Welcome!
Welcome to this e-commerce business success story! In this profile, we interviewed Lexi from Alexis Jae Jewlery, a very interesting family business! Our hope is that you find this interview to be enlightening and inspiring as you seek to start and grow your very own online brand!
Interview with Alexis Jae Jewelry
Thank you for joining us for this e-commerce business success story! We’d like to start by getting an understanding of your backstory. How did you come to own your business?
My mother joined her father in the jewelry business 40 years ago. Their company consisted of manufacturing jewelry for retail stores and designers. Growing up in a very entrepreneurial family, I always wanted my own business. Over the holidays several years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) asked my mom to fabricate a pair of earrings for me. When he gave them to me, he said, “I feel very uncomfortable; I think your mom undercharged me.” He had seen similar earrings online for $1,600, and my mom charged him $140. I explained to him that’s how mark-ups work, and my idea was born! Fine jewelry basics without the markups.
Terrific! Now, this article is about profiling successful e-commerce businesses. So – can you share your top 3 keys to running a successful online brand?
- Be consistent – I set goals continuously, like adding new products weekly, press hits, etc. Most work takes weeks or months to come to fruition. It’s important to keep doing them even when you do not see results.
- Be adaptable – on that note, every action and dollar spent should be measured. I look at everything on an ROI basis. While an idea might seem amazing, if it doesn’t turn into anything, accept the loss and move on. There are so many things to spend money and time on, and you have to be very calculated about what you are dedicating your resources to.
- Only do something you’re passionate about – running a company takes constant dedication. In order to be more successful than competitors, you need to work not only smarter but harder too. This means working early mornings, late at night, on the weekends and holidays. If it’s not something you wake up excited about, you will burn out quickly.
Excellent. Now, I’m sure it hasn’t always been that easy. Can you tell a story about one challenge, setback, or mistake that you’ve had to overcome on the road to success? How can others learn from your mistakes?
I was eager to jump into everything when I was just getting started. I hired freelancers for every aspect without fully understanding what they were going to be doing. My biggest lesson is don’t hire someone unless you know how to do it first. Once you understand how to do it, you can ask the right questions to ensure you’re hiring the best person and monitor that they’re actually doing what they said.
Thanks for that. Now – we want to know what’s next! What new initiatives are you rolling out at your business and what results are you hoping to see?
We are constantly rolling out new products. Every piece on our website can be customized, or customers can make a totally unique piece. If we think the piece our customer creates will resonate with other customers, we add it to our curated selection. We add several amazing products every week. Some of my favorite new pieces designed by our customers are our aquamarine tennis bracelet, diamond tennis choker, and enamel rings.
Sounds exciting! Any final words of advice for our readers?
If you’re thinking of starting a business, get started! I always recommend starting as a side hustle to test the waters and then, once you gain traction, make it a full-time endeavor.
Brilliant! We want to thank you for participating in today’s interview. Hopefully our readers agree that there is a lot to be learned from your brand’s story. What links can our readers use to follow along with your journey?
Thanks so much! We are constantly adding new content about us, the jewelry industry, trends, and what to look for to our blog, The Glistener. We also have some exclusive pieces just on our Etsy shop.
