Why You Should Build Your Jewelry Business with Support From a Community

Updated: September 17, 2018

Looking for a jewelry business community that won't give you the cold shoulder?

When I started out in business, it was impossible to get advice from my peers.

Asking for encouragement and support? Forget it.

Everything was tight lipped and cutthroat, it discouraged me.

So I made a vow to myself.

When I figured this whole jewelry design business thing out, I'd for sure pay it forward to the next generation of designers trying to build a name for themselves.

My friend and co-founder of Flourish & Thrive, Robin Kramer, felt the exact same way.

Although she isn't a jewelry designer, working as a sales director for multiple brands (Dogeared, anyone?) showed her how important connection and community is when growing a business.

That's why we started this online business education resource for jewelry designers, Flourish & Thrive Academy!

We believe there's enough success available in the world where we don't have to compete with each other.

Plus, everyone is appealing to a different kind of dream client, so really – there's no reason to feel threatened by the success of others!

Since we started the business in 2012, this has been proven year after year.

So many designers are seeing success, and we truly believe it's because of the power of this community.

Why is community so important in a new business?

Comparison is the thief of joy.

When you're starting a jewelry brand, it's so easy to look at other designers and think, “I'm nowhere near their level of success”

But instead of feeling threatened or discouraged, what if you could reach out to them and ask for advice?

That's what I tried doing when I was just starting out and it didn't go so well.

I even had someone tell me point blank, “I'm not going to reveal my sources to you”

So I went through painful, expensive years of trial and error because of the competitive nature of the jewelry industry.

Now? There's a jewelry business community filled with support, accountability, and resources at your fingertips in our Diamond Insiders!

Robin and I are proud this community exists, because when you summon up the courage to ask for help, you should be surrounded by people willing to help!

How does community help a growing jewelry brand?

When you're just starting, you need different things than when you're working on growing your existing brand.

If you think I had a hard time getting advice for my baby business, just imagine the stress and struggle of getting help when I already had a name for myself?

Nearly impossible.

People felt threatened by my success, so I had to go outside my industry to find mentors and people to help me grow to that 6-figure business I knew I could have.

What I see happening now in our community of jewelry designers? They're happy to share their strategies!

We actually call these “super shares.”

Every month we poll our members and see who had success with a new strategy.

Then, we pick our favorite and that designer literally shares every single step of how they positioned their offer, pitched an influencer, etc. to grow their business!

We truly believe we don't need to compete with each other to have success, and it's working for everyone!

Plus, when someone has a “win” it's much easier to keep that momentum going when you have a place to share your success.

I know for me, my friends and family just didn't really understand how awesome it was when I landed a new account or got a new order.

But my coworkers and team members? They really celebrated with me!

That encouraged me to do the next thing and get the next “yes”

You might not have employees right now (or maybe you do) but it's a game changer to have people to celebrate with who really understand your victory.

Can a community really help a jewelry business ready to scale?

Maybe you're past the multiple 6-figure points and really ready to become that next-level, 7-figure business owner.

I've been there, m'dear.

The thing I wish I had when my first jewelry business brought in over $1 million in sales?

Someone to hold me accountable with my numbers.

I wasn't properly scaling my business, and I had no idea.

My business should have been focusing on all areas of sales: online, wholesale, and maybe even my own brick & mortar studio/store?

But I was stretched so thin, unsure of what to do next, pulled in all directions I couldn't focus on the health of my business.

Which is why we developed our Strategic Online Success (SOS) Accelerator high level coaching program.

When our Diamond Insiders reach a certain level, they're ready to grow & scale fast.

So this program is designed to keep them personally accountable to specific action steps each month.

We have expert coaches in all areas from PR, SEO, Pinterest, Copywriting, Facebook ads, Accounting & Finance, etc.

It gets better:

No matter what kind of sales avenues you have right now, this program shows you how to use your website to drive more sales.

You don't have to be an ecommerce brand to use a website to your advantage.

Websites are becoming one of the first places people look to find information about a business.

So if you want potential retail buyers, influencers, or customers to think you're a legit jewelry brand, you need to represent yourself accurately online.

This goes beyond your website into Facebook, Instagram, and all social media.

Real businesses can easily be found online.

Plus, their online presence is consistent. So when you're scaling up your business, it's essential that you have an online strategy and a community of people there to support you with it.

Here's the best part:

A jewelry business community like this means you don't have to be a “jack of all trades”!

You can focus on what you're good at, designing jewelry.

The strategic online success accelerator puts you in a community of coaches with specific skillsets within the online marketing industry.

This way, you can meet with a coach and get laser focused advice, take action, and see results fast.

I'm Curious…

What level of business are you in? Launching, growing, or scaling?

How do you think community helps with each phase of a business?