How This Jewelry Designer Went from Extreme Burnout to Increasing Her Sales 200%!

Every job has its challenges, even when you’re living your dream as an independent jewelry designer.

Allow me to introduce you to an amazing woman who rebuilt her jewelry business entirely from the ground up!

Nicole Gariepy, from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, started her jewelry business as a part-time job during high school and immediately fell in love with it.

Nicole went on to run her own retail shop for 7 years. She never would have guessed that the jewelry industry could present such an exciting, multifaceted career. 

Unfortunately, she eventually had to close the doors on her shop.

Her expertise and passion for jewelry was undeniable, but without a scalable business strategy in place, she became severely burnt out.

Burnout is all too common among creatives. When you try to turn your passion into a business, it’s vital to set yourself up for success.

But Nicole was not going to give up on jewelry altogether.

After a well-deserved break, she began working for another designer while making her own jewelry again on the side. This allowed her to recharge until she was ready to take the leap and get back into business for herself.

With nearly 20 years of industry experience under her belt, Nicole was searching for a more sustainable way to grow a jewelry business.

She knew something had to change if she was going to create a jewelry brand that could offer her financial security and support her active lifestyle.

One day, when she was feeling particularly frustrated and ready for a fresh start, a Black Friday promotion for Laying the Foundation popped up in Nicole’s email inbox while she was on break at work.

This was the sign she was looking for.

She was eager to get back into the jewelry industry, but she knew she couldn’t continue running her business the way she had before. A 12-week virtual course that teaches jewelry designers proven strategies to create consistent, reliable sales online could be just the thing to get her back on her feet.

The year after taking our 12-week Laying the Foundation course, Nicole went from paying herself a salary of $35K to $75k. And her jewelry brand has grown every year since!

So what changed?

Before taking Laying the Foundation, Nicole was working two jobs and running herself into the ground trying to make it all work.

Even after two decades in the industry, she was surprised by the amount of new knowledge she gained from the course. She’ll be the first to admit that there were some bad habits she needed to unlearn.

During her 12 weeks in the course, Nicole:

• Identified her Dream Client and realized what an important component this was for her growing business.

• Got serious about setting goals and putting strategies into place to assure that no more burnout was coming and that her business would thrive this time around.

• Took her products off of Etsy and launched her first website.

• Started leveraging her network online and offline.

• Organized her inventory and even hired extra help.

After taking Laying the Foundation, Nicole has revamped her business entirely. It gave her the fresh start she needed to build the jewelry business of her dreams.

Today, Nicole has a business that supports her financially and allows her the freedom to travel multiple times a year simply for some R&R.

Her brand, Fantasea Jewelry, has a strong online presence so she can connect with customers all over the world while also selling out of a small studio space in her local community. 

Her jewelry is in such high demand that she operates from a waitlist and can now choose the jobs she loves to do. Plus, she still has the time to create new collections and is truly working on her own terms.

If you, too, are ready to reopen the doors to a thriving online or in-person jewelry business, Laying the Foundation is our signature 12-week virtual program designed to teach you how to create desire and demand for your unforgettable jewelry brand with the right clients and exposure.

Let us help you build a business that works for you.

Who says you can’t run a company that supports your dream lifestyle while simultaneously unleashing that creativity you have stored up inside of you? You are worthy of it!