We were lucky to catch up with Anna Bernfeld recently and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

From a very young age, I was always fascinated by aesthetics and design. In middle school, I used to make clothes for my dolls. I sketched and taught myself how to sew. In the back of my mind, I always knew that I wanted to work in a creative field and for myself when I grow up. Fast forward to 2016, and I was working at a job that wasn’t really fulfilling. That drive to create something of my own was only growing stronger. First, I started carving out stamps and created color-blocked designs for T-shirts. My neighbor at the time was a seamstress and she helped me create patterns for the T-shirt designs that I envisioned. I created custom-made organic cotton T-shirts and ordered them from Bangladesh. They were high quality and customers loved them. Later, I designed a few dresses to add to my online store. However, I made a few poor choices with manufacturing and ran out of resources. At the time, I also added jewelry to the store and those remained. The jewelry is all handcrafted by my father. We work together in creating new designs and generate ideas. It is still in my plans to add clothing collections to the store, however, I will be approaching it much more strategically when the time comes.

Apart from that, I also have a videography business together with my husband where we film events, weddings, and small business promotions. This started back in 2013 on a fun road trip across the California shore where we filmed our trip and fell in love with videography. It was just a hobby at first. We would film events for my friends and family. With time, we started to get hired and it became more serious.

Anna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the founder and creative director at Aquani (aquanilabel.com). It is an online store for unique handcrafted artisan jewelry made of sterling silver. gold, precious and semi-precious stones. My father has been an artist and jeweler for over 40 years and throughout my childhood, he would sometimes give me tasks such as filing a broach or folding wires into a filigree design. So I basically grew up around art. Aquani was created by trying different things, as I mentioned in the previous answer. We have had many challenges to overcome and we continue to do so everyday. It is a constantly evolving mastery and I am excited to see it grow.

I am proud of the brand that we created. Our designs are very unique and exclusive to us. Much of the jewelry that is sold everywhere else is all the same. Many brands purchase jewelry in bulk and sell it as their own but it is all still exactly the same stuff. We don’t go by trends. We create timeless, quality pieces that represent individuality. For a woman who is adventurous and chooses items that she truly loves, not because some celebrity wore it, but because it is her own style.

Everything we make is handcrafted in our little studio in Chicago in small batches. The majority of the silver and gold that we use is recycled so this is our small contribution to the planet.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One of the first books that made me believe that anything was possible was “Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday. From there, also through Ryan, I discovered “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius which is a collection of stoic notes on life that are helpful in moments of dispair. The “Purple Cow” and “Linchpin” by Seth Godin are also good books when starting a business.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Everyday really is an inner battle when you have a family and want to grow your business. I have two boys, an 8-year-old and a 9-month-old. I feel guilty when I work and not with my kids. I feel guilty when I am with kids but not working. You always wish you could put more effort into both but there are only so many hours in the day. the kids are growing up so quickly and you don’t want to miss any moment of their lives. At the same time, if I don’t put effort into my business, I won’t be able to give them the life they deserve and also fulfill my own creative drive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aquanilabel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annafelda/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anquarius/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-bernfeld-123854149/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC97FpfVAhSryeiUi_NLGb1w/videos
• Other: Instagram for Aquani – https://www.instagram.com/aquani_label/

Image Credits
Photographer Ekaterina Zima Model Tehya McDonald Teal Production