Creatives Rule the World

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 an...

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 o...

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...

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...

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 D...

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 awa...

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 th...

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?!” Oka...

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 y...

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 puzzl...

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 sam...

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...

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 br...

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 fr...

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&...

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...

Have you felt like you’re ready to scale your business for a while – but every time you think of getting started you just freeze up?? This is all too common… It can feel daunting! Where are you supposed to start? Consider this… You don’t actually need a million customers, you just need to keep your loyal customers happy. “Customer lifetime value” is fancy business lingo for how much revenue each c...

Did you know that when someone lands on your website you only have 30 seconds to make an impression? Kinda scary, right?!? After all of the love and hard work you pour into creating a beautiful page, a lot of the people who visit will be in and out in moments. So how can you get them to stick around?? And better yet… how can you get them to actually CONVERT into sales? It all comes down to the imp...

As designers, we’re aware of how much our industry is changing… A lot of jewelry sales is moving online. Wholesale isn’t the same as it used to be. It's tough these days to find buyers who will buy the product outright – not on memo. Things are moving faster than ever. And the processes for success are shifting. But a common obstacle we’re facing is the fact that the backend of our industry i...

Unboxing experiences are a big deal these days… If you want to sell your product for premium prices, you have to think about packing! When customers open their purchase, they want it to be fun – to feel good. New designers sometimes think of packing as an added expense… just another thing they have to spend money on. But actually, packing is an investment in growing your business. It's an opp...

This week is Robin’s birthday! I’m so excited to be chatting with her about the rapidly changing world of wholesale… Robin is our go-to girl in this department… She’s our wholesale and sales expert. And in the 7 years since we started Flourish & Thrive Academy, this part of our industry has been changing nonstop… But lucky for us, Robin is up on all of these changes… So whether you’re about to...

The amazing thing about designers is we’re each so unique… It's so cool how you don’t have to be a certain way to succeed in this industry. As I’ve really gotten to know my own gifts and talents, I’ve realized something… I’m pretty much TERRIBLE at 90% of the things you need to do in business. But the other 10% I’m totally brilliant at! And that’s okay… because I can get support in the areas...

When you’re running a jewelry business, sometimes you might forget why you started what you do… Running a business takes work. Persistence. Consistency. Strategy. But at the end of the day – most of us are actually artists! We get into this work to CREATE. And while it's important to get those systems down that help you thrive… there’s also nothing wrong with a craving for VARIETY! I’m so exc...

Wow! I seriously can’t believe this week was episode #200 of the Thrive by Design Podcast! I started this show because I wanted to serve the jewelry community in a bigger way. This work means the world to me… Back in the 90’s when I was starting out, there wasn’t anything like this! We didn’t have free content. Heck, I don’t even think I had an email address yet! That’s why I’m so passionate about...

Pssst! There isn’t a “holy grail” to gaining big exposure. It’s gonna take some TRIAL and ERROR. After a lot of years as an entrepreneur, I’ve learned a few things about content… What works, what doesn’t, and the best ways to get noticed. Ironically, one of my biggest lessons was that there’s no “holy grail” to getting your content seen. It’s more like a little of this, a little of that… and a LOT...