We recently connected with Janaya Buck and have shared our conversation below.
Janaya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Prior to starting Onyx & Ivory Handmade, I owned a wildly successful clothing boutique that primarily operated through social media. I began that boutique in 2017 and was doing pretty well… then the big “c” hit; Covid. This meant more people were displaced from their normal brick and mortar jobs and were now working from home (myself included). I felt then more than ever that eyes were on me and people were ready to occupy their time with whatever means necessary to provide entertainment and a little bit of joy to their questionable surroundings.
At this time, I was working at a design agency, while I also owned my clothing boutique, which I operated about 30-40 hours per week. I always felt that I had a pretty unique business model, operating primarily online while selling women’s clothing. I took a lot of pride in how I was able to accurately size my customers, understand their likes and dislikes, and remember them going forward. That way, when I got a new shipment in, I knew before they did what items they were going to want next.
During this time, I decided to create an extension of my clothing boutique to also include accessories and jewelry. To me, that was an opportunity to scale my business and offer “the full package” when it came to completing an entire head-to-toe look. Initially, it took off. My customers loved being able to shop in one spot to get almost their entire new outfit to treat themselves to.
The further into Covid we got, the harder it became to get my shipments. I was spending so much time looking for other reliable vendors, sourcing products, etc., and then when I would get those shipments, the quality was lacking or the orders themselves were incorrect. Add in the amount of time it would take to get a shipment and it was quickly turning into way more than I could chew; owning a clothing boutique, working full-time at an agency and now the accessory portion of my business on top of it. It was too much.
I’ve always been what I like to call a “creator.” Whether it’s graphic design, illustration, crafting, you name it – I’ve tried it! I was having a conversation with a friend about my issues sourcing products and made a “joke” about how it would be easier if I just “made the damn jewelry myself,” and there it was; the official birth of Onyx & Ivory Handmade.
I knew I wanted a material that would be relatively easy to get my hands on. Something that I could use to create unique, one-of-a-kind looks to add in an extra layer of “ooo’s” and “ahhh’s” from not only my existing customers, but the general public as well.
Polymer clay seemed like the natural material to test out first. It took one trip to our local craft store and about $100 worth of supplies to create my first batch of “prototype” earrings, that sold out in under an hour to my closest friends and family. The thought of simply creating jewelry to pair with my clothing products quickly turned into a, “What if I could use this to supplement my full time job and finally become the stay at home dog mom I’ve always dreamed of?” (I’m only kind of kidding when I say that).
Spoiler alert, not even three months after the official online launch of my jewelry business, I was quitting my full-time job and going all-in… with my three dogs snuggled closely in my studio space with me. I’m now exclusively working from my studio space in my home and don’t have anyone else to report to other than myself. I made it. *shouting from the top*
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Let me take you all the way back, in the fastest way I can without leaving out any juicy details.
I went to Kutztown University, where I was a dual major in Graphic Design and Illustration. I also minored in Professional Writing, which I feel is where my “unicorn glow” truly started to shine. I’ll explain that in a bit, I promise.
After graduating, I held creative positions in just about every vertical; hospitals, banks, restaurants, theater, sports equipment and even dental marketing. One key factor remained true no matter where I went — I was taken advantage of.
The moment I started to show all of that earlier “unicorn glow” that I mentioned, it was all of a sudden my job to do a bunch of unrelated tasks, under the guise that it was somehow related to what I was hired for. Yuck, right?
I job hopped for years until I finally found an agency that I felt really understood what it meant to be a Graphic Designer. However, after about a year and a half of being there, that quickly wore off. I found myself doing copywriting, social media management, content curation… you name it, if I was capable of doing it and doing it well, it was now my responsibility. Something else that remained the same? My pay.
I had heard every excuse in the book as to why my meager salary was what it was. From “the median pay-grade for our geographic location is XXX” (as if where I lay my head at night should have anything to do with the level of skill and talent I harness), to “Well, you’re young. You’ll work your way up eventually.” Nevermind the surmounting pile of college loans I had, I was young! Who cares! *insert dramatic eyeroll here*
I was annoyed, to say the least. So when the opportunity to supplement my full-time salary with jewelry making came into light, I jumped on the opportunity to make it a reality. I was finally in charge of making my own dreams come true, rather than doing the heavy lifting for someone else to live out their dreams.
What I didn’t know was that my jewelry business would quickly (before I hit my one-year anniversary) become so successful it would allow me to also give up my clothing boutique, so I could focus solely on perfecting my craft. That was an extremely difficult decision, but looking back, one I don’t regret one bit.
One of the most proud accomplishments of my business Onyx & Ivory Handmade, is that when I say I built it from the ground up, it’s almost like it came from the ashes of every wrong-doing I had experienced across 10 years of time in the corporate world. I designed my own logo, website, jewelry cards… all the things! Every piece of my brand has been touched by me and only me, and that has truly allowed me to harness something extra special that a lot of other brands may lack.
The name for my business is related to color, because I, myself, am a self-professed “color queen.” Onyx and ivory aren’t perfect shades of black or white; just like the art of handmade. No matter how many years of experience you may have, there’s always going to be minor imperfections which is what sets you apart from other artists, and what makes handmade items so special. They’re truly one-of-a-kind, just like the people that choose to wear them.
Over the years, I’ve been able to experiment with tons of different techniques, materials, etc., and have truly honed in on who I am as a jewelry maker. Most people can recognize my work because I use bright, bold colors and have become so refined in the finishing, that most newcomers don’t believe me when I say it’s made from polymer clay.
I like to think I, myself, have a magnetic personality. Typically people will tell you, “You’ll know Janaya’s nearby because you’ll hear her before you see her.” I can usually be the one in a group of people that you can count on getting a laugh out of, whether it’s because of something goofy I did or a story I’m telling about something silly I’ve witnessed. I truly think this sets my brand and business apart from others as well. Not only is my work memorable, but I am, too.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
You’re never going to please everyone.
When I first started out, I was what I’d call a “glorified people pleaser.” Because of this, I burnt out way quicker than I ever anticipated I could. That’s coming from someone with undiagnosed ADHD who’s used to doing all the things all at once.
The art of handmade should be fun and fulfilling to the creator themselves. Do I understand how to run a successful business, and that there has to be some give and take? Yes, absolutely. Or I wouldn’t be here today.
Though I will say that I’ve tuned out a lot of the “noise.” I’ve found what I feel is a great balance between making the things I want to make, and then modifying those designs/shapes/colors to reach a broader audience.
Though I will say, I can be stubborn sometimes. The most frequent comment I hear is, “Can you make that in silver?” And even though the answer may be yes, for me, it’s a no. Every piece I create is designed with intention from the moment the idea forms, to the moment it gets put on the final card for presentation and sale.
Furthermore, that’s what sets me apart — my style. I’m confident in my work and that there’s very few artists that can manipulate clay in the same way that I do, to give you tiny works of art to wear and be proud of.
Plus, you remember I’m a self-professed color queen, right? There’s no way I’m using silver furnishings for a gorgeous jewel-toned set of earrings!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Oh, social media. You fickle little thing, you.
My business model is unique, in that I use a private group on Facebook to reach my top customers. It’s an intimate group of VERY carefully curated women (zero men allowed, sorry boys), that harnesses a safe space to share photos, OOTDs, funny memes and whatever else feels relevant.
I treat my private group like one big group chat with my closest girlfriends, because in reality, that’s exactly what it is. They get to see me when I’m having my best days, and my worst. They get to see me be vulnerable and watch as I struggle.
The biggest benefit to this, aside from their unwavering loyalty and support, is the community it’s naturally built. This group of 230 women are absolutely, without a doubt, some of the strongest, most resilient women I’ve personally had the pleasure of knowing… even if it’s solely an online relationship.
Having a background in social media management truly helped me keep on the forefront of the algorithm and what new strategies to try. Most of my success has shamelessly come from good ol’ trial and error. I’ll proudly admit I have never, and will never, use paid ads on social to reach a “bigger audience.” I have a pretty loud opinion on that, but we’ll save it for another day. Don’t tell Zuck.
Instead, I’ve focused on harnessing strong relationships with my customers, in turn, earning their loyalty. What ends up happening in the long run is those loyal customers then share my business with their favorite friends and family members. That then creates a whole new wave of loyal customers that I didn’t have to find myself. See where this is going?
Sure, I have a pretty decent following on Instagram (17k) and have had multiple reels go viral (5m views) or trend for several weeks. But I will be the first to tell you very few of my new customers come from Instragram. Instagram, to me, is my playground. It’s where I can show fun/funny content, behind the scenes looks, and more. I treat it as a mini portfolio for the what’s and why’s inside my head as I create my work, with no added pressure to try to be something I’m not.
I do also have a public Facebook page, but I’ll be honest, I just created that at the tail end of last year. To me, the reason I finally caved and did that was because a lot of Markets and Craft Show hosts create events on Facebook, and then want to tag you and your business through only that platform. I truly felt like I was missing an opportunity to wrangle in a few new eyeballs in the very least, so I gave in and created a page. There, I share some behind the scenes content, along with where I’ll be at in-person markets or what new collections I’m launching next.
Shoutout to “my herd!” You know who you are and I am so immensely grateful for your continued love, laughter and support.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://onyxandivoryhandmade.com
- Instagram: @onyxandivoryhandmade
- Facebook: @onyxandivoryhandmade
