Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to C.J. Bierscheid. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
C.J. , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?
I started my business during the initial Covid-19 lockdown. I was at a sales job that I hated and I found myself constantly wondering if there was more to life. I think we were all re-evaluating our situations, but a beloved family member of mine gave me the pep talk of my life that launched me into Christian Joy Bridal. Since March 2020, I have served 30+ custom brides and countless vendors on styled shoots. Between now and then, in just two short years, has been a journey! Brides of North Texas magazine found my Instagram and reached out to me for a potential partnership. I agreed, and I immediately felt like I had a “seat at the table” among other wedding industry professionals. This gave me the confidence boost I needed to see my company for what it could be. I ended leaving my corporate job and moving to Austin to surround myself with other creatives. I have since rebranded Christian Joy Bridal and I have a much clearer vision and aesthetic. I have amped up marketing efforts. I am on the cusp of making shorter dresses that I hope will be in stores soon.
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
I have always known I wanted to make wedding dresses. I went to Baylor for undergrad and majored in Apparel Design and Product Development. I tailored (no pun intended) both of my internships in New York and Dallas, respectively, towards bridal and evening wear. I decided to start my business with veils because they have a low overhead, and higher profit margin than dresses. I spent most of my time at my internships learning to make veils and other accessories, which is something I did not specifically learn in school. I am most proud of how I have put my dream to the test and it has stood the test of time! I am proud of how I juggle being a creative AND a business owner. I am proud of how far I have come in the last two years, and I am thankful for the brides and vendors I have been blessed to work with thus far. I enjoy custom quite a bit, but very excited to see my own designs on brides as well. I take myself seriously as a business owner (and creative), but not too serious! Bridal is fun, as it should be. Christian Joy Bridal is “classic design with a modern twist”. Meaning, I want my brides to feel like they have something timeless yet unique. I want my brides to look back on their pictures and still love what they wore and not feel “dated”. I love adding different little “twists” to my designs, like pockets or something unexpected. I put my designs to the test – if I wouldn’t wear it myself, why would I make it?
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
Anytime I tell anyone about my business, they immediately ask if I have an Etsy shop. The answer is no, and not because Etsy isnt wonderful – it very much is! I would probably get more direct sales if I were on Etsy. However, I wanted to present a strong front to stores and be more open to wholesale, which led me to have my own ecommerce on my website.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is a beast. Social media is also the best tool! Funny enough, I was playing around with “reels” last summer and ended up going *somewhat* viral – I had 500,000 views! This doubled my following! I have since hired someone to run my social media which has freed up some mental space. It can be draining to keep up with the ever-changing algorithms, but consistency is key! Consistency in posting AND aesthetic. It’s okay to pivot, but pick something and go with it while you can! I also think there is so much mixed information on how to post and when to post and what to post and again, don’t stress yourself out, consistency is key.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.christianjoybridal.com/
- Instagram: @christianjoybridal