We recently connected with Kelly Tierney and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I had been a fan of the fair trade, handmade fashion brand, Noonday Collection, and regular hostess of trunk shows for the company for years-ever since I was invited to participate in a Noonday adoption fundraiser in 2012. I was working with another company at the time, but I was fascinated and thrilled by the fact that this company existed. I could work in sales, be my own boss, and enjoy the fashion like I was at my company at the time, but this was even better because I could do all of that while making the world a better place through these partnerships with artisans looking for marketplaces for their unique creations. It felt like I was made for this, but my friend was an Ambassador for Noonday Collection in our area, and I knew that I would need our mutual friends to agree to host events for me to jump start my business-and they were already her devoted hostesses and customers!
In 2018, she contacted me and said she would have to step down due to other life obligations and asked if it was the right time for me to step up and take over, advocating for Noonday Collection in our area. My sister-in-law was pregnant at the time with twins, my only niece and nephew, on the opposite coast and I wanted to be an active part of their lives, but flying cross country costs a lot of money. I was unsure if it was the right decision, having been burned by my previous company, but an aunt suggested I just try it out and see what happens. I decided to join on the first day of the month for spring launch: 2/1/19. I lined up events with several friends for that February, and I already had many display pieces due to my years of being a customer. Thanks to my friend the retiring Ambassador, I was able to read a lot of the training materials ahead of time and practice my styling and storytelling. I was at a great advantage having been in the Noonday know for so many years, but learning the back office studio and structure was a new ballgame. I was determined to take the leap! Over 5 years later, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always been creative, motivated, and entrepreneurial, from making clothing for my Trolls in elementary school, to sewing stuffed animals and making jewelry to sell at yard sales. I also always wanted to be a mom-that was my main goal in life, but I also wanted to financially support my family, so I needed to use that innovative, self-starter approach to come up with ways to make an income around raising my son. I have worked in direct sales before (starting with Avon as inspired by my grandmother), and I’ve also been a mystery shopper, personal shopper, simulated patient for the local university’s students in medical fields, and sold my own handcrafted jewelry in local stores. My brain does not stop churning out ideas! However, by far the most fulfilling work has been with Noonday Collection, educating people about fair trade and how this ethically-made fashion brand exists so that customers can make informed decisions when choosing items for themselves, for gifts, and for their home. Wanting to leave the world a better place not only aligns with my religious beliefs, but also my belief in humanity: I have seen the power a dignified job can have for a woman who didn’t know her worth because she was sold into trafficking or otherwise taken advantage of at a young age. I have seen men in these communities where we have artisan partners reevaluate what a woman can do, working to send their daughters to school and not just their sons. So many people still don’t know that Noonday Collection exists, where people are paid a fair wage and work in pleasant working conditions so that they can not only survive, but thrive. The more people I can educate through pop-ups and trunk shows that there are leather bags you can purchase where a vegetable tanning process is used rather than a chemical one that is better for the environment and for the makers, or that choosing to shop for jewelry with Noonday means more orders so more women can come out of brothels to a dignified job, I know I am making a difference. I have seen it first hand in Peru, Ecuador, and Uganda. It is a beautiful sisterhood because our partners are also creating my job here! The leaders of our company believe in long term relationships, so we have been able to offer interest free loans during the pandemic and emergency support when needed. I am proud to work for an ethical company that puts people over profit, and I think that is what sets us apart.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A central part of Noonday Collection is gathering: through in person events, women have a reason to get together with family, friends, and neighbors and cultivate relationships through meaningful, fun connection. However, during COVID times, we obviously weren’t gathering in person and I had to pivot to entirely online for about a year and a hybrid of in person and online for about another year after that, meeting customers at their comfort level. Since people were stuck at home and many craving connection, developing trunk shows through Facebook and Zoom actually helped my business thrive at that time. Noonday offered fundraiser opportunities to not only support artisan groups in other countries, but also events to support local businesses here in America. Hostesses could now invite people all over the country to connect online at virtual events, and there was a huge blessing to come out of that: I now have customers and friends all over the country that I never would have “met” otherwise, and more people know about Noonday!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Participating in vendor events and pop-ups has enabled me to be in front of new faces beyond those connected to a particular hostess. Whereas a hostess may have 7-8 people in her home learning about Noonday Collection, I could see double or triple that when I pop up at my local coffee shop or bakery. I’m always encouraging guests at events to go the non-traditional route if they don’t want to host an event at their home and consider holding one at their place of business, or even a common area, room at a restaurant, park, playground…the possibilities are endless. You never know when someone will say they are looking for gifts to give to new home owners as a realtor or need appreciation gifts for the teachers at their school. The best source of new clients is to always be thinking of new ways to reach people in new places rather than sticking with the original method.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://noondaycollection.com/kellytierney
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellycooljewel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/noondaykelly