable things that uh is
50:43offered in the jewelry business academy
50:45is a onetoone with a jeweler on a topic
50:47of your choice. So, this is done a
50:50little bit further into the year, but if
50:52there's something you're struggling with
50:53or something you specifically want help
50:55with, you can let us know and we'll
50:58match you with a jeweler who will be
50:59able to help you. So, for example, if
51:01you were to say, I want to build a
51:03website and I need help with that, or I
51:05want to wholesale and I want to speak to
51:07someone about that. We'll match you with
51:09someone who has done that or who's
51:11working in that part of the industry and
51:13they'll be able to guide and support you
51:15through that, too. So, there's lots
51:18there's also a dedicated Facebook group,
51:20which is where you can access the whole
51:22of the Jewelry Business Academy
51:24community. So this is where you can
51:26share what's going on, your successes,
51:28the challenges that you've got going on.
51:30So this is a really lovely space and
51:32actually the jewelry business academy is
51:35such lovely people. Everyone is so
51:38encouraging and supportive of each other
51:39because everyone's on the same journey
51:41of building their businesses, wanting to
51:43grow, and it's great to see other
51:46jewelers doing well as well. It really
51:47builds that momentum of like, oh, they
51:50can do it, I can do it. We also have
51:52quarterly business check-ins for the
51:54whole community. So, we work in
51:56quarters. So, we break the year down
51:58obviously into months in the in terms of
52:00the topics, but we also work in quarters
52:03in terms of reaching goals so that
52:05you're just looking at a 90-day period
52:07at a time instead of looking at the
52:09whole year, which can be a little
52:10overwhelming. So, in these sessions, I
52:12walk you through a list of questions and
52:15ask you to think about, you know, what
52:17what successes would we have from last
52:19the last 90 days? what things went well,
52:22what did we learn, and what are we what
52:25are we aiming for in the next 90 days?
52:27So, all of this stuff really helps you
52:29to stay accountable and to stay
52:31practical and interactive with the
52:33training, but also to apply it to your
52:35business because there's no point just
52:37doing loads of training, but not growing
52:39the business. We want to grow the
52:41business alongside it.
52:44This year, we have start and growth
52:46tracks. So, for some sessions, you'll be
52:49put into your track. So, if you're
52:51starting a jewelry business, there'll be
52:53specific training and guidance on
52:55getting started. Like today's session is
52:57all about starting. But if you're
52:59growing or those of you that are further
53:01along the journey, there'll be different
53:03sessions that are all about, okay,
53:05you've got all that done, so what's
53:07next? Um, so this will be a way to
53:10connect with other jewelers who are at a
53:12similar stage in the journey to you.
53:15Throughout the course, you'll be working
53:16on creating a document which is called
53:18the jewelry business growth plan. So,
53:21this is going to be like your manual for
53:23running your jewelry business, which
53:24you're going to leave with at the end of
53:26the year. So, each month there'll be
53:28some tasks that are set to build your
53:30jewelry business growth plan. Uh we'll
53:32guide you through all of it. It's quite
53:34straightforward. It's not too difficult,
53:36but you'll start to build up this
53:37document. So, at the end, you'll have a
53:39complete jewelry business growth plan,
53:41which will help guide and support you as
53:43you go forward after the course. And
53:46it's amazing how when you get stuff down
53:48on paper, even though we think we kind
53:50of know what we're doing, we really
53:52start to see gaps in the knowledge or
53:54areas that we want to work on. So, it's
53:57can provide some great insight as you're
53:59building your business. This year as
54:01well is the first year that we have CPD
54:04certification.
54:05So the jewelry business academy program
54:08has been externally accredited with CPD
54:11which means on successful completion of
54:13the year and assessment of your growth
54:16plan you will be awarded the certificate
54:19of an accredited jewelry business
54:21specialist which is so exciting. Um, but
54:24I think what this really helps with, I
54:26mean, first of all, you'll be learning
54:27so much and your business will be
54:29growing, which will be brilliant, but
54:31also there's sometimes when you think or
54:33I think like what what am I doing? Do I
54:35even know what I'm doing? We all have
54:37those days. So, to be able to have an
54:40accredited award that says actually I'm
54:42an accredited jewelry business
54:44specialist is great for that imposter
54:46syndrome because you can say to
54:47yourself, I actually do know what I'm
54:50doing. I have trained in this and I have
54:52got this which I think is great for you
54:55know moving forward in terms of how the
54:58accreditation works. Um to achieve it
55:01you'll need to access the course monthly
55:04uh join the mentoring groups and attend
55:06at least eight of the 10 live sessions.
55:08Book and attend your one-to-one
55:10mentoring session and submit a completed
55:13jewelry business growth plan. So all of
55:15this is very achievable in the year.
55:18Then a little word on some of the
55:20program tutors. So I am the lead tutor
55:22in the program and I've already told you
55:25quite a bit about myself. Uh but some of
55:27the other tutors we have the incredible
55:29Karen Young who is an amazing jewelry
55:31photographer. She also has a specialist
55:34in branding and marketing. She ran a
55:36successful jewelry business for for a
55:38long time before moving on to becoming a
55:41jewelry photographer which she does
55:42fulltime now. She does most of our
55:45jewelry photography. Then of course Anna
55:47Campbell who's with us tonight. Shout
55:49out to Anna. Um Anna is incredible at
55:52many areas of building and growing a
55:54business including email marketing. So
55:56she leads on that section of the course
55:59but also psychology and mindset which
56:01comes into a lot of the business areas.
56:03Um and general kind of business
56:05strategy. Then we have the wonderful
56:08Kelly Twig who if you have been on
56:10Instagram and you're interested in
56:11jewelry, you've probably met Kelly Twig.
56:14She is uh she's incredible at growing uh
56:17a jeweler's accounts on Instagram and
56:19she'll be sharing and encourage people
56:21around that. Um there's the lovely Ellen
56:24Han who is a successful jeweler who does
56:27wholesaling through shops and galleries
56:29as well as selling online and she's a
56:32great model of a successful jewelry
56:34business and she's going to be sharing
56:36about wholesale some elements on design
56:39and also sharing about events. And then
56:41there's the wonderful Emma Renee who has
56:44her own thriving jewelry business and
56:46she is a specialist as well in branding
56:49and visual identity. I mean I could
56:51share about the jewelers on this program
56:53for a long time but what I would say
56:56about all of them is they run successful
56:58businesses. They're very passionate and
57:01they just love supporting new people
57:03into the industry. So you couldn't learn
57:06from a better bunch. We also have a
57:08great group of mentors who uh do the
57:11one-to- ons and the group session. So
57:13the wonderful Ian Sainsbury who has a
57:16fine jewelry business exhibiting and
57:18selling his work mostly through the UK.
57:21We have the wonderful Moroz who is a
57:24teacher at Jews Academy Brighton. She's
57:26a professional enamelist and she sells
57:28her enamel work which is some of the
57:31best enameling I've ever seen. She's
57:33absolutely incredible enamel artist. We
57:36have the wonderful Tori Foster who has
57:38her own shop and gallery and also does
57:41workshops. Um Laura Jane who has her own
57:44successful jewelry business and teaches
57:46on some of our programs as well.
57:49Mentioned Karen and Emma, the wonderful
57:51Jess Croft who also has a thriving
57:53jewelry business and Sally How and yeah,
57:57just an incredible team of people to be
57:59able to connect with and learn from. So,
58:02in terms of the fees for the course, the
58:04course is valued at £3,600
58:07for the year, but we always want it to
58:09be as accessible as possible. So, we
58:11have kept it below the £1,000 mark. So,
58:15it is just 987 for the whole year. And
58:19if you join with a payment plan, it's
58:21just £99 a month. And I always say to
58:24people, you should be selling at least
58:26£99 a month worth of jewelry to pay for
58:29this course. So this should not be a
58:31cost. This should be an investment that
58:33and your challenge is to sell £99 a
58:36month of your jewelry additional on top
58:39of what you would have sold, which is
58:41totally achievable in order to pay this
58:43back. And I actually love doing that
58:45with courses myself. If I sign up to a
58:48course, I usually, depending on the
58:50course, if it's creative, maybe not, but
58:51if it's a business course, I set myself
58:54the challenge of making that money back
58:56before the course ends. And I think it's
58:58a great way to build the business and uh
59:01it's totally achievable. So you can join
59:04for as little as £99 a month today and
59:07we get started in at the beginning of
59:09January. So I don't even know how far
59:11away that is, but I know that it is
59:13really not far. So you guys can click on
59:16the link that Anna has shared in the
59:17chat if you would like to enroll. We
59:19would love to have you join us and we're
59:21excited for another fun year ahead. Um,
59:25finally, I just want to share a little
59:26bit about some of our previous students.
59:28We have hundreds, so can't share about
59:31them all, but here are two lovely ones
59:34that I wanted to share about today. So,
59:36this is Kim Kim Styles. You may
59:38recognize her if you've watched All That
59:40Glitters because she was on the TV show
59:43a little while ago, but she is so
59:45lovely. Um, she's an award-winning
59:48jewelry designer, so she's got a lot of
59:50skills. So, some people come to us and
59:52they have a lot of jewelry skills and
59:53other people come to us and they're new
59:55with jewelry skills. And either way,
59:57we're working on building a business
59:59together, and it's the same business
1:00:01skills we're going to be working on. So,
1:00:03Kim was someone who came with a lot of
1:00:04technical knowledge in jewelry making.
1:00:06Uh, she makes beautiful botanical
1:00:08designs that are all handforged from
1:00:10gold and silver, and her business is
1:00:13really thriving. Um, what we helped Kim
1:00:16with was getting out there, showing
1:00:18herself, marketing, being consistent on
1:00:21social media, these kind of areas that
1:00:24can be really tricky to get started
1:00:25with, and she is awesome at them now.
1:00:28Um, so what she said about the course
1:00:30was, "I was floundering along on my own
1:00:32until I signed up for this business
1:00:34course. It's helped me to work
1:00:35systematically on my whole business and
1:00:38optimize every area. The support and
1:00:40accountability has been crucial. I have
1:00:43overhauled my website and have a greater
1:00:45understanding of all business areas,
1:00:47especially marketing and planning. So,
1:00:50yeah, you can see one of her lovely
1:00:51dragonfly pieces down there. So cool.
1:00:54And she's done so well and she continues
1:00:56to grow and thrive. Then we have the
1:00:59wonderful Liz. So Liz came to us when
1:01:01she was just learning jewelry making and
1:01:03she's done diploma programs with us to
1:01:05train as a jeweler and then also done
1:01:07the jewelry business academy. So she
1:01:09runs her own jewelry business. Liz Liz
1:01:12Lloyd Jewelry and she was an artist so
1:01:15she had an artistic background selling
1:01:17oil paintings and galleries and then
1:01:19jewelry making kind of came as a natural
1:01:21progression of that for her and um yeah
1:01:25since joining the jewelry business
1:01:26academy she's launched her own jewelry
1:01:28collection she has a brand new shiny
1:01:30website and she's done professional
1:01:32photography with a model um so you can
1:01:35see some of her pieces there and she
1:01:37wrote a long quote so I'm going to try
1:01:39and say it as quick as I can uh but she
1:01:42said I've done two years of the business
1:01:44academy and each time I focus on a
1:01:46different area for my jewelry business.
1:01:49The course is designed for you to choose
1:01:51the areas you want to work on so you can
1:01:53really concentrate on the topics that
1:01:55suit your business and there are no
1:01:57feelings of overwhelm. You can revisit
1:01:59the modules whenever you want which
1:02:01means you can build your business skills
1:02:03year on year. Everything is easy to
1:02:05understand and thorough and the support
1:02:07from Jess and the team is amazing. The
1:02:10master classes and group sessions create
1:02:12a sense of community and if you ever
1:02:14feel that you're doing this on your own.
1:02:17Oh, and you never feel you're doing this
1:02:19on your own. The course has been
1:02:21fundamental in building my business and
1:02:23I would recommend it to everyone. Well,
1:02:25she's just very lovely and sweet, isn't
1:02:27she? But it's good to see how people are
1:02:29using it in action. So, just to
1:02:31summarize, I would say that if you're
1:02:33serious about starting or growing a
1:02:35jewelry business, this program really
1:02:37was designed just for that. And there
1:02:39really aren't many programs, well I
1:02:41don't think there's any other program
1:02:42that is like this. Um, and we we believe
1:02:45in you. We support you. We want you to
1:02:47grow and develop. And we're here to be
1:02:49part of that journey if you would like
1:02:51to. And uh there's my dog Aro. And yeah,
1:02:56I just can't wait for everyone joining.
1:02:58Uh I'm so excited that we're going to
1:03:00kick off in January because it's quite a
1:03:02dull month otherwise. But the business
1:03:05academy really kind of brings things to
1:03:07life and it's a great time to start
1:03:10building your business ready for next
1:03:12year's Christmas sales season. We've got
1:03:14a whole year to work together and build
1:03:16the jewelry business of your dreams. So,
1:03:19thank you guys so much for listening.
1:03:20Thank you for being here. I wish you the
1:03:22best of luck with your business whether
1:03:24you are joining us for a program next
1:03:26year or not. Uh we have a wonderful
1:03:28community which you're always welcome to
1:03:30be part of the big Facebook group and we
1:03:33just love seeing jewelers grow and
1:03:35thrive. So yeah, thank you for being
1:03:37part of the community. Um so I'm just
1:03:40going to take a look at the questions. I
1:03:42think Anna has shared some and answered
1:03:45those now as well. Um okay, great. So
1:03:49Michelle said, "I make I make sales at
1:03:52fairs but struggle online."
1:03:54Um okay. Yes. Well, it's great that you
1:03:59make sales at Bears is what I would say
1:04:01first of all because that means you're
1:04:03already getting feedback. You're getting
1:04:05customers. You know that people love
1:04:07your jewelry. So, it's a brilliant place
1:04:10to kind of warm up your business and get
1:04:12an idea of your sales. But I think
1:04:14online is a bit of a different machine
1:04:17if you like. So, I like to say with
1:04:20online you need a place for people to
1:04:22hang out. So, for me that's Instagram.
1:04:24That's a a social media platform,
1:04:26somewhere where people can just come say
1:04:28hi. There's no commitment. They can kind
1:04:31of look at look at what's going on in
1:04:33your business. They can lurk if they
1:04:35want to. They don't even have to engage.
1:04:38Um or they can leave you a comment, like
1:04:40some pieces, explore um that kind of
1:04:42thing. So, I'd say definitely start
1:04:44focusing on building a social presence
1:04:47as we go into next year. Then the next
1:04:49thing which I mentioned is the email
1:04:51marketing. So we move people from kind
1:04:53of social into emails. Email is a bit
1:04:56more of an intimate connection. It's
1:04:58more onetoone. Uh people are more likely
1:05:01to buy from an email than they are from
1:05:03scrolling on socials. So um in that
1:05:06space you can build a bit of a deeper
1:05:08connection with them and then eventually
1:05:11building your online website or platform
1:05:13where people can buy and sell from you.
1:05:16So the end part is having the website,
1:05:19but most people start with that and then
1:05:21and then they're sort of struggling with
1:05:23the marketing. So if you're not selling
1:05:25online, it's probably to do with
1:05:27connection and marketing. So we need to
1:05:30do more online marketing and build more
1:05:32connection there, which usually would
1:05:34come from Instagram. So sharing
1:05:36pictures, sharing videos, sharing
1:05:38stories, all the things we've talked
1:05:40about today. And of course, that's
1:05:41something we can help you with as well
1:05:43in the business academy. You can go into
1:05:44a lot more detail in all those areas,
1:05:47but essentially I would say it is great
1:05:49to know that you're already selling. So,
1:05:51you've proved the concept and it's
1:05:53probably just about building your online
1:05:55presence and connecting with people
1:05:57there. So, thank you for the question,
1:05:59Michelle. Um, someone else says, "I'm on
1:06:03the silver diploma currently. Would you
1:06:05recommend waiting until after the course
1:06:07is finished in order to fully focus on
1:06:09the business course?" Um, yes, good
1:06:12question. [laughter] So for most people,
1:06:15it depends on your circumstances, but
1:06:17for most people, if you've got lots
1:06:20going on and you're also doing a
1:06:21diploma, I would probably focus on the
1:06:23diploma, finish that, give it your all,
1:06:26and then come back next year and join us
1:06:28for the Joy Business Academy when you're
1:06:30ready to. Having said that, if you know
1:06:33that you've got the time and you've got
1:06:34the space and you're raring to go, you
1:06:37can absolutely do them alongside each
1:06:39other. So it really depends on your
1:06:41personal circumstances. So the silver
1:06:43diploma is 7 hours a week minimum. Uh
1:06:46I'd say the jewelry business academy is
1:06:49between like two and four hours a week.
1:06:51So that together is probably you're
1:06:54looking at almost two days a week. So if
1:06:56you're working five days a week, it's
1:06:58going to be too much to do both of them.
1:06:59You probably won't get enough out of
1:07:01each of you won't get the best out of
1:07:03each of them. Um, but if you're not
1:07:06working, um, or perhaps you're working
1:07:08very part-time or you you're going
1:07:10through a change in your lifestyle and
1:07:11you've got space and this is your year
1:07:13to go for it, then you can absolutely do
1:07:16both. Um, so it really depends on your
1:07:18circumstance. And if you need any
1:07:21support, you know, in kind of working
1:07:23that out, you can always get in touch
1:07:24and we can have a chat with you about
1:07:26your personal situation. Someone says,
1:07:28"Does the course only start in January
1:07:30or do you have later courses?" So, yes,
1:07:33this course only starts in January. So,
1:07:35we work together for the whole year. Um,
1:07:37but like I said, it's a couple of hours
1:07:39a week and it's very flexible. So, if
1:07:42you're thinking, gosh, I've got a busy
1:07:43January. I'm not ready to go. Don't
1:07:46worry. You can still join us. You can do
1:07:48some of it in January, you can pick up
1:07:50more in February, and you can kind of
1:07:52build in more time as the year goes on.
1:07:54But we like to have a whole year
1:07:56together because we know that it takes
1:07:59time to build these businesses and it's
1:08:01much better to invest that time. We used
1:08:03to do a short course which was eight
1:08:05weeks which was great but at the end of
1:08:08that people said we need more time, we
1:08:11need more support. We need to keep
1:08:12going. Um which is why we developed it
1:08:15into a year-long program. So it starts
1:08:17each year in January and runs till
1:08:19December.
1:08:21Someone says, "If I already have a brand
1:08:23or website, will I start from the start
1:08:26or will I work on what I have?" So, yes,
1:08:29you will work on what you have. So, like
1:08:30I said before, there's people at all
1:08:32different levels. So, some people in the
1:08:34business academy have a brand, they have
1:08:36a website, they're selling their
1:08:38jewelry, and they're really looking to
1:08:40grow. So, the session tonight has been
1:08:42about starting, which is what I focused
1:08:44on today. We did have a session a couple
1:08:46of months ago all about growth. Um but
1:08:49there's we kind of cover different
1:08:51tracks. So we need different things at
1:08:53different times in our business. There
1:08:55will be some crossover but absolutely
1:08:57whatever you have we will build on there
1:09:00and develop it. So the months are
1:09:03there's lots of videos in each month.
1:09:04You won't be able to do all of it in one
1:09:07year. Um you you'll just watch the bits
1:09:10that are relevant to where you're at.
1:09:12And if you're at a growth stage, you'll
1:09:13watch more of the growth videos than the
1:09:15starting videos. So you can they're well
1:09:18labeled so you can um select kind of the
1:09:21track that is going to be best for you.
1:09:24Um someone said should I get some paid
1:09:26ads on Instagram or should I wait? I'm
1:09:29still beginning so if I wait until when?
1:09:32Okay so my thoughts on paid ads is I'm
1:09:35not a huge fan of them. Um I think they
1:09:38can work for certain things. They can
1:09:40work for big brands um who already
1:09:43already have brand recognition and they
1:09:46can also work for things where you've
1:09:49already been on the website and it's
1:09:50like a reminder um or oneoff purchases
1:09:54uh where you're selling something that's
1:09:56really unique and different. But for
1:09:59jewelry and particularly handmade
1:10:00jewelry, I have not seen good results
1:10:03with paid adverts. So this is why we
1:10:05focus on the things that really work for
1:10:07jewelers. So building a natural or
1:10:10organic um community is where I put your
1:10:14effort, your time and energy. And if you
1:10:16wanted to spend money on it, I would
1:10:18spend money on photography, on creating
1:10:20content, on the branding, not on
1:10:23adverts. Um, so it's not to say that
1:10:26adverts have never worked for anyone,
1:10:29but uh, most of the time they're not
1:10:31very successful for handmade jewelers
1:10:33because it comes back to that trust
1:10:35thing and building a relationship. So
1:10:39most people who buy from you won't just
1:10:40see you and then buy from you. They will
1:10:43see you, they will follow you, they'll
1:10:45follow you for a while, they see some of
1:10:47your emails, they'll come to some of
1:10:48your events, and then they will start
1:10:50buying, and then they will continue
1:10:52buying. That's kind of a typical journey
1:10:54of someone who buys handmade work. So,
1:10:57it's such a different audience to the
1:10:59Facebook ads, Instagram ads, which is
1:11:01like, "Look at this amazing new thing.
1:11:03Buy it now." Um, we're going for a bit
1:11:06more of a, "Oh, hey, like, how's it
1:11:08going? Nice to meet you. I make this
1:11:10jewelry." And then they're like, "Oh,
1:11:11awesome." And then the next time we're
1:11:13going for a slower burn. So, um, the
1:11:16great news is we don't need to worry too
1:11:18much about ads because they're not super
1:11:20effective for jewelers.
1:11:22Thank you for the question though. It's
1:11:24a good one and I did spend a long time
1:11:26figuring that out. So, someone says,
1:11:28"Hi, I'm from New Zealand. I'm
1:11:30struggling to work out how to position
1:11:31myself in a small marketplace and how to
1:11:34find my place in a market between
1:11:36especially art jewelry and one end of
1:11:39the spe at one end of the spectrum and
1:11:41handmade fine jewelry at the other.
1:11:43There's a lot of art jewelry in the
1:11:44galleries, but it doesn't sell that
1:11:46well. However, higher cost handmade fine
1:11:49jewelry doesn't sell that well through
1:11:51galleries either. Any ideas? Yeah, it's
1:11:54an interesting question. I think that
1:11:56art jewelry is very specific. So, with
1:12:00art jewelry, you're often selling to
1:12:01collectors. It's a very different
1:12:04market. Um, and there's a sort Yeah,
1:12:07you're building relationships with
1:12:09galleries. it doesn't sell that well,
1:12:11but hopefully you build up people who
1:12:13recognize you and who want to develop
1:12:17those connections. And again, you're
1:12:18looking for people who are going to buy
1:12:20time and time again. With art jewelry,
1:12:22there's usually a theme. So, you might
1:12:25have collectors who buy around a certain
1:12:27theme. So, it really is about developing
1:12:31relationships with the kind of people
1:12:33that are going to buy art jewelry. It's
1:12:35a bit like selling fine art. Um, it's
1:12:38very different to selling kind of
1:12:40commercial handmade jewelry, fine
1:12:42jewelry. I would say it's a different
1:12:44it's a different audience. With the fine
1:12:47jewelry, it definitely can sell well,
1:12:50but I would say I would recommend
1:12:52selling fine jewelry directly to the
1:12:54customer because when you go through
1:12:56galleries, there is a big commission and
1:12:59fine jewelry is already expensive. So
1:13:02you are able to offer a much better
1:13:04service um a much better uh profit for
1:13:08your business if you can develop
1:13:10relationships with people. And this is
1:13:11where we come back to the time. It
1:13:13really takes time to build a fine
1:13:15jewelry business because you'll probably
1:13:17need to find between 50 and 100 people
1:13:20who want to spend thousands of pounds on
1:13:23jewelry, which is definitely achievable.
1:13:25You know, there's there's hundreds of
1:13:27thousands of people in the world like
1:13:28that. But it does take time for you to
1:13:30build those connections. So I would say
1:13:33focus on one area that you're interested
1:13:36in in growing. Whether it's fine
1:13:38jewelry, which I would do direct with
1:13:40the customer, more than through
1:13:41galleries, um, or art jewelry, which is
1:13:43going to be through galleries, but it's
1:13:45about finding a niche within the art
1:13:48jewelry sector, where someone says,
1:13:50"Okay, I want art jewelry in this
1:13:53particular style that is around um, I
1:13:56don't know, historic memorabilia, for
1:13:59example." And there's going to be a
1:14:01group of people who only buy that type
1:14:02of jewelry, but when they see it, they
1:14:04buy all of it. Um, so it's a very
1:14:07different kind of market. Um, but it's
1:14:10an interesting question and one we could
1:14:12explore a little more. But yeah, I'd say
1:14:14with the fine jewelry, it's about
1:14:15building relationships with individual
1:14:18clients who want to spend uh, money on
1:14:20jewelry in that way. So hopefully that
1:14:23answers your question or gives you some
1:14:25ideas.
1:14:26Brilliant. I think they are all the
1:14:28questions. So thank you guys so much for
1:14:31coming and joining me tonight. Um, I
1:14:33hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I
1:14:35hope you have a bit of time off and get
1:14:37to relax. Um, and then I'm excited to
1:14:41hopefully see some of you guys in the
1:14:43new year to make and sell some lovely
1:14:45jewelry. But like I said, whatever
1:14:47you're doing, just keep going. Keep
1:14:50doing it because there is space for you
1:14:52and people need to see your jewelry and
1:14:54it will make them a bit happier. So, uh,
1:14:57we're doing a good thing. All right.
1:14:59Well, take care everyone. Lovely to see
1:15:00you. Have a good night. Bye.

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