We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bobbi Jean Keesling a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Bobbi Jean, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
My business was originally born out of a need to provide for my husband and me during the pandemic. My husband was unable to work his small martial arts business from March 2020-March 2021 due to our locations being closed because of restrictions. He was the main provider for our family. We were supposed to be celebrating 10 years of successful business we had built from the ground up that year in 2020. What was supposed to be a little “hobby” for me on the side quickly turned into a full-blown business alongside working my full-time job from home. Thankfully, my full-time job became work from home due to the pandemic in March 2020, and I was able to work my business a bit more and get it officially up and running – registered with the state of South Carolina, built a website from scratch, built my Facebook Community and other social media platforms, and the other nitty-gritty tasks required of a small business. Between my full-time job, my small business, and my husband working to get virtual martial arts classes up and running from our garage, not to mention the grace and goodness of God, we were able to make it through the pandemic.
To my surprise, my business continued to flourish in the midst and after the pandemic. I was able to contribute more to the household bills, pay off my car, and continue to help pay off debt. Fast forward to October 2021 when devastation hit my family – my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. While the cancer was surprisingly caught at stage 1, through other health issues and difficulties with chemo and radiation, the rare and aggressive cancer continued to spread and wreak havoc on my mom’s body. We started traveling to Atlanta to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in May 2022 after being dissatisfied with local care. Due to being an only child and not having local family, my dad and I swapped off taking her to her treatments. On those long car rides with my mom, she talked to me about all of the regrets she had. Things she wished she would have done, things she still wanted to do, and more.
One of the regrets she had was not starting own small business. She loved baking – cakes, cookies, and more. I grew up with her baking lots of sweet treats for birthdays, occasions, holidays, just because and not only for our family but for others. She was always wanting to learn new skills and talked about getting her cottage bakery license. Unfortunately, that dream she had never came to pass. It got me thinking about my own business. If I was able to be as successful as I was alongside a full-time job, how much more successful could I be if I devoted 100% of my time to my business?! Although an extremely risky leap to take, after much prayer and discussion with my husband, I decided to take a MASSIVE leap of faith and leave my full-time job to pursue my small business full-time. Were we in a position financially to do it? No. Did I have years and years of experience under my belt to carry me through?! No. Did I know exactly how this was going to work?! No. All I knew was that I was supposed to take this leap of faith.
I submitted my resignation the end of July 2022 and told my job that I would work through August 31st to allow them time to find someone else for my position. My mom was so excited when I told her what I was doing. She was the inspiration behind taking this leap of faith. I was scared, but I also felt in my heart that this is what the Lord was telling me to do – to take this leap of faith, to walk on the water. I made the announcement out into the world and anticipated the last days of my full-time job.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out exactly as planned. On the evening of Wednesday, August 31, 2022 my mom went to Heaven after her almost year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. My employer was amazing to work with in letting me extend my time with them for another month as I didn’t yet have all of my ducks in a row to leave. But, I truly believe the timing of my mom’s passing was significant. It was as if the Lord and my mom were saying there is now nothing standing in my way of pursuing my small business full time – no taking care of her, no travel, no more worrying about her – it’s now time to fully take my leap of faith.
October 1st I will celebrate ONE YEAR of being a full-time small business owner. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I know it’s not supposed to be. Every single day/week/month has allowed me to grow in my faith and trust God even more to provide.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I’m Bobbi Jean, owner and maker and all the things at BobbiJeanK: Baubles & Designs. I’ve always been a crafty and creative person most of my life. I truly enjoy creating and making things. Throughout my life I’ve had small endeavors of creating wreaths, signs, earrings, and more. After leaving my teaching position of 11 years back in 2018 and entering the business world, I noticed that I had more time in the evenings that I wasn’t able to fill because I was always so used to being busy with the tasks of teaching. In October 2019, I decided to pick back up earring making and make some pairs for myself. Little did I know that my small crafting adventure would lead to a full-time small business.
I handcraft earrings from a variety of mediums – leather, wood, acrylic, and clay. I hand cut, die cut, and laser cut all materials as well as hand paint and stain many designs. I create both dangle and stud earrings. I also offer gift-able options such as reusable natural burlap wine bags, keychains and key fobs, bookmarks, custom engraved pencils and note pad holders, and seasonal items such as ornaments at the holidays. One of my favorite things is to make gift-giving easy for my shoppers, so I try to incorporate ways to purchase items that are immediately gift-able to the recipient or can even be sent directly to them.
BobbiJeanK: Baubles & Designs was born out of need to provide for my family during the pandemic. It allowed me to not only provide for our family, but it also allowed me the creative outlet I have always loved having throughout my life. I have a close-knit Facebook Community of women who cheer for each other, pray for each other, support each other, and more. It’s not just about showcasing and selling my items. It’s a community where they all feel welcomed. I always say that I have the best customers and shoppers in the world. I’ve made so many friends virtually through my business and have created lasting friendships and relationships. I’ve worked hard to cultivate a welcoming community via my social media platforms and an easy-to-use website. I am also available to chat openly about other ideas that my customers have and have brought many of them to life.
I am so thankful that I get to do what I do on a daily basis as my full-time “job.” I get the chance to wake up every morning and be creative, making pretty things. Another great thing about my business is that 80% of the items I use in my business are sourced from USA-based businesses, so when purchasing from BobbiJeanK: Baubles & Designs shoppers are supporting multiple small businesses at once.
In addition to offering a wide variety of earrings and gifts and our amazing community, every purchase also gives back to a cause that is near and dear to my heart. When you purchase from BobbiJeanK: Baubles & Designs, you’re not only purchasing cute accessories and gifts and supporting a small business, but you’re helping to give back to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) in memory of my mom who battled pancreatic cancer between August 2021-August 2022. $1 from every order each month is donated to PanCAN, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to take bold action to improve the lives of everyone impacted by pancreatic cancer.
If you’d like to read a bit more about me and my story, be sure to check out “Meet the Maker – Bobbi Jean” – https://bobbijeank.com/pages/meet-the-maker-bobbi-jean
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
After realizing that my “hobby” was becoming more, I started marketing my business on social media platforms. My first move was a Facebook group which I refer to as a Community because that’s exactly what it is. I then started a Facebook business page as well as an Instagram.
Instagram is definitely a different “beast” in terms of growth. It is slow going, but it is possible through Stories and Reels. Facebook business pages are a great “storefront” for businesses to showcase items, products, services, etc. I like to think of the business page as someone looking at the outside of a store – looking at the displays in the windows, the signage, etc.
Where it’s at for me is my Facebook Community, otherwise known as a group. A group is more like being invited into a store – you get the inside scoop, being a VIP member, a more intimate community. I personally have my group set to “private” as I want the members to feel safe and secure to share their photos, questions, comments, etc. without a massive public audience being able to see. A group is where you can “let your hair down” so to speak.
I have worked hard over the past several years to cultivate an inviting space in my Facebook Community. The members get first dibs on new releases, which can often sell out, before they go live on the website. Members also get perks such as exclusive preorders, giveaways, and more. Members share their photos of their purchases (we love to call it “Happy Mail”), photos of themselves wearing their earrings, the gifts they got for their child’s teachers or coworkers, and more. We also have fun with some silly posts, National Day posts, and more. The ladies in my group were also there for me throughout the ENTIRE process of my mom’s cancer journey. Because my business had to ebb and flow with my travel schedule when I took my mom to appointments, I kept my community updated on her progress. They were all incredibly patient, understanding, and caring. And they allowed me so much grace, especially after her passing. I truly love all of the ladies in our community. I always tell people that I have the best shoppers ever because they’re such amazing people inside and out.
I could talk for HOURS about building your audience on social media, but one of the main points to remember is that it takes TIME. We are so used to being in a culture that values and almost pushes instant gratification. It takes time and patience to build a following on social media. It will not happen overnight. And, another great point to remember is that more people doesn’t always equal more profit. I am a part of multiple Facebook groups devoted to small business and boutique owners, and one of the most common questions is how can people grow their groups and following to have more people and do it quickly. The key is to cultivate your following so you’re attracting the right people who will follow you and support you. A person with 20,000 people in their group isn’t necessarily making more money than me who has 1,300 people in my group. Slow, steady, and ORGANIC growth will always win.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
When deciding to take my business to the next level, I knew I wanted to start my own website. I personally think that Shopify is the most robust website platform out there. I built my website on my own from the ground up. I am a tech savvy person, so it was relatively easy for me. I have since redone my website with a new template to update it since first launching it in early 2020. Many customers are impressed to find out that I manage my website completely on my own. I wanted to know that I have control over all aspects of how it looks, runs, and operates. And while I do a lot of sales via my Facebook Community, I still use my website to send invoices. I absolutely love having the flexibility of my own website and knowing that I can control how it looks and operates. I have been nothing but satisfied with Shopify. The only real “con” to having your own website is that you are responsible for driving your own traffic to it. Throughout the past several years of having it, I have increasingly been getting orders from shoppers other than my normal customers who have been finding me via Google, a search of some sort, seeing my website link somewhere, or a current customer sharing it. Again, slow, steady, and organic growth.
I did have an app that was directly mirrored from my website, but I since stopped using it earlier this year. Unfortunately, the app host was raising prices that I could not justify. Instead, I have since switched to using a texting platform that has already proven to be a better move.
Earlier this year I did decide to open an Etsy shop. I have always been an avid shopper on Etsy, but I swore that I would never sell on the platform. A fellow small business owner encouraged me to give it a try just to have another avenue of income. I started an Etsy shop and have been very slowly making sales. It is a lot more work than my own website as perfecting SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is key on the platform. It’s not my main focus, but I am slowly building it and working on it. My first and foremost priority will always be my Facebook Community combined with my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bobbijeank.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bobbijeankbaublesanddesigns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bobbijeankbaublesanddesigns
- Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bobbijeank
- Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BobbiJeanKDesign
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bobbijeankeesling/
Image Credits
Bobbi Jean Keesling (all photos taken by me)