Instagram is one of my favourite social media platforms for jewellers to get noticed and make sales. There is so much you can do on Instagram so in this episode I am focussing on Instagram stories and 10 story ideas. Grab a pen and paper and get thinking about how these ideas will work for you.

EPISODE RECAP

1. Product spotlight (3:20)

2. Share what's on your bench (5:24)

3. "This or That" (6:26)

4. Q&A (8:41)

5. "A day in the life" (11:49)

6. A new post share (12:56)

7. "How to wear it" (14:20)

8. Share inspiration from other accounts (17:27)

9. Use a location or place and tag them in it (20:58)

10. A throwback post (23:38)

And a bonus one - go on your stories and do a simple face-to-camera update (24:51)

RESOURCES

Instagram for Jewellers Course

Instagram Stories Challenge

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

When you're thinking about the growth of your business and where you want it to go it is crucial to start with the end in mind. This concept is borrowed from one of my favourite books - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In this weeks podcast I talk about what you need to consider when you are wanting to grow, the difference between spending and investing in your business and what you need to ask yourself before making any decisions on your next steps.

EPISODE RECAP

• What is the concept of starting with the end in mind? (1:38)
• Ask yourself what you need to get there (2:18)
• Let's talk about investment versus spending (5:51)
• When you're thinking of making a big decision in your business, ask yourself these questions (10:13)
• Challenge yourself to be more specific about what you'll get in return for your investment (12:20)

RESOURCES

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

JewelFund

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

This week on the podcast I'm joined by the jeweller and product photographer Karen Young. This episode is all about top tips for designing packaging for your jewellery and these 5 tips will be really helpful for you to think about, whether you want to upgrade what you have or are starting from scratch.

EPISODE RECAP

• Is it safe to say you're obsessed with packaging? (1:42)
• 1. Make it functional and practical (3:15)
• 2. Think about size (6:57)
• Do you know which box is your most regularly used? (11:22)
• 3. Materials matter (13:02)
• 4. Make it yours (17:07)
• 5. Think about the unboxing experience (20:59)
• I know there are a few bonus tips, let's hear those! (23:53)

RESOURCES

Karen Young Photography Website

Karen Young Jewellery Website

Karen Young Jewellery Instagram

Karen Young Photography Facebook

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

Jeweller Lee Appleby was a quarter-finalist on the All That Glitters show on BBC2. This week on the podcast I am sharing an interview with Lee, a jeweller who hand makes all of his jewellery. He works in silver, gold, platinum and palladium. His business motto is "make your ideas come to life", which is a lovely way to look at jewellery.

EPISODE RECAP

• Can you tell us a little about yourself? How did you become a jeweller? (1:29)
• A lot of your work is technical and involves a lot of metals. Was a lot of that learned on the job? (5:19)
• You just went for it, it sounds like you didn't have a lot of fear did you? (6:51)
• You have your own jewellery business, do you run that from home? (11:26)
• What is next for your business? (12:25)
• Some jewellers don't enjoy doing repairs (14:39)
• Do you have a favorite metal to work with? (15:43)
• Do you have any favorite gemstones? (17:18)
• What's your design process like? (18:26)
• What were some of the most challenging aspects of the show? (21:39)
• What advice would you give to jewellers starting out? (26:15)

RESOURCES

Lee Appleby Instagram

Lee Appleby Website

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

Today I am joined by Julie Nicaisse, a winner of JewelFund 2020. JewelFund is a grant program that I set up in 2018 and each year I award grants of £1000 to jewellers along with one to one mentoring/business coaching. It's a way for me to support jewellers and help them get to the next level. I love this part of my job as I get to work with some incredible jewellers and I'm excited to share that JewelFund 2021 is now open for applications. I'm excited to have Julie here to share her experience of growing her jewellery business, what she spent her grant on and her advice on applying

EPISODE RECAP

• Tell us about your journey to becoming a jeweller (2:25)
• The job that you started at running errands - how did you find that? (3:23)
• Tell us about your jewellery business now (4:49)
• What made you decide to apply for the JewelFund? (6:57)
• What did you want to use the money for that helped grow your business? (9:12)
• How have the tools changed your business? (11:58)
• What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of applying for the JewelFund this year? (13:25)
• You work a lot with fair trade gold - how did you decide to do that? (15:40)
• What's next for your business? (17:14)

RESOURCES

Julie Nicaisse Instagram

Julie Nicaisse Website

JewelFund

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

On the podcast this week I'm sharing the five things I wish I had known before starting my jewellery business. The real secret is that you don't need to know anything before you start, you can just start. You will figure it out! But there are things that you learn along the journey and had I known them beforehand I would have made fewer mistakes and been more confident. I hope you can learn from these.

EPISODE RECAP

1. Start small (2:12)

2. Surround yourself with like-minded people (4:33)

3. Spend time connecting with your ideal customer (7:27)

4. Do something every day to move your business forward (11:30)

5. The only failure is to give up (14:20)

RESOURCES

Jewellers Academy YouTube

Launch Your Jewellery Business in 20 Days

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

Fiona Humberstone joins us today, she is also know as the brand stylist. She is the authority on branding - she has books, online courses and a lot of resources for us. Join us for this conversation!

EPISODE RECAP

• Tell us about your story - how did you become the brand stylist? (1:50)
• When you're in business, it can feel like a waste of time to think about your brand can't it? (6:30)
• Tell us about "editing to amplify" (7:44)
• If I have two different styles of jewellery, should I keep them under one brand or have separate brands? (13:25)
• Photography is such a key part of our brands as jewellers. What're your thoughts on managing photography? (17:00)
• What are the most important things to spend money on for our brands? (21:26)
• For people who are further along in their business, do you have any tips for keeping our branding focus? (25:09)
• What is your motto on life? (27:50)
• How do you fit in family, work and home life? (29:25)

RESOURCES

The Brand Stylist Website

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

On the podcast this week I am sharing about taking time off in your jewellery business. As jewellers, we are often self-employed and that means we need to be more mindful of our own time and boundaries, including taking time off to relax and recharge. Let's talk through how to be intentional about the time we take off and make good use of it.

EPISODE RECAP

• Having had experience with burnout, I know how important it is to prioritize taking time away from your business (2:09)
• The first thing is to make sure you take time off (2:48)
• Put things in place to make sure you don't experience negative impacts of overworking, but also become more aware of yourself (4:43)
• The second point is to be intentional about your time off (6:08)
• Think about scheduling time off after a launch or intense period (9:03)
• When you have time off, really be off the clock (10:24)
• Let go of guilt around having time off (14:40)
• Taking a break can be one of the best things you do for your business (18:23)

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

You may know Sonny Bailey-Aird as a contestant on the All That Glitters jewellery show on the BBC. Sonny is a goldsmith who creates one of a kind pieces of fine jewellery in a rustic style. He runs his own business and we're excited to have him join us today!

EPISODE RECAP

• Can you tell us about your jewellery and how you came to be a jeweller? (1:29)
• You decided to give jewellery a try - are there any resources that taught you? (3:47)
• Did you make jewellery at home or how did you set it up? (7:27)
• What were some of the first pieces you sold? (8:31)
• You were chosen to be on All That Glitters, what was that experience like? (10:45)
• Did your making skills improve when you were on the show? (12:16)
• What was your favorite piece that you made on the show? (14:58)
• Did you have a piece that was most challenging for you? (15:58)
• Have you always had the same style or did it develop over time? (17:47)
• You work a lot with gemstones. Are there any stones that are your favorite to work with? (21:34)
• You had a little one fairly recently. How do you manage your working life now? (23:18)
• Do you have any role models? (27:06)
• What is next for your jewellery business? (29:26)
• What advice would you give to a jeweller who is just starting out? (32:43)
• Where can we find you online? (36:00)

RESOURCES

Sonny Bailey-Aird Website

Sonny Bailey-Aird Instagram

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!

I am joined today by Catherine Erdly from the Resilient Retail Club. We're going to be discussing how to effectively manage stock in your jewellery business. Catherine has been in the retail sector for two decades working with household names as well as independent start ups. She is also a contributor for forbes.com and has spoken at a number of trade shows. A big welcome, we look forward to this conversation!

EPISODE RECAP

• Stock management is something we need to think about for our business. Where do you even begin? (3:18)
• What does a stock management system look like? (7:15)
• What come after creating the master list? (9:10)
• When it comes to physical product and where you keep it, how have you seen it work? (14:07)
• You talked about managing stock in different places, what if we have a small stock in the first place? (16:02)
• What about old stock? (19:00)
• You talked about having a goal stock number. Is the figure you use for that goal the sales price or your cost? (23:35)
• What is a stock take and how often do you do them? (28:14)
• How much stock should you have? (32:12)
• Are there any other areas of advice or common pitfalls you'd like to share? (36:00)

RESOURCES

Resilient Retail Club Website

Resilient Retail Club Instagram

Find Jewellers Academy on Instagram and Facebook!