We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kahlia Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kahlia below.

Kahlia , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

The biggest risk I took was committing to AMOR DEUS full time. I went to school for fashion marketing and management I worked in the industry but in order to afford a more stable and reliable life I transitioned into finance. I didn’t love it or hate I just existed. I ended up having my son and when I went back to work after my leave I realized how much feeling nothing about a job made it so much harder to leave who I love. I began thinking about If I am going to be away from my child for 8-10 hours a day I need to do what makes me happy. AMOR DEUS had been up and running for a little over two years at this time but was only getting weekend/hobby attention but it was what I loved. In the middle of March 2023, I got up to get ready for work and instead of going in, I packed up all my work stuff and told them I wont be back. I left mine and my child’s stable income, insurance and other benefits to focus on my jewelry company. It is and continues to be scary especially in the way the economy has changed this year. I sometimes question if I made the right decision taking this risk, but at the end of the day I am happy when I am and are not working.

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 millennial & a mother who has always been into fashion and accessories. When I was ten years old my grandmother taught me how to embroider and make purses out of old jeans etc. so I always knew my future would be somewhere within the fashion industry. I went on to study fashion marketing & design which brought the realization that my favorite part of getting dressed is adding the finishing touches. The right jewelry can change any outfit.

The older I got and had to afford my own lifestyle I realized how much money and time I was spending on buying and searching for jewelry due to it tarnishing. I decided to combine my knowledge and passion into creating AMOR DEUS jewelry that is water and sweat resistant so that you no longer have temporary jewelry, but lasting jewelry where you don’t have to spend a lot of money and receive a luxury experience. I primarily provide womens jewelry while also a small selection of mens jewelry. The feedback I get from customers saying how the thank you note made them feel appreciated, the packaging is gorgeous and makes it easy to store their jewelry shows me that the small decisions I made continue to make a difference. I am proud of AMOR DEUS & that my manufacturers have made me a woman of my word. I state that I make quality jewelry that will not tarnish and myself and customers have been proof. I wore one of my anklets at the gym, beach, shower, pool and everywhere else for 13 months before one of the double layered chains broke. 395 days of continuous wear and exposure to the elements no color change. I am conducting this same experiment again with my walk in faith anklet as of this article, 8 months and no tarnishing and no damage.

AMOR DEUS: Latin for “God’s Love” also “Love, God” Everything I have done or ever will do is with his love guiding me and that love I want to continue to share with others. I am constantly doing giveaways, or adding additional items in orders as an appreciation for shopping with me. As AMOR DEUS continues to grow I look forward to staying focused on why and who I am doing this for, empowering women business owners, showcasing our AMOR Babes & expanding our men’s collection.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My largest audience is on Tiktok and that audience grew from telling my story and being me. People love a good brand story but their biggest why they shopped or worked with someone tends to be because of the people. Tell them what you overcame, share your journey, the highs and the lows. We know that no one is perfect but seeing that even people who look like they have it all together are also not together all the time makes you personable and when people can relate to you they are more likely to purchase your products or services.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Support those who support you. I wont say that I have a photographic memory but I do have a really good memory. With AMOR DEUS being a small business I am able to see/recognize familiar names easily. There are approximately 5 customers who have ordered from AMOR DEUS multiple times and continuously interact with AMOR DEUS on Social Media and I have made the effort to support them in similar ways. There is an Armenian singer ANI D, she was one of my first customers, she made a video doing an unboxing promoting AMOR DEUS, she wears them in her social media post and as recommended me for interviews. When she took the leap to release her music, I used it (and credited it) in my reels and Tiktoks giving her more exposure. A few of my other customers I have looked at their social media and noticed there birthday is coming up or just passed, or they just celebrated a big milestone. I will reach out to them and congratulate them and ask their permission to send them a gift. Your actions don’t have to be as big but commenting back, sharing their post about your product or service, commenting on their post that has nothing to do with you, sending out emails thanking them or wishing them a happy holidays those moments that some people say “aren’t a big deal” actually are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopamordeus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopamordeus_/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShopAmorDeus
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ShopAmorDeus
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@shopamordeus
• Other: TikTok: tiktok.com/@shopamordeus?lang=en

Image Credits
Felisha Carrasco