We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Earnest. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.
Alright, Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.
We donate 10 percent of all sales to Carry the Future – an organization that provides critical aid to refugee families in need including supplying baby carriers, newborn supplies, and funding projects that create women-friendly spaces. Giving back is really important to us, and supporting women on a global scale in this way felt like the right fit and aligned with our mission.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started Feather & Rose when I was looking for a fun activity to do with my daughter. Jewelry making was something that we both enjoyed, and having matching jewelry was a fun way to feel connected. From there, Feather & Rose was born! I create motherhood inspired jewelry, and am most known for my mother-daughter bracelets. One thing that sets us apart from other jewelry brands is that each piece includes a written affirmation to make you feel encouraged and confident every time you put your jewelry on. We use gemstone and crystal beads, so the bracelets have special meaning and healing properties. For example, our Rose Quartz Motherhood Bracelet is made with rose quartz, a crystal that is known to support unconditional love. The written affirmation included states “I am filled with unconditional love.” Customers love buying our bracelets to give as gifts to new moms, to make them feel confident in their new role!
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
I handcraft all my own pieces, so figuring out manufacturing has definitely been a journey. When I got started, I only knew how to make lower quality pieces and had to do a lot of research to figure out how to perfect my technique, the right materials to use, and the right designs to ensure durability and longevity. I did a lot of YouTube tutorials! There was trial and error and mistakes along the way. I would give my pieces to my friends and family to have them test them out to make sure they weren’t going to break and that they were made to last. I would also take my beads and leave them out in the sun or leave them in a cup of water for a few days to make sure they weren’t going to fade or get discolored, things like that. I always test my materials like this before they become available for sale.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
That social media isn’t everything! I originally thought social media would be the way to grow my business, but it is a lot of work! I found myself spending way too much time trying to come up with content and posting and more than anything worrying and fixating on social media. I didn’t like how it was making me feel or how much time I was spending with very little results. When you are growing a business there is SO much on your to-do list and so many options to try out, so you really need to prioritize and figure out what is the BEST use of time. There are other ways to market and strategies you can utilize and it doesn’t have to be all about social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: shopfeatherandrose.com
- Instagram: @featherandroseshop
- Facebook: @featherandroseshop
Image Credits
Jesslan Lee Photography