I am here to hopefully show you that by taking one small step each day, in the direction of your wildest & scariest dreams, you WILL get there.
I am a 22 year Italo-Australian jewellery designer, currently living & operating my business from Brisbane, Australia. Fresh after school, I did what most 18 years olds do & I went to university to study. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life, & nursing seemed like a 'safe & secure' option. Two years later I began a health & wellness blog called 'Yourcorelight'. I was on my path to wellness, not just of the body, but of the mind & spirit. I wanted to shed my insecurities & all that I did not accept about myself, yet I found it very hard to find inspiration resources (I found a lot of diet & weight related information, but didn't feel that was helping our generation of women) to aid with this.
My YCL readers wanted more, they wanted something tangible that the YCL message & spirit could be extended into. Prior to this I had been making jewellery for over 6 years, but always had that fearful voice in my head saying 'You can't create a business selling jewellery, who will want to by it?" Well, I felt that pressing fear & acted anyway.
YCL Jewels has now been open for just over a year and this year we were featured in British Vogue twice among other national & international magazines.
Our mission: To create jewellery, for the modern & mystic woman, that is not just adorned for aesthetic purposes, but to create jewellery that avows your inner beauty & truth, & resonates with your soul.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Many of my customers built a relationship with me prior to having the option to buy products. Building rapport with the people who love your brand is imperative.
I knew I wanted to stretch YCL Jewels beyond my blog readers, so I began selling at wellness events and markets. I really put myself out there. I then opened my first small scale online store, and I remember how I felt when my vert first sale came through; it was so uplifting and I trusted another small step in my journey.
Social media is another important marketing channel, it's free & when used correctly SO beneficial to any business. Social media is where you can connect, one-on-one, with your consumers & you can get as creative as you want. I believe is a incredible way to create brand recognition & awareness.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
I quickly realized that starting my own business meant I was wearing about 20 different hats; the designer, the photographer, the admin chick, the tax-man etc. I outsourced my first intern and she takes care of social media campaigning to keep our content fresh & active, as well as creative endeavours such as marketing videos, photo shoots etc.
I love using Shopify POS, especially now that I am about to work in my own retail space. It's a really effective way to capture the point of sale immediately. I just carry my iPad around whilst talking to my customers. I also love the Shopify app for iPhone, as it makes processing & fulfilling orders so simple. I take my online orders to the post office on our designated posting days & just fulfil each item whilst there; this is so I don't forget or get distracted when I get back to the office.
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
One small step each day will get you there. When you create an intention to move closer to your dreams, you are manifesting your dreams into your reality.
You do not have to have a large sum of money, you do not have to have years of business education, and you certainly don't have to have a large team behind you. I am completely self-educated within business and I am quite good at what I do. Simply taking action, the rest will come.
It all starts with you. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be there and be accessible. I am a living example of how letting go of my fear & diving head first can be so rewarding.