We recently connected with Kimberly Parkman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

While I design most of the handmade jewelry that I sell, there are a few items that I have to have parts made by an outside vendor. This step in the process adds a 2- to sometimes 3-week turnaround time for these items. While my customers are very patient, I like to make and ship orders in a more timely manner. In addition, I have so many ideas for jewelry designs but the creation time from start to finish can take weeks, sometimes months, if I’m not happy with the sample and need to have the design tweaked and a new sample sent out. For these reasons, I decided to take a risk and invest in the machinery to make these designs in-house. In a small business, every penny makes a difference and I try to not carry any debt- which means a large expenditure cuts into expenses or investments elsewhere in the business. Taking a financial risk like this is very intimidating, as not only do I not have the cash flow I once had but I also have a learning curve in setting up and learning how to operate a new complex machine. It also requires that I learn new software, which will also take time. When I announced this new endeavor to my customers, they were so incredibly supportive. Not only that but I immediately had wholesale requests, which is a 2023 goal of mine. The machine may not be fully paid off as of yet but the doors that have opened since I purchased it have shown me that it was a risk worth taking.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Belle & Ten began as an Etsy shop offering personalized and monogrammed items, specializing in custom designed decals. Over several years as a shop owner, I have had the opportunity to meet so many other talented shop owners and constantly found that I was reaching out to these makers to personalize their items for my customers. With a background in retail and manufacturing and a love for the maker movement, I decided the day had come to open my own store- and knew exactly where to go to stock it.

As the principal designer at Belle & Ten, most of the jewelry, stationery and gifts are designed in-house. For the items that are sourced through an outside vendor, each item has been carefully selected to ensure quality while also retaining a sense of uniqueness- and of course, the ability for the item to be personalized. I am passionate about promoting and uplifting other small shop owners and make every effort to provide you with items that are small batch, handmade and support other small businesses. Each item is one that I wear, have given as a gift myself or have in my own home so I truly believe in our products!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Since my business primarily focuses on jewelry and gifts, the most effective strategy has been to give these items as gifts myself. I make sure to have my logo somewhere on the item, whether it’s on the packaging or the product itself. I wear my jewelry every single day and always have business cards ready to hand out. I used to shy away from promoting myself- when someone would compliment my jewelry, I’d just reply with a polite “thank you.” I just had to face my fear of over-promoting myself- because I realized that I wasn’t even promoting myself. I’ve found that my items are unique enough that people are genuinely impressed when they hear that I made or designed something on my own!

How did you build your audience on social media?

My audience on social media has been entirely organic, which I know is not the best strategy, especially with all of the “experts” out there. However, my business is also based on personal connections and truly getting to know my customers. There is absolutely no way I could have done that if I didn’t manage my accounts myself. I mainly have a presence on Instagram at the moment but Pinterest is also an amazing source of traffic and referrals for me. What I like about Instagram is that you control the content and how you interact with people. I get very down and dirty about real life sometimes and don’t always show the perfect picture or try to maintain that my life and business are perfect. I’m a mom and a business owner and while I may wear lots of jewelry and look put-together every day, my life is normal and full of the typical chaos that comes with having kids, just like my customers’ lives. I’m also very intentional about answering every comment and every DM myself, even if it’s a simple “hello.” I hold Live sales every month, which can be very awkward because you are the only one talking while your customers just reply in the comments. Is it intimidating being on “camera” for everyone to see? Yes. Is it worth it to build your customer base? Absolutely. I once had a customer tell me that she felt like she knew me personally so I know that this is the strategy that I want to continue with until the time comes that I am forced to pivot.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.belleandten.com
• Instagram: @belleandten
• Facebook: facebook.com/belleandten
• Other: Pinterest.com/belleandten

Image Credits
Kimberly Parkman