Thrive By Design: Business, Marketing And Lifestyle Strategies For Your Jewelry Brand To Flourish And Thrive

I have the amazing Lisa Lehman here from Studio Jewel with me to talk about her very successful Facebook live sale! The girl made $7,000 in just two hours using Facebook live, like, are you kidding me? Seriously she’s awesome! She has been in our mastermind for a year and is all signed up for our SOS Accelerator as well. We love Lisa, and I know you will too once you hear her story! Listen now to hear all about how she did it. It’s All About the Pregame It’s super important to build up anticipation for your event! Social media is an awesome tool to create a buzz. Start posting well in advance and often! Make an event on Facebook and send out invitations. Seriously, people will love it and totally show up on the day of your live sale! Send out emails! Your email list is another great way to get people excited for a live event. Listen now to get more awesome tips from Lisa for your email list! Don’t Forget Friends and Family I hear designers say all the time they want to move past selling to their friends and f

I’m often asked: what does it really take for an emerging jewelry brand | designer | maker to successfully sell jewelry online? It requires 4 things: Strategy Resourcefulness Creativity A Can Do Attitude Here’s why: There’s a lot of strategy “conversion nuance” involved in getting customers to actually buy from your jewelry website or online channels. Because of that, you’ve gotta be creative in your approach to selling online, take action to implement your ideas, and resourceful, especially when, things don’t go your way!. Typically, designers try something once and think: ‘that doesn’t work for me!” Instead, they should be thinking: “how can I tweak my strategy to make this work for me?” So, when I hear people out there saying, “I sell jewelry online” – I’m ready to show them how it’s done… and proof that with the right strategy and actions, you can sell WAY more than your dinky holiday shows…. (I’m not dissing shows…they’re good too!

Creating online content for your product-based business doesn’t have to be a headache if you have an effective strategy. I’d like to introduce you to two incredible ladies who have been working with brands just like yours to launch innovative products and gain visibility online. Meet Minna Khounlo-Sithep, owner of Lil' Labels, LLC, and Jacqueline Snyder, owner of Designer Consulting Coop. They’re both business experts with years of experience and knowledge. Together, they formed the Product Boss Podcast for high-achieving women who own product-based businesses. One thing their demographic has in common is a struggle to create online content. When you own a product-based business, you might hope your product will speak for itself and you can sit back and watch the sales flow in. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. In this day and age, people buy from people. If there’s no face to your company, there’s nothing for your customers to connect with. So, Minna and Jacqueline came up with their 3 Pillars P

Running a business is a full-time job. There’s so much to keep track of, and it takes serious focus to stay on top of everything. Now imagine running TWO! Introducing, Mary Ann Saville… Mary Ann owns two different businesses, Vedeli Designs, and VDI Jewelry Findings. She started our Strategic Online Sales Accelerator (SOS) at the beginning of this year, and her sales are already up by 40%! She anticipates that the number will be closer to 75-80% by the end of this year. Talk about record growth! When I heard about Mary Ann, I was so inspired, I wanted to get her on the podcast pronto. I’m always going on about how great SOS is, so I think it’s about time I had someone on who can talk about the benefits firsthand. And who better to conduct the interview than F&TA Community Director and SOS Director Jessica Gebauer?! I met Jess three years ago when she applied to Flourish & Thrive Academy. At the time, she was fed-up with the archaic way most of the jewelry industry operates. I was so impressed by her

If you’re struggling with social media, read on… You can have a strong social media presence and an online community of raving fans without having millions of followers. What’s more valuable than numbers is how you engage with your following and how they engage with each other. Having 100 active followers is so much better than having 1,000 that never say anything. And you don’t need a huge team of social media managers, copywriters, and marketing experts for your online accounts to succeed. With the right strategy, you can build a flourishing community around your brand. Introducing, Chelsea Farmer. She’s the founder of Horsefeathers Gifts and one of our very own SOS coaches! I’ve worked with her for a while now, and let me tell you she is such a gem. Her bubbly and magnetic personality translates well to her social media, and she’s cultivated quite the community of die-hard supporters for her jewelry brand. With a private facebook group of over 1,000 happy customers, you could say she’s a bit of a socia

I am just beaming today, m’dear! My team and I just wrapped up our quarterly SOS Live Retreat in NYC… and it was incredible! When I was just getting started in business, it was mastermind sessions with peers that were the most groundbreaking for my professional growth. I think getting together and brainstorming is one of the most valuable things we can do as a community. After all these years, I’m so happy to be hosting a quarterly live retreat for the students in my Strategic Onlines Sales Accelerator program (SOS). I’m still riding the high from working with so many brilliant designers to help them plan out their goals and build their dream biz. So, I thought it would be fun to go over the top 10 takeaways from the event for anyone who couldn’t be there. Let’s dive right in!

Have you ever noticed that grocery store layouts are all pretty much the same? The bakery is near the front, where you’re met with the comforting aroma of fresh bread. The dairy is in the back, so you have to walk through the whole store just to buy milk. The candy is by the register, a tempting and effective upsell.  This is not by accident – in fact, there are professionals who get paid a lot of money to map your journey through the store in a way that gets you to buy more stuff. The psychology of profit has been of interest to owners of grocery stores and supermarkets since, like, forever. So why wouldn’t we apply the same principles to online stores? That’s where Erin Alexander comes in. Founder of Alexander Design Co. and our very own SOS coach, Erin specializes in website and conversion design for e-commerce businesses. When it comes to web design, this gal’s been thinking 10 steps ahead the whole time. She sat down with me to discuss the common mistakes she sees on jewelry designer’s websites – and h

I am constantly blown away by the resilience and creativity from the designers in our community. Twyla Dill is one radiant example. While living in Turkey, Twyla learned how to make Oya, a delicate lace crocheted from thread. With plenty of inspiration, but no background in jewelry, she set to work creating pieces that blended the Turkish lace technique with a modern aesthetic. Eventually, Twyla Dill Designs was born. In April of 2019, Twyla’s second year in business, her mom passed away after years of battling Multiple Sclerosis. Needless to say, it was a tragic loss for Twyla and her family. Balancing business and grief is no easy feat, but Twyla navigated it with grace and was even able to increase her sales from the year before. She sat down with me this week to share how she did it.

We both know that selling at shows can be back-breaking work, m’dear. And it doesn’t get easier as you get older… trust me. Plus, what would happen to your biz if you had to take a break and couldn’t attend shows? Would it still function and make money while you were away? When I quit my day job to focus on building a business full-time, it was a real struggle. It was impossible for me to walk away because I did not set myself up for success. I realized that I had just created a new job for myself, not a business. Here’s the difference: A job requires you to be constantly working to generate revenue A business generates revenue on an ongoing basis, even when you’re not actively working. If you’re relying on live shows for your primary source of income, I hate to be the one to tell you but… you have a job. Don’t get me wrong, shows aren’t all bad when you leverage them right. But I don’t want you to be dependent on one stream of revenue. So, if you’re feeling stuck in the trunk show grind and sacrificing too

What makes a jewelry designer successful? Is it talent? Hard work? Luck? Not even close! If being talented and working hard was all it takes to make it in the jewelry biz… most jewelry designers would be successful. In-demand designers succeed because they know what to do, ditch, and delegate to scale sales and work on their business. This is much easier said than done! You might catch yourself thinking, “No one else can do what I do.” But… that’s just not true m’dear! Like many designers, I didn’t want to let go of production when my business started taking off. My mind changed when I got a really big order from a wholesale customer that I just could not fill by myself. I hired a local jewelry arts student to come in and help with production. After that – there was no turning back. This an inevitable part of scaling a business. But as your business grows and you find yourself running short on time every day, how exactly do you figure out what to do, ditch, and delegate? That’s what I’ll be talking about toda

Are you struggling to come up with content ideas for your brand? I’m here to help… When someone buys from you, it’s your chance to build a relationship and gain a loyal customer. Content is an empowering way to do that – and it can be repurposed over and over! I know, I know… You (like many designers) are probably thinking “I don’t know what to write! I don’t know how to write! What do I do?!” Okay, take a deep breath. Making content is actually pretty simple once you get the hang of it! But I get why it’s so intimidating! When I was starting out, the thought of making content felt so daunting. I thought, “Do I really need this?” The answer is a big fat YES! And here’s why…

Ever wonder how you’re supposed to convert people who land on your website into actual paying customers? There’s so much talk about getting more website traffic, but there’s a big piece missing in this convo! Most people who land on your website aren’t just going to immediately buy from you! You actually need a strategy to capture that cold traffic and turn the right people into customers. Maybe you already know where this is headed… you might be aware that building a list is your next step. But do you actually know HOW to build -an email list for your jewelry e-commerce business? If you have a million people landing on your site each day but no one is purchasing, what’s the point?? During our “Best Of” series, we’ve been going back through the episodes from the Thrive by Design Podcast that have had the most downloads ever. In our last episode, we covered getting traffic to your site. But now the question is, what do you actually do with that traffic? Well, I’m here to tell you – an email list is your absolu

Slowly but surely, summer is winding down… In our industry, the summer season is often one of plans and strategy. With the busy holidays ahead, I’m gonna guess you’ve been thinking about how to ramp up your sales this year. Especially your online sales! Far too many designers fall into the trap of thinking that making online sales is all about traffic. But that’s just one little piece of the puzzle! See, it's NOT about just random traffic. It's about the right kind of traffic. I’m talking about getting those DREAM customers onto your site. Not just anyone who stumbles there. Getting consistent sales in the e-commerce space means having a conversion strategy that works. A way to lead the right people to visit your site, and then lead them naturally into the next step in your sales conversation. So today we’re doing a throwback as a part of our “Best Of Series,” to episode 84 of the Thrive By Design Podcast – The #1 Way to Get More Traffic to Your Jewelry Website.

For most designers, making a $100,000 salary is what it will take for you to quit your job or achieve your goals. I hear it all the time. “Tracy, I want to make $100,000 a year. What does it really take?” The truth is, it’s… complicated. Someone who is bringing $1 million in revenue still might not be able to take home $100,000 if their business isn't run like a well-oiled machine. At the same time, a smart business owner bringing in $250,000 could still take home that $100K if they do it right. People like you and I, we’re idea generators. Seeing our visions come to life is what really drives us. Finances, profitability, break-even points, margins… Those aren’t the things that come naturally to us. But it can be learned! You don’t have to sacrifice your creative passion to be a smart business owner. When you really hone your visionary and leadership skills, you will be blown away by what you can accomplish. When I started my first company, Tracy Matthews Design Inc., I was NOT approaching my business li

Wanna know what’s crazy? Business owners notoriously underutilize their email list. They’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity for growth. This week I chatted with the clever and energetic Tarzan Kay! She might be even more passionate about email marketing than I am. And that’s saying something… She started as a copywriter and soon discovered the magic of well-written emails. With only 37 people on her email list, she found stunning growth through bi-weekly email marketing. With thousands of people on her list now, Tarzan works with businesses to help them grow their company and define their brand. Plus, she has the coolest name ever… Listen to this week’s episode to catch a bit of her genius!

I am so thrilled about this week’s guest, you guys! She’s the kind of woman who talks the talk and walks the walk. Before getting into jewelry, Meri Geraldine worked as a sustainability consultant. But after having her daughter, she wanted to be able to work from home. That’s how her jewelry company, Gardens of the Sun, got started. There aren’t enough conversations about building a sustainable brand in the jewelry industry. Meri is out to change that. Part of her company vision is to know every part of the supply chain, right down to the people mining and cutting the gems. She’s traveled all around the world to source her jewelry sustainably and has become a leader in the ethical jewelry movement. Today, she sat down with me to talk about how the everyday designer can be more conscious and responsible about their sourcing.

Today’s topic is very close to my heart: recession-proofing your business. If you’ve listened to my story, you know my first business got wiped out by the Great Recession of 2008. I used to carry a lot of shame about it until a good friend of mine made me see the light. I didn’t fail my business, it got taken down by the recession. This isn’t something to feel bad about, it’s something to learn from. But there were some things I could have done to that might have saved my business. Like they say, hindsight is 20/20. I’m no economist, but things are shifting. Small boutiques are closing down, wholesale is slowing and sales are moving online. While other business owners scramble to react to these changes, you can prepare in advance and stay calm when chaos hits. In this episode, I cover six things you can do to proactively protect your biz from the worst-case scenario. Listen to episode #210 of Thrive by Design to get your all-access pass to How to Recession-Proof Your Business.

I’m beyond stoked about this week’s topic because it's something the Flourish & Thrive Academy community knows all about… FEAR. Being an entrepreneur by definition pretty much means facing your fears… Putting yourself out there Taking risks Doing things that make you nervous It's all part of this wild ride we’ve chosen as business owners. We know it can be tough, but we also know it's soooo worth it! The thing about fear is that it has multiple layers… At its core, fear is designed to protect us. To keep us safe. But because our innate desire to protect ourselves is so strong, it can end up backfiring and leading to things like procrastination, overwhelm, excuses + self-doubt. We’re all working on mastering that fine line between pushing our edges and playing it smart. And on this week’s podcast, I had the honor of talking to New York Times bestselling author, Ruth Soukup about her incredible journey of overcoming fear and using it to fuel her success. Ruth’s book, Do It Scared is a guide t

It’s birthday season here at Flourish & Thrive Academy lately! If you didn’t know, our company is turning 7 this week! And we just passed Robin’s birthday too… In honor of this huge milestone, Robin and I got together on the podcast this week to chat about what we’ve learned… Both in growing F&TA, as well as our other ventures – and to share our biggest insights with you. We’re diving into the topic of scaling… What does it take and how do you do it? The fact is certain characteristics set apart the brands that make it to multiple 6 figures and above and those that hover around the $50,000 a year mark. Firstly, if you’re the designer or the visionary in your company, you need to figure out if you are your own bottleneck. A lot of designers get stuck at this point because they never set up systems. They don’t learn to effectively delegate. So they can only grow as much as their time allows. And one person can only do so much! This means letting go of doing everything yourself and stepping up as Chief V