Structure Didn’t Limit This Jewelry Designer’s Creativity – It Allowed Her Business to Thrive

Creative jewelry designers often struggle with structure – but sometimes that’s exactly what you need for your business to thrive.m algorithm is working against you?

It’s been seven years since Joel Ingwaldson left the corporate world to pursue her jewelry business, Darshan Sacred Jewelry, full-time.

It all started with a health scare that kept her away from work for months. During her recovery, she started making jewelry as an outlet for her creative energy. Inspired by her spirituality and love for yoga, she designed intentional pieces with sacred healing properties.

It wasn’t supposed to be anything serious at first, but her followers on social media were buying her work faster than she could make it. When she finally sat down to add up all her sales, she looked at the numbers and said, “Wow, okay. I can really do this!”

Joel describes the first few years of her jewelry business as “the wild west.”

Working in the corporate world for over 20 years, Joel had built up extensive sales experience across many different industries and used that expertise to hustle between trade shows, retail pop-ups, and art fairs.

“I knew I could sell anything,” she says – and it was true! Her high-energy efforts were working, and she paved the way for a profitable jewelry business. But after three intensive years of the in-person sales grind, Joel was starting to burn out, fast.

Without any kind of structure in place, Joel never had the time to establish a strong online revenue stream. All of her time was dedicated to in-person events, and the demand of doing everything by herself was starting to take its toll.

Just as she was realizing something had to change – things took a turn for the worst.

When COVID-19 hit, all those live events and retail opportunities abruptly vanished, and Joel’s sales came to a screeching halt.

Joel felt completely lost. She found herself thinking, “I know who I am, this isn’t me.”

For all her ambition, confidence, and past success, she had no idea what to do next. It was an incredibly challenging time. On top of everything else that was going on in the world, she worried that her jewelry business was doomed.

Not only did this hurt her income, but it also had a drastic impact on her self-esteem. While this was difficult to deal with, she recognizes now how this humbling moment was the lesson she needed to learn in business.

She couldn’t stop thinking about how to save her business. Every day, she was looking for a sign to guide her next decision. That sign came in the unlikely form of a Flourish & Thrive Academy ad.

One day, Joel happened to scroll past an ad for Laying the Foundation – an online coaching program for jewelry designers. Just like that, everything clicked for her.

“You spoke my language,” Joel shared with me, “it resonated with me.”

Even though Laying the Foundation appeared to be the answer Joel was looking for, she still had her doubts. She’d been able to figure everything out on her own so far, would an online coaching program really be necessary?

Her vision of her business, which had once been crystal clear, now felt cloudy and uncertain. She knew in her heart that it was time to seek out help.

With that realization clear in her head, Joel took a risk and booked a free Strategy Audit with us.

One of our expert coaches sat down with Joel to learn about her struggles in business and help her come up with a plan. Based on Joel’s situation, our coach recommended she enroll in Laying the Foundation.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION GAVE JOEL THE ANSWERS SHE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW SHE WAS LOOKING FOR…

• The first thing to tackle was her website. She had one, but she hardly ever used it. Luckily, we have an entire module on how to build a killer website for your jewelry brand. It had everything Joel needed to design her website for conversions and start driving her audience to purchase from her online.

• A huge gap in her business was structure. With the in-depth guidance from our professional course, Joel gained clarity on how to implement the structure her business needed to thrive.

• Finally, with a beautiful website and solid systems in her business, Joel turned her focus toward her Dream Client. She dialed in her marketing and built an online audience, allowing her business to keep growing, even without live events.

THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES…

• Even as a fiercely independent individual, Joel describes the Flourish & Thrive community as “priceless.” The impact of having a supportive, knowledgeable community of fellow jewelry designers at her back really boosted Joel’s spirit and helped her rediscover her passion for her business.

• After just one year, Joel’s jewelry sales increased 380%.

• Before joining Laying the Foundation, Joel was constantly overwhelmed. Now, her business runs like a well-oiled machine.

• Most importantly, Joel has a plan. She sets yearly, quarterly, and monthly goals for her business. She’s focused on setting new sales records, and can’t wait to see how much her business will keep growing.

It wasn’t an easy journey, by any means, but Joel is an incredible student. She dedicated herself 110% to the program, constantly revisiting her work, reaching out to coaches, and implementing new strategies to help her succeed.

When I asked Joel what she would say to a fellow jewelry designer considering Laying the Foundation, she exclaimed, “Don’t even think about it, just do it!”

“I love Diamond Insiders, I love the coaches, I love the community – I love all of it.” The support and structure the program provided for her has made all the difference in building the jewelry brand of her dreams.

Joel is yet another inspiring designer in our community who has seen her business take off as a result of Laying the Foundation.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or directionless in your jewelry business, like Joel was, consider following in her footsteps and booking a free Strategy Audit.

We’ll sit down with you to discuss your biggest hurdles in business and recommend the best resources for your unique situation.

Are you ready to be our next success story?