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Have you ever had this thought?
“I wish someone would teach me everything I need to know about starting and running a jewelry design business so I can be creative and focus on the big picture.”
Let me introduce you to the step-by-step business “HOW TO” for jewelry designers. If you are a metalsmith or designer jeweler that has struggling artist syndrome. Pull over the pity party now.
It’s time to make a career as a jewelry designer.
This resource never existed until 2012, but 2 women with extraordinary experience decided to help other designers. It’s about community.
It’s hard to find mentors or people willing to share information. I would say this is especially true in the jewelry industry, where secrecy over proprietary sources and methods is highly valued. However, Tracy Matthews & Robin Kramer have burst the bubble.
Whether you’re just getting started or are ready to move to the next level, Flourish and Thrive Academy’s educational programs are designed to help you every step of the way. Their courses are specifically targeted towards the jewelry business and range from Laying the Foundation to Multiply Your Profits to Ramping Up Your Holiday Sales and more. Flourish and Thrive Academy also has free training videos, podcast, designer spotlight article series, and blog. With their courses, you gain access to their invaluable, priceless, established Facebook group where even more magic happens with positive support among designers and shared resources and experience to keep lifting each other up.
The ladies behind it all is what really makes Flourish & Thrive amazing.
Tracy Matthews is a fine jewelry designer who started out in the jewelry industry selling her own work in the early 90’s. Over the course of her career, her designs were sold in over 350 retail stores internationally including Sundance catalog and Twist. Her work has been featured in most of the major fashion magazines and adored by celebrity clients like Charlize Theron, Halle Berry and Orlando Bloom.
She was recognized as a JCK Rising Star in 2007 and was one Gen Arts Fresh Faces in Fashion in 2006. She transitioned from the fashion world to get back to what she loved, working with individuals, in 2010. Her business is highly profitable with a constant waiting list of clients.
Her struggles as an emerging designer inspired her to found Flourish & Thrive Academy, along with Robin Kramer, where she teaches jewelry artists and makers how to build desire and demand for their brands and build profitable businesses that support their passion for jewelry.
Robin Kramer is a sales and customer relationship master who has a strong background in retail and wholesale. Robin started her career working for big brands like William Sonoma, where she overhauled the store associate recognition program and led the customer service functions for all retail brands there, including the development and implementation of service standards in stores and call centers. She went on to implement similar programs and new initiatives at another forward-thinking retail brand, the Old Navy division of Gap, Inc. In 2001 she ventured into the wholesale side of things working for small, niche brands and consulting for jewelry companies.
A few years later, she joined Dogeared jewels and gifts as their first ever sales director. During her tenure there, she grew the business by 800% and started the trajectory for where the brand is today.
Her passion to help emerging designers and makers has always been on the forefront for her. She left Dogeared to start her own consulting business and teamed up with Tracy in 2012 as the co-founder of Flourish and Thrive Academy.
She is passionate about the driving principles of the company, community and collaboration over competition, because she believes that anyone who has the desire and is willing to put themselves out there, can have a highly successful brand.
I met Tracy in 2013 in NY at a networking event after a conference. I recognized her from Flourish and Thrive videos and went up to her. I was just starting Accounting for Jewelers and was still making Jewelry, we immediately dove into what was not working with my jewelry business (me not wanting to outsource production because of how much I like making it myself and limiting myself because of it).
What I have seen after 3 years of working with them, from taking courses to being a contributor, is that they listen to your story and identify your strengths immediately. Listen to what they tell you, bc if you don’t you’ll later come to say, “oh, Tracy & robin told me to do that!”
Tracy and I have met regularly over the last few years and I finally had the extraordinary pleasure of spending a week with Robin this month as we went from a Women’s Jewelry Association event in Nashville, TN to the SNAGnext conference in Asheville, NC.
Tracy recently released a podcast #39 Simple Tips to Understand Your Financial Reports with Mariel Diaz. You can listen to it right here:
#39 Simple Tips to Understand Your Financial Reports with Mariel Diaz
Their Laying the Foundation series lasts for six weeks and provides a step by step process for getting your jewelry out there to your clients and creating a solid business foundation. Flourish and Thrive’s four module course on how to Multiply Your Profits will help you organize your business to increase profits and free up your time. If you’re looking to approach retailers, their Mastering Wholesale five week course will help you boost your bottom line and improve your design process. Reduce overwhelm and build momentum by taking their Ramp Up Your Holiday Sales course. Their How to Write from Your Heart course provides assistance with newsletters, blog posts, and social media to keep your clients engaged. These courses provide lifetime access and will generally let you pay in one lump payment or in five monthly payments.
Their Diamond Insider Club provides you with the info you need to keep ahead of the jewelry business field. They provide Q&A calls, guest interviews of industry influencers, experienced designers and others in the field, in-depth training, as well as provide you with a community of designers who you can rely on to advise you during your struggles and to cheer with you on your successes.
I am continually impressed with what Tracy & Robin bring to the jewelry industry and am honored to be a part of it. Please note that none of the links in the post are affiliate links for income earning and this was not a paid for post. This is here strictly because I believe in what Flourish & Thrive Academy is doing and offering.
