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

Alright, Karen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My pieces are artisan made… I came across something very similar to what I make now in Playa Del Carmen Mexico. After figuring out how to make the piece I started producing them for myself, i received compliments and offers to purchase off of my body. This is when I knew I had something to sell. I had worked retail my entire life….once for a big corporation and once for a very high end Boutique….this definitely helped with being able to market my pieces. I consider my pieces Boho/western…. I started marketing high-end boutiques in Tourist destinations, which proved to pay off for me. Since my pieces are so labor intensive I was quite sure I wasn’t going to be knocked off, which has proved to be right

Karen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My necklaces are long strands of freshwater pearls hand knotted with flat suede lace. I compare it to CHANEL with all the layered pearls but has more of a Ralph Lauren vibe. It is all artisan made by me. I started my business when I was fifty. I thought I would sell a few necklaces here and there…. I was in for a surprise!! I couldn’t believe how many stores wanted to carry my line.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The quality of my pieces. My customer service. my loyalty to my wholesale accounts. I build my following and my footprint by traveling the US doing pop-ups and trunk shows, meeting your customers is very important.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think I am actually in that moment right now. I have for a long time. Wanted to hire someone to manage my social media, hoping to build more website sales. It is a huge financial investment, but I made the pivot this week.

Contact Info:

• Website: Tessandtomy.com
• Instagram: Tess.tomy
• Facebook: Tess &tomy