SweetBeaker :: Fine Paper Goods: August 2010

it's been awhile dear readers, since my last NTMY post but, worry not, i have a great line up coming your way. so without further ado...

i'd like you to meet jess constable, designer and owner of jess lc and, blogger of make under my life. just how did i 'meet' jess? so happy you 'asked'. jess contacted me after madly, deeply falling in love (probably exaggerating just a little bit here folks) with these beauts and the rest is history. i'm now an avid follower of her blog and an ambassador!

01. tell us a little about yourself and what you do...

I am a 25 year-old Chicago jewelry designer and business owner with a line called Jess LC (jesslc.com). I also am a blogger as well and I feel my purpose is to spread the message of 'designing a life with intention' through makeundermylife.com. Diving my time between these two passions along with running and spending time with friends leaves me with a very busy, but meaningful schedule.

02. how did you get started? when? obstacles?

I actually began the jewelry business accidentally when I was 15 years-old while making jewelry at a local pool for myself. While I was there, several women ordered the ankle bracelets I was making for themselves and that afternoon I decided to make "fun money" through selling jewelry in high school. Over the years I taught myself to make better pieces of jewelry with more expensive materials (I started out with wire and seed beads and now work with everything from sterling silver to 14k gold vermeil).

After graduating from the University of Michigan business school in 2007, I moved to Chicago and started the jewelry business as a full-time career. It was difficult at first because I was doing every aspect of the business myself and I didn't have a very developed set of retailers to work with. But I worked hard, kept trying each day, and eventually picked up a great sales rep which got my jewelry into over 100 stores within about one year of full-time work. I also took on interns and part-time help as needed to keep up with sales.

vintage Jess LC

03. what's a typical day like for make under my life? for jess lc?

My "typical" day in the office involves getting up at 7:30 or running at 6:40 and eating breakfast. By 8:30-9:00 I'm usually at my desk answering emails, posting on the blog, and getting the day's objectives down on paper. I find things much easier to complete once I have a good to-do list written and I outline the order I'd like to complete things. This leaves me with more time doing and less time choosing what needs to be done when.

I have lunch at noon with my assistant, and then go back to work filling orders, answering customer questions, and blog reader comments. I also get some blog reading done every few hours to give myself a break from concentrating on work. By about 4:00 I walk down to the post office to drop off our completed orders for the day and then head over to the bank and deposit any checks that we have. My workdays now end anytime between 5-7.

In September, I'm excited to say I will have a new intern working with Susie and I, and we will have her help us with the order filling, emailing, and package drop off. This will free up a few extra hours in the day for me to travel, work on more in-depth blog posts, and think about strategic decisions as well as find more time to design upcoming collections.

04. you're not only the author and the brains of make under my life but, also owner and designer of jess lc - how do you manage it all?

I actually am excited to say this will be much easier once we have the new intern I mentioned in the question above! Right now, my assistant Susie makes the jewelry for our orders so that saves me loads of time I would otherwise be unable to spend on MML or in order processing. Since I feel my purpose in life is to help people simplify and live with intention, I don't view anything directly related to MML as "work" and often will spend time on the weekends or at night creating content or answering reader questions.

Jess LC today

05. what might the future hold for make under my life? for jess lc?

The future of Jess LC will involve more PR in print media (in magazines and newspapers) and I hope to make it a successful and bustling web shop where people to go to get their gifts and everyday jewelry. I see Susie and another manager running the shop together, leaving me with the freedom to focus on MML and on long-term planning for Jess LC. I would like to be making financial, strategic marketing, and PR choices as well as meeting with magazine editors and speaking to business schools about what I do with the company.

As for MML, the sky is the limit! I know this is what I am meant to do and I don't want to put any limits on where it might lead. However, I won't be surprised if MML eventually becomes a book, online class, video, or tv program. Nothing makes me feel more satisfied in my life than knowing that I am making a difference in other people's lives. Right now, I use the blog to make that happen. What the next step is will be shown to me when the time is right.

06. can you offer advice for first time shop owners / bloggers?

Just keep going!! I can't stress this enough: businesses are only made by trial and error. I stressed this on MML in a recent post, you only become great by trying and failing many, many times. My first pieces of jewelry were ugly and often broke because I didn't know what I was doing at first. But I kept making jewelry, trying new things, and growing. I feel strongly that we only truly know what we ourselves have experienced and a lot of would-be business owners get caught up in reading about "how" to grow a business rather than actually trying to grow one themselves! So just keep taking actions each day and you will get there. Remember, my business has taken 11 years to get this far. And it certainly was not this good at any point in the past. And the exciting thing is that the future of my business will eclipse where it is at this point in time as well.

07. if you were a color what color would you be and why?

Great question! I think I would be a coral. I am outgoing with a lot of energy but also enjoy my alone time and love to reflect. So like coral, I'm a warm color, but not too bright.

e: jess@jesslc.com
w: http://www.jesslc.com/
b: http://makeundermylife.com/
t: @JessConstable

thanks for the interview, jess! it's great to 'meet' you!

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if you'd like to submit a shop for the Nice To Meet You collection, send an email on over to sweetbeaker@gmail.com!

images from Jess Constable

let me geek out a little bit here, m'kay?

a little while ago jen ramos of Made By Girl purchased a set of personalized chevron calling cards from my little ole' shoppe. yes. really. SHE did. i was thrilled, ecstatic and nervous beyond belief. you see, she's quite a paper extraordinaire herself - what if my stuff didn't measure up...

shifting gears a bit...

...most times, when an order goes out the door, i don't hear much of anything from the recipient unless they're a repeat customer, leave feedback on etsy or post about their purchase. (yes, i know, i should probably be working on a follow-up)...

...full circle now...

...well, jen contacted me shortly after receiving her package and was ecstatic. so much so, she asked if i'd like to be part of her family of 'other artists' on her e-commerce site...

...a little back and forth later...you can now purchase a select offering of calling cards on Made By Girl :) there will be more to come! see you there!

many, many thanks, jen, for such a thrilling opportunity and spectacular shout out.