We recently connected with Elya Adre-kim and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elya, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

When I decided that I wanted to start this business, I ended up launching it quite quickly. One of my friends was planning a market called Eavening and I told him about my business idea and sent him photos of my work. I asked him if he still had space and if I could set up a booth at his market and amazingly he said yes! I am so grateful to that friend for helping me get my start and allowing me to show my work. I am unsure if I’d be where I am today if it weren’t for the opportunity he gave me (shoutout to Ron!). After getting his green light, I had about a month to prepare. I had to think about everything I needed like how much product to make, table set-up and displays, packaging, branding, social media, etc. It was overwhelming and stressful but also exciting! At the time, I had just moved back to Oregon from Malaysia and didn’t have a job that required me to work every day. So I was able to put almost all my time and effort into making this idea come alive. I spent many of my days leading up to the event just making and creating. I created my logo and packaging, which I ended up printing, trimming, and finishing myself. I had about five styles already created and I gave myself a goal of making five more and then making at least three to five of each design. I also wanted to have a website by the day of the market, so I took product photos and created an Etsy. It was a very busy couple of weeks but so worth all the work!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, my name is Elya and I make beaded jewelry. I like exploring different patterns, shapes, and fun motifs! I have been beading for several years now and what started as a hobby turned into something more. I learned from a friend during a craft night and my love for the craft took off from there. I enjoyed creating designs and making them come to life through beading. Also, as a graphic designer, I was always working on the computer. I missed making and crafting things with my hands. Beading helped that craving to make something physical. Most of the designs I made, I either kept for myself or gave away to my friends or my mom. However, last year, my friends motivated me to start my own business. As the idea of starting my own business was starting to come to fruition, I had a lot of self-doubt. I wasn’t sure I could do it or if people would even like my creations. However, I have some great friends who believe in my work. So I decided to go for it and it’s as the saying goes, you won’t know until you try.
Most of my earrings use huggie hoops, but I do offer to create them with different earring hooks/posts and even have offered to use clip-ons if you do not have your ears pierced. I make necklaces and bracelets as well and have also created a few custom designs. So if you have an idea in mind, please let me know! I will try my best to bring your ideas to life.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This past 2023 holiday season, I signed up for multiple markets. As a first-time business owner, I got too excited and signed up for as many markets as I could. In hindsight, I should’ve selected markets that were a little more spread out. At one point, I had a market/pop-up almost every weekend. I also had gotten a full-time job as well, so I was overwhelmed with all the work. I would go to work during the day and start making jewelry once I got home and on any days I had off. It was a rough time and I was mentally and physically exhausted. But going to the markets and meeting everyone and making new connections, made it all worthwhile. It was also a huge learning experience for me. Even though I was able to get through it, it pushed me past my limits and I had to take a huge break in January. I had to tell myself that it was okay to chill out for a bit and that I didn’t have to say yes to every single event I saw or got invited to. I think it’s a good thing to put yourself out there, but you also don’t want to spread yourself too thin either.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I think for me, the best source has been meeting people in person. Social media is great, but being able to see people, talk to them about your product, and also have them physically touch, see, and try on your products is so helpful in their decisions! I’ve also gotten some custom orders through meeting people at markets.
Making connections with other vendors has been amazing as well. We love supporting each other and sharing each other’s work!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elriadki.etsy.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/elriadki

Image Credits

The featured photo is from Caroline Harper or studio__blue__ on IG.
The rest of the photos are from me.