We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Lord recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
I knew I wanted it to be personal. I always sign off my name with an “x”. It’s a kiss. I use it in texts, emails, it’s really just a friendly habit – I’m pretty sure it’s a British thing! When I knew I wanted to launch a jewelry brand, my bestfriend and I were at the beach brainstorming ideas for my logo. I was wearing a t-shirt with an X on it. My friend said “realistically it should be something like that – since it’s literally your signature”. I knew she was onto something. This just triggered my creativity and a few hours later I had my name. I lived in Paris for 3 years filming my television series, Find Me in Paris. I fell in love with french culture as it became a big part of my life and I’ll forever cherish my memories there. As a huge advocate for spreading love, and a lover of French culture, it all made sense. The logo, meaning kiss or kisses, translated in French is “bisous”. I wanted to include the “x’ in the name, and technically kisses means more than one “x”, and thats how I landed with Bizouxx.
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.
My name is Jessica Lord and I love life!! I love love, I love people, I love laughing, I love animals, I love nature. My parents always taught me to follow my heart and follow my dreams. They also taught me a lot about hard work. My parents moved with my brother and I from a small town in the UK to Canada when I was 6, to give us a better life. I started dancing ballroom when I was just 4 years old. When we moved to our small town in Canada, there wasn’t really any other kids my age dancing ballroom, so that’s when I began training and competing in all styles of dance from ballet, to hiphop, to musical theatre. Growing up a dancer, there’s a certain level of confidence, self-discipline, willingness to learn and ability to take criticism gracefully. I truly believe these qualities have gotten me to where I am today and will continue to serve me throughout the rest of my life. I truly believe my abilities as a dance performer have brought me some of my greatest opportunities. As part of my college dance program, I had to do an internship. I had worked with casting director, Amy Wright, for a dance television series The Next Step, where I had booked a role in season 3 and 5 as Lola. Amy was casting another show that had a dance element so my professor allowed me to work with Amy for my internship. I was the coffee girl in the casting room and the reader for the actors auditioning. Long story short, after a week of the internship spending long days in the casting room, the casting team asked if I would discontinue the internship .. because they wanted me to audition for the lead role. I couldn’t believe it. I got cast as the star of a Disney series filming in Paris. This made me realize what I’m truly capable of and it really catapulted my acting career. After 3 years of filming my show, I decided to move to LA to try and break into the American film industry. It’s a whole other world in America. And I moved at the worst time.. Feb 2020. A month in and I was back in my countryside town in Canada hiding from the pandemic. Fast forward 3 years and just when things are starting to get back to normal in the industry, our union went on strike. Unable to express myself artistically through my craft during the strike, I took the opportunity to immerse myself in entrepreneurship. Because when one door closes, sometimes we can open our own. Both my grandparents and my parents started businesses from humble beginnings. I feel like it’s in my blood. The desire to launch my own business has always burned within me. In 2019, I embarked on creating a clothing line, but encountered some concerns around the team I was collaborating with, and I already have trust issues as it is lol. Determined to channel my passion and creativity into something meaningful, I decided to do it all on my own. I just launched Bizouxx this past December 2023. I’m learning something new every single day. It’s exciting, it’s overwhelming, it’s fulfilling, it’s scary and it’s fun. Bizouxx isn’t just about jewelry – it’s a reflection of my journey towards self-discovery and embracing the essence of womanhood. I wanted to create more than just pretty trinkets; I aim to inspire others to embrace their divine femininity, owning what makes us who we are and essentially deepening the relationship with ourselves. I want to empower and encourage others to really know themselves and unleash this intuition, sensuality, compassion and creativity. Understanding the divine feminine and bringing it into our daily existence can allow us to come home to ourselves and connect with oneself on a deeper level. I am so blessed to have incredible women in my life that have supported me every step of the way as I grow into the woman I am. For my very first launch, I decided to name my pieces after these women – my best friends including my mum and nana. This has made the launch of this brand even more meaningful and personal to me which has just driven more motivation into making this more than just a jewelry brand.
I handle almost all aspects of the business independently – working directly with my manufacturer, fulfilling orders, customer service, directing/funding/modeling video and photo shoots, marketing, social media management (with help from my dear friend Paige at The Paris Social agency). It’s a lot of work, especially in managing my time as this is essentially my side business as I continue to grow as an actress. But seeing the community of amazing women around Bizouxx grow, fills me with so much gratitude and excitement. It truly is so rewarding, and I couldn’t be more excited to see where the Bizouxx adventure takes me next.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Thanks to my acting career, I’m blessed to have a social media following of my own. Being only 4 months in, this has been my only source of marketing so far. And I’m very happy with the way things have been going. It just goes to show how powerful social media is when it comes to digital marketing and generating sales. I would advise those starting to build a social media audience to do 2 things. First – if you have the funds, hire a social media marketing manager/strategist. These experts can offer a variety of services to help you build your social media presence. This includes Social Media Strategy, Daily Content Calendar Management,Community Management, Influencer & UGC partnerships, Content Ideation and Development, Monthly Content Creation, Analytics Reporting & Tracking. I highly recommend connecting with my girl Paige at The Paris Social – she has been incredible. If you don’t have the funds, I recommend finding successful accounts that are also in your niche, and drawing creative inspiration from their content. Pay attention to what seems to be working for them and what doesn’t. Start creating content and post at least once a day. Engage with followers, respond to comments, reply to messages. Try to create content that people want to share with others, ask questions that allow others to engage. The second thing I would advise you to do is collaborate with content creators and entertainers. I suggest focusing on people that you think would respond well to your product/business. You can reach out to as many as you can, offer free gifting/service. If they agree and provide their mailing address, make the package personal and they will likely share with their followers. In most cases, you can ask the creator to give you a shoutout on their platform if they are happy with their products/service. Other than that, stay on top of trends and do your research.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
For a small business, fostering brand loyalty and maintaining good communication with clients is crucial. I have done this with social media and email marketing. I built an email list of customers and regularly send them updates about new product releases, promotions, and special events. I personalize my emails whenever possible so customers know they are valued and appreciated. I also share news, educational content, other small businesses, client spotlight, and specific perks for our loyal customers. Next, I plan to implement a customer rewards program that will offer discounts, exclusive access to new collections, or free gifts after a certain number of purchases. I also think consistent brand messaging is important. Customers are more likely to feel connected to a brand that they perceive as authentic and aligned with their own values.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bizouxx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopbizouxx/
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopbizouxx
Image Credits
ABIGAIL GORDEN