We recently connected with Alyssa Johnson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, thanks for joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

A clear vision for what it is you’re building and working towards (that excites and motivates you deeply), understanding your strengths so you can best focus your time and talent, and a strong team that believes in your vision as much as you do. Bringing on the right talent changes everything.

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.

Hi Everyone! I’m Alyssa Johnson, Founder & CEO of fyb jewelry. fyb which stands for “follow your bliss” is a collection of demi-fine, 18k gold-plated jewelry based in Brooklyn, NY. We have a showroom in Greenpoint and work with over 400 nationwide retailers.

I started the brand 12 years ago during my senior year of college at the University of Delaware – and today run the company with my husband Sam, our COO.

What inspired me to start my business was just feeling lost and unsure of what I wanted to pursue with my Psychology degree. That’s when I did some soul-searching and found making jewelry as a creative outlet. I always worked for small businesses growing up which also sparked my entrepreneurial spirit and desire to start my own business. I started by making collections in my college apartment, and friends on campus started to ask me if they could buy them which gave me the confidence to believe I could turn this into a business and that there was something special there.

Because I started the business while a college student, I had lots of access to mentorship and resources early on. I joined the entrepreneurship club at my school with other student-owned businesses and that networking and camaraderie helped me get things off the ground. 2011 was also a time before the rise of Instagram and Tik Tok – I really utilized my sorority network and word-of-mouth marketing to grow the business in the early days. I created a website and a Facebook page and hosted tons of trunk shows in the beginning while also rallying a team of campus ambassadors to represent the brand for me on different college campuses. We were building a network of micro-influencers before that was even a thing!

We’ve had some truly amazing milestones over the last 12 years in business – from getting interviewed at our showroom for CBS News New York for Women’s History Month, seeing our brand grow with over 400+ nationwide retailers, building our team, to getting to publish a book “Follow your Bliss: Wisdom from Inspiring Women to Help You Find Purpose and Joy ” with Quarto Publishing – there have been many epic moments that have made me super proud.

But I think what I’m most proud of is the community we’ve built through the years and the positivity that the brand has brought to others – whether it was a campus ambassador who worked with us through college and went off to get an amazing job with the skillset and experience she gained, seeing new friendships formed within our fyb community, or just the impact a piece of jewelry can have on a customer as she wears it on her wedding day or receives it as a gift from a friend – there are endless moments of joy the business has brought to others and being able to have this impact in small or big ways is really what fuels me the most.

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

In the early days of my business, we were primarily focused on a direct-to-consumer/social selling model. Having started my brand in college, it went viral among sororities on campus which then spread to girls sharing with their friends on other college campuses – and really building a network of customers and ambassadors from there.

We pivoted to wholesale in 2016 realizing there was huge opportunity for growth with retailers and exhibiting at various trade shows around the country has been our biggest source of new client acquisition. We also work with a few independent sales reps who pitch our brand to the retailer networks they’ve personally built, which has also helped open many doors for us. Beyond that, social media has also played a crucial role in our growth.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My husband/business partner Sam and I were introduced through mutual friends who pushed us to date (as we like to laugh about haha). We luckily hit it off immediately and have been together ever since that fateful meet. About 6 months into dating, Sam joined me in the company and we’ve been co-running it together for the past 5 years now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fybjewelry.com
• Instagram: @fybjewelry
• Facebook: facebook.com/fybjewelry

Image Credits
Jana Schuessler