We recently connected with Andrea Li and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 believe that curiosity often reveals opportunities that may be missed if one simply “stays in your lane”. This willingness to explore further can uncover skills and talents you never knew you possessed. This discovery process was exactly how I planted the seed of my newest venture, Red Pin Geek, and nurtured it to execution. The organic nature of my own curiosity led me to discover more with every step, and helped guide me from idea to implementation to launch.

My biggest hurdle in the beginning was getting past my fear of starting something new. I have noticed that fear of failure from change can be crippling opponents when pioneering into the unknown. So, I had to resolve to “embrace the suck” and realize that even my most admired professionals started as beginners.

Looking back, I always considered myself born into an “analog culture”, and part of the last generation still using things like microfiche (remember that one!) to research term papers in high school. Computers were mystifying to me, and the concept of the internet was as alien to me as to how the Egyptians built the pyramids! Personally, with such limited exposure to these technologies the opportunity for me to become an early adopter was never part of the conversation. Besides, I was comfortable “staying in my lane!” Even when Steve Jobs announced the very first iPhone, the incredible tech that would change the course of human history – it was still not enough to deter my path at that time. So, unwilling to give up my Nokia flip phone, I carried on.

It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I began to grasp the potential sway of the internet’s influence on my jewelry business. At the time, clients could only find my company through word of mouth, printed magazines, or live events. Even if they knew where to find me, there was no ability to buy my pieces unless it was directly from me. I was still living in an analog existence. But I had a realization that I had to get on board, or be left behind.

Seeing what others were doing caused my “FOMO” to officially replace my fear of technology, computers and change. It was time to unleash my curiosity, and so began my journey deep into learning digital marketing.

Not knowing what I was about to plunge into, I quickly discovered how steep the learning curve was, especially for someone without a computer science or marketing background. In addition, the digital landscape is incredibly dynamic, with constantly changing platforms, software, strategies, and tactics. I spent the next two years consuming a steady stream of online courses. I embarked upon a complete immersion into all things digital marketing – especially Pinterest. An endeavor that led to meeting the founder Ben Silbermann at Pinterest headquarters, presenting at KnitCon, and working with several internal development teams.

I built and managed my first eCommerce store. I started a blog and drove traffic to it through pins I published on Pinterest. I grew my email list with lead magnets, nurture sequences, and email marketing.

Then.. the pandemic hit, forcing the whole world to slow down, which offered me a unique opportunity. Instead of feverishly trying to play catch up, I doubled down on implementing all the knowledge I had been soaking up—almost risk-free. I had found a thread of success – and decided to keep pulling. It was exciting to see my efforts validate what I had learned throughout my thousands of hours of coursework and execution.

I got hooked as I further developed skills and talents I never knew I had. So much so it became more than I had ever intended for it to become. It became a passion. I learned that passion is easy to spot once you have it, because it’s simply reflected in your work.

Around that time, the Community Manager of an organization called Flourish & Thrive, that taught me how to lay the foundation for my jewelry business, reached out to me. So I landed my first gig in digital marketing as an expert coach specializing in Pinterest marketing. I was terrified at first, but coaching dozens of students over Zoom made me accustomed to the virtual format in no time at all. But most importantly, I fell in love with serving my students and their businesses through the expertise I had collected over the years.

The work had an impact beyond using my knowledge merely for my own business, and once again, I unearthed another undiscovered ability. This time as an educator. I continue to coach students through Flourish & Thrive’s Momentum Program. My involvement with this beautiful community of students, other coaches, founders, and staff have become an essential part of my journey. I owe much of my success to this living, breathing support network.

Every opportunity that has presented itself you can trace back to this group, including the reason for starting my Pinterest marketing blog Red Pin Geek. Born to the internet in December of 2020, I passively used it for publishing blog content and growing a small email list. My focus at the time was on my jewelry brand. With no actual services or products to sell, I would consider the first year still in the idea phase. However, that quickly changed when Halstead booked me for their renowned Jewelry Business Forum as a guest speaker.

I did months of product development, rebranding, setting up sales funnels, a website overhaul, and more in preparation for the summit and official launch of Red Pin Geek. The results have completely exceeded expectations with more guest speaking, guest blogging offers, sales, and a growing engaged community.

I look forward to continuing to serve this brilliant community of talented makers in their Pinterest marketing journey for years to come!

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

I feel like my previous answer went into a little more of a bio than I probably intended, haha! But to round that out, I was born in Seoul, South Korea and came to the US as a baby. I grew up in Boulder, Colorado. Right now I live in Denver with my husband, 2 dogs and a kitty. I love watching great films, especially those from Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan. I still maintain a great passion for designing and making jewelry. And of course, I love graphic design and everything Digital marketing!

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

The best source of new clients is presenting as a guest speaker for virtual summits. Additionally, I work with businesses or nonprofits who’s following aligns with the type of individuals I hope to help. The natural fit of these partnerships effectively connects to the right people and gives my unique services exposure to a new audience.

Through Red Pin Geek, I provide one-on-one expert coaching and instructional guides specifically tailored to small independent jewelry designers and makers. This is a community that stays pretty tightly-knit, so word of mouth is also huge.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty by always trying to give myself generously and being consistent in showing up for my people. It’s also important to me that I create services, products, and content that are meant to serve, not sell. Beyond that I’m committed to deepening my knowledge and getting better at what I do so my students can directly benefit.

For my students, I try to present a clear roadmap to achieving the most success in their Pinterest marketing efforts and a thorough understanding of how the platform works. I intend to shorten the learning curve so my students can get results faster with less time investment through the resources and knowledge I share. I have found that when you understand their goals and can help them get on track quickly and efficiently, they recognize that effort and will come back for more. I always make time to answer their questions even without a paid session if it’s something small and quick, because again I want to be here to serve beyond being here for profit.

I’m most proud of the results achieved by my students. Here are some testimonials from students who have worked with me.

“In our first session I got really clear on how to do this and was given concise instructions on my next steps. Once upon a time I was feeling overwhelmed with all the “how-to” information on what to do next with social media marketing and then I worked with Andrea. Now I feel focused with a clear written list of next steps for success on Pinterest which makes me feel like I’m not wasting my time or spinning my wheels on things that I have no idea will be successful or work for my brand. The chaos and chatter are clearing and I’m focused. Ahhhh… peace.”

– Meeshka, Meeshka Jewelry Designs

“Our hour together was jam-packed full of incredible coaching on this keyword search process. I could see myself easily wasting dozens of hours trying to figure this out on my own— so the value I received for this hour of coaching far exceeded the price of admission. I love Andrea’s scientific and data driven approach to keyword search and how she explained how to create boards. I literally had a blank slate on my Pinterest business account. I am so happy & relieved that I decided to work with her”

– Laura, Novaura Jewelry

“Learning from Andrea and increasing my knowledge of Pinterest and strategies that drive traffic has been one of the best coaching experiences I’ve had since opening my business. At the end of my sessions, I had tangible actions that could be built into my work calendar that will assist in building strong habits for increasing my reach on Pinterest. I also left my sessions with a stronger Pinterest profile that has more intensely utilized keywords that help me to reach my target audience. I’m incredibly grateful for this experience and highly recommend Andrea for anyone who wants to have a more advanced understanding of how this platform can work to the advantage of jewelry business owners.”

– Shannen, Womxn On The Moon

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.redpingeek.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redpingeek/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrealidesigns
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrealidesigns/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrealidesigns
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/andrealidesigns/_shop/

Image Credits
Model: Ashley Butler, Owner ADV Model Photographer: Photography by ZSA’NEE Hair: Joy Munlin, Owner The Hair & Image Studio MUA: Bridgette Black, Black Esthetics & Artistry