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Latest Episodes:

EP221: The Mindset of Strategic Growth with Jess Gebauer and Mary Ann Saville Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

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 passion for our mission, I just knew I had to hire her.

Now, Jess works closely with our SOS students, and she and Mary Ann hit it off from the get-go.

The two got together to talk about how Mary Ann was able to transform her businesses so quickly, with just a few simple changes.

EP220: Building Community and Die Hard Fans Around Your Brand with Chelsea Farmer Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

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 social media whiz.

I sat down with Chelsea this week to talk about how she built this community, and how she leverages it for online sales.

EP219: Top 10 Takeaways of Our SOS Live Retreat (Success Stories with Designers) Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

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!

EP 218: The Biggest Website Design and Conversion Mistakes Jewelry Designers Make and How to Fix Them Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

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 how to fix them

EP217: How One Designer Increased Her Sales by 47% After the Tragic Loss of Her Mother with Twyla Dill Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

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.

EP216: Why Selling at Shows Might be Killing Your Business Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

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 many weekends, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your strategy…

And I have just the thing to help you – let’s make a live show pros and cons list!

EP215: Exactly what to Do, Ditch, or Delegate to Scales your Sales Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

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 today.

Best of Series EP90: 10 Content Creation Ideas to Promote Your Next Jewelry Collection Launch Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

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…

Best of Series EP87: How to Build an Email List for Your Jewelry E-Commerce Business Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

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 absolute #1 tool for capturing traffic and turning those leads into sales.

If you know you’re ready to dive deep on this topic, go ahead and listen to the full episode, How to Build an Email List for Your Jewelry E-Commerce Business on the Thrive By Design Podcast to learn all 27 ways to build your list!

But for now, let’s get started with a few of my favorites and things you need to know before you start…

Best of Series EP84: The #1 Way to Get More Traffic to Your Jewelry Website Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

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.

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