Creatives Rule the World

The Coronavirus situation has majorly disrupted people’s livelihoods all over the world, and small businesses have been hit the hardest.   It’s a scary and stressful time, but the good news is we’re all in this together - and Flourish & Thrive Academy is here to help!   There are plenty of resources available for entrepreneurs, jewelry designers, artists, and creative business owners that may...

We’re in the middle of some rocky, uncharted waters, m’dear. But that doesn’t mean we’re doomed!   It’s time to pull together as a community to support one another as we navigate this brand new territory.   I’m tuning in with my friend and co-founder Robin Kramer to answer your most pressing questions about what you can do now to protect your jewelry biz and preserve your creative energy.  

Are you freaking out a little bit? Don’t worry, the voice of reason is here!   I’m talking about Jason R. Ayers , of course.   In Part 1 we talked about what you can do to protect your mindset and creative energy .    I highly recommend listening to that first. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of your business.   Now, we’re diving into tactical strategies to protect your...

It’s a scary time to be a business owner right now. I’m sure COVID-19 wasn’t a part of your 2020 business plan, but here we are.   Things will go back to business as usual , but in the meantime you have a choice...    You can freak out, make a bunch of fear-based decisions, and possibly tank your business, or you can be mindful, devise a strategy, and look at this as an opportunity for growth .  ...

Do you ever stalk other jewelry designers on Instagram?   Yeah… I confess!   It was no wonder that after stalking this designer’s IG that I wanted to interview her. She’s a private jeweler and designer of all things sparkly, blingy and over the top gorgeous, Stephanie Gottlieb .   Lots of people say it’s hard to sell jewelry online, especially fine jewelry. Yet, Stephanie is legit CRUSHING IT!   ...

Some people think selling fine jewelry online is impossible. Oren Katz from Carbon & Hyde is here to prove them wrong.   Oren founded the high-end fine jewelry brand with her sister Yarden. their collections have decorated several high-end boutiques and retailers, and their pieces are loved by fashionistas and celebrities alike.   In the beginning, the sisters only planned to sell direct-to-co...

Jewelry designers are a kooky lot. We know how to embrace the weird that makes us unique in a world that would often rather stifle it. My friend Re Perez is someone who knows a thing or two about embracing his weird . Re is is the CEO and founder of Branding for the People , and is about to publish his first book, Your Brand Should Be Gay (Even If You’re Not) . With expertise like that, I knew I h...

When was the last time you got something fun in the mail from a brand you like? The truth is, not a lot of companies are sending out snail mail anymore… which makes it the perfect opportunity for you to stand out! Meet Miriam Schulman, founder of Schulman Art and host of The Inspiration Place podcast . She sat down with me this week to talk about her creative snail mail strat that keeps her custom...

What kind of questions are successful, in-demand jewelry designers asking about their business? Today, we’re going to find out - and answer them! I had some of our SOS students send in their most pressing questions about running successful jewelry biz. SOS is designed to offer guidance for jewelry designers with goals of scaling to multiple 6 figures and beyond. So, these questions were asked by s...

Every time I get an influx of new students, this question comes up in one way or another: “Tracy, why do you care whether my jewelry business fails or succeeds? Why should I listen to you?” Ouch, but fair! To answer that question, let me share a little bit about my life-long journey to becoming a jeweler, mentor, and coach...

Building a business takes courage. I’ve seen designers try to do the same thing over and over again expecting things to be different because they’re afraid of what might happen if they try something new. The monotony is familiar and safe, but ultimately flatlines your business. To be a successful jewelry designer, you must find the courage to put yourself out there, try new things, and most import...

I wish I could say the jewelry market isn’t saturated, but let’s be honest… it is. But I’m not telling you this to discourage you. On the contrary, you need to know that it takes consistent strategy and effort to make your brand stand out! Truth bomb: It is possible to distinguish yourself among the crowd! With the right strategy. Let’s talk about what designers just like YOU are doing to make the...

The jewelry industry can be notoriously secretive. In a true demonstration of #CommunityOverCompetition, Metalsmith Society is trying to change that. Just as Flourish & Thrive Academy has created a supportive space for jewelers to learn about business, Corkie Bolton has established a vibrant community where jewelers can share techniques, ask questions, and exchange ideas. Corkie came on the sh...

Let’s start the new decade off with a challenge ! I love January (even though it’s a slow month for us designers) because it’s an opportunity for a fresh start. Time to refresh your mindset, fast-track your sales, and create a repeatable sales system that you can use all year long.  Are you in?

What’s your money story? When it comes to money, everyone has different stories they tell themselves, including you - though you may not even realize it. Most people start out with negative money stories that take serious work to clear. They can be inherited from family, picked up in the media, established from experience, etc. No matter where it started, fear around money always stems from some f...

Let Go of Stories that Hold You Back Sometimes you hold on to stories about the world and your place in it that hold you back from our true potential. Those stories will keep limiting you until you acknowledge them and do the work to clear them. Negative mantras that drag you down, like, “There isn’t enough money to go around.” can be reframed in the positive: “There is enough money to go around.”...

Have you ever thought about the impact your brand has on the environment and in communities around the globe? There’s a shift happening in the jewelry industry right now. People all the way down the chain, from consumers to designers to miners, are becoming aware of the environmental and social impact of jewelry. The Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference is an annual event dedicated to changing t...

1) You Feel Overly Defensive of Your Biz Someone asks a critical question about your business or offers constructive feedback, and you immediately snap into defense mode. That’s a red flag. As the creative visionary, you may be too close to your biz to see some of the big-picture problems.  I get it, you’re passionate about what you do. That passion is what fuels your success, but it can also get...

Do you ever feel like you’re trying to do everything at once? This is a problem. When you’re trying to run a business and handle everything by yourself, it quickly becomes overwhelming and you end up focusing on menial tasks that aren’t actually moving your business forward. That’s why “Delegate to Elevate” is an intrinsic part of the Desired Brand Effect methodology. In this episode, I chatted wi...

In the six months since Peggy Houchin, the designer behind Peggy Houchin Jewelry started Laying the Foundation, she’s increased her online following by 75% and doubled her sales from last year! I brought her on to talk about the changes she made in her biz that brought her such raving success. You won’t believe what she’s accomplished with a few simple tweaks! Listen to episode #227 of Thrive by D...

Authentic Connection I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - faceless brands are dying. As sales move to the online sphere, social media is shaping buying decisions more than ever. People buy from people. At the end of the day, sales is about building relationships with your customers. Gone are the days of target demographics. In an oversaturated online market, it’s all about dialing into the...

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 t...

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 y...

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 . T...