We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alex Lumpee Shea Richter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alex Lumpee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

It’s really easy to look back and think “what if”. What if we had started sooner? What if we hadn’t been so scared? What if we just went for it instead of doubting ourselves? Sure, we’ve had all of those thoughts and more and it would have been great to get started sooner, but we did a lot of research and a lot of testing out products before we felt confident that we would be providing the best quality to our potential customers. We practiced for hours and hours and trained for weeks to make sure we felt confident and ready to get started. We talked to other business owners and lawyers and insurance agents. We met with marketing reps, website designers and more! Sure, it would have been nice to just jump in and get started quicker, however we feel zero regrets in how we started. We feel like starting a business can be done quickly by diving in head first, but starting a successful one takes time, energy, patience and lots and lots of work.

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.

Gold + Grace Jewelry was born in June of 2022. I (Alex) had heard of the rising trend that is permanent jewelry and once finding that there was not a local company providing this type of jewelry I called Shea immediately. We decided to go for it! We researched other companies and practices to decide what we wanted our business to look like. There are some other very successful companies out there with beautiful jewelry. They serve as a wonderful example for other companies that are just starting. With that being said, we knew we needed to set ourselves apart somehow to make our own place in a quickly growing industry. From the very beginning we said that we would have a few key principles that we wanted Gold+Grace to be about which were quality products, premier customer service, and a commitment to giving back to our community.

Quality matters to us. We believe that the quality of our chains represents our company. To insure that our chains hold to our standards and the wear and tear of everyday use, we source each and every chain from quality jewelers. We offer sterling silver, 14K gold-filled, and solid 14k gold options. These superior materials are carefully selected for their durability, luster, and ability to withstand the test of time. Our commitment to using high-quality materials guarantees that our chains are not just beautiful but also a valuable investments. We stand behind everything we sell.in the rare instance that we find a chain doesn’t hold up well, we not only replace it for the customer, but we discontinue it completely. We want everyone who walks around wearing our pieces to be proud of them. One reason we offer so many style options is because we know that one size does not fit all, so we shouldn’t try to only appeal to only one type of customer. From delicate and dainty chains to bold and statement-making pieces, our diverse range offers something for everyone.

Customer service is another one of our business pillars. We believe that providing the best customer service contributes to the building of a positive brand reputation. We want to be a brand that prioritizes customer satisfaction. We strive to always delivers excellent service and provide an experiences for the people we’re serving. We also love getting feedback from our customers. By actively listening to customer feedback, we’re able to identify areas for improvement and understand our customer’s preferences and expectations when it comes to purchasing our jewelry. Our absolute favorite thing is when we have repeat customers because it means we’re doing something right!

Finally, our community matters to us. Both Shea and I have kids that are a part of the school system here in The Woodlands, we attend church locally, and have numerous friends who own small businesses in the area. Collaboration and support are everything when it comes to running a small business which is why from the very beginning we said we wanted to be a company that gives back. In the one year of business, we’ve already been blessed to be a part of over 10 give back events and we hope to double that in our second year!
Small businesses have the power to make a meaningful impact on the communities they serve and we want to be the kind of business that is deeply rooted in our community and contributes to it’s success and well-being.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

We thought we knew what the initial start-up costs would be, but we actually had no clue! When we first started, every day we learned of something new that we would need in order to make it work. Our initial cost just kept going up and up. We knew we could not cut corners if we wanted our business to be successful. With our business being a partnership, luckily we didn’t have to bear the financial burden alone! We were able to split everything in half which definitely helped a lot and then once we started making money, we just kept investing it straight back into the business. Starting out, you think it will be quicker than it is, but we had lots of support with our husbands and our close friends who kept encouraging us to keep going! Looking back a year later, we are so thankful that we didn’t give up.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

When we first got started, there weren’t many companies doing permanent jewelry in our area so it was a fun, new thing! Now, there are many companies doing it, and now we just try and focus on giving quality products and provide the best customer service experience to our people. We definitely benefit from word of mouth marketing and our repeat customers. We truly do value each of our customers because we know when they enjoy their experience with us, they’ll recommend us to their friends! The highlight of each event is having our customers come back for more!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goldandgracejewelry.com
• Instagram: Gold.Grace.Jewelry
• Facebook: Gold.Grace.Jewelry

Image Credits
Mandi Roach Photography