We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamie Phillips a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jamie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
I think it’s important to know how my designs and ideas came to be. The name, Herice, is my middle name, which is after my grandmother because we were born on the same day. Henderson comes from a small town in Texas where my grandmother grew up and my mother was born. I was extremely close to my grandmother and she passed away in 2017. Growing up, I never fully embraced my middle name because it was unique and know one heard of the name before. I would always get questions about the origin, how to pronounce it, and how to spell it. I actually tried to avoid any conversation about my middle name, Herice. Fast forward to adulthood, I dealt with some challenges over the past couple of years and I slowly started to think of the earring design, but couldn’t really connect the meaning behind why this particular design stuck with me. I kept envisioning the same design concept over and over. Then it was like an “ah ha moment!” Every design that I have, incorporates a circle and most of them have holes. The circle shape is the backbone of my brand. Circles represent totality, wholeness, original self. timelessness, completeness. Since circles have no beginning or end, they represent life. I see it as coming back to SELF.
As I continued to develop the concept, I thought about how everyone has a purpose. We are all searching for that “thing” that we were destined to do. How are we going to leave the world better than when we arrived? The holes symbolize the inner critic. The voice that sometimes tells us we are not enough. So, I designed the holes within the hoop to emphasize that we are always “whole,” we are always enough, despite our growth edges. The “holes” are in fact what we need to re-discover ourselves and our purpose. They are what make us great. Personally, this process, the circle, has brought me back to me. It brought me back to the name I tried so hard to stay away from most of my life. Herice is what makes me stand apart, and ultimately it’s what we are all striving for- to discover our authentic self.
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 am a Registered nurse by trade but I started designing my earring line at the beginning of 2021. I had no idea where to begin, but I had several designs that had to get out of my brain and on to paper! I hand sketched all of my designs and after much research, I was able to connect with a manufacturer that was able to bring my designs to life. I then began working with a web designer to create HericeHenderson.com. I think my pieces can cater to anyone, from sophisticated to edgy. I am most proud about taking a leap of faith-this was completely out of my wheelhouse, but I had this overwhelming voice inside of me telling me just to go for it. It’s really a dream come true and it’s so exciting to see all of my work coming together. I’m just getting started in this area, but I am so grateful for the people I have crossed paths with along the way. I truly believe that people come into our lives for a reason, and I am so appreciative of those who have helped make Herice Henderson possible.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I currently sell on my website. Initially, I made this choice because I was just getting started and I wanted to make sure I served customers efficiently.
Pros- Simple, great for first time business owner, able to manage the site and orders myself
Cons-not able to build relationships face to face, building organic customer base, unable for customers to see jewelry in person, try on, etc.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. I definitely have a village of family and friends in my corner and they have helped in this area. I’ve also had several repeat customers that have also purchased earrings for their family and friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.HericeHenderson.com
- Instagram: @hericehenderson
- Facebook: Herice Henderson
Image Credits
Wini Lao- photographer