We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lindsay Penaranda. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lindsay below.
Lindsay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.
When I was in the Corporate world our mission was “to help the most people, help the most people.” I believe that it isn’t just about helping one person. It’s about helping each person you meet be the best version of themself so that they may go out and in turn help others be their best. In doing so, your power to help others grows to places you could never imagine. When I started By Lindsay Clay Co. it was important to not only make affordable jewelry that women would love wearing, but to also continue to give back by donating a portion of proceeds. Donations started with each pair of earrings sold donating 10 meals to feed the homeless and has now grown to supporting additional charities within my community.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For 15 years I helped business owners tell their story through branding and social media. I served as COO of a branding agency servicing 3500 clients in 65 different countries while I was also Founder and CEO of a website/social media company that worked with clients from small business owners to Inc 5000 companies.
In 2020, yes in the midst of a global pandemic, I decided I needed “more.”
Not so much more on my plate… in fact, I needed less on my plate! But I needed to be more fulfilled, find more outlets to be creative and create more joy, for myself and others.
Many, MANY, moons ago when I was little I’d spend every second I could creating tiny figurines made of clay. My mother still showcases them around her house to this day.
Fast forward a “few” years, and my love for statement earrings but need for a lightweight option brought me to polymer clay earrings.
My love for design and long lasting love for clay finally all made sense and I started designing and creating earrings for my first collection.
Collection sounds so official, doesn’t it? I’ve always wanted to have a “collection” … Ok, so we’ll call it what it was, my first set of earrings I threw out there to see if others loved them as much as I did.
They did, and here we are.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Content is KING on the Internet. As algorithms change, that is the one constant that has held true since I started in business 16 years ago and it’s the one thing that EVERY successful business (online) has in common- the generation of current, relevant, content delivered directly to their niche that keeps people coming back for more. My advice to business just starting out- be thoughtful in your content plan. If you can’t do it yourself, hire a someone who can- way before you can afford it.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Pivoting is exactly how I started this business. I was “successful” in the Corporate world, but when life through us a curve ball in 2020 I realized what I was missing, what I could live without and what I needed more of. I wouldn’t say the Pandemic caused me to leave everything I had built behind, but the slower life for those first few months gave me just the pause I needed to realize it was time for a change. I had NO CLUE what I was going to do next, it was scary as hell. But, I knew what I was currently doing was no longer making me happy and that needed to change. Often times the scariest choices are the right ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bylindsayclayco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bylindsayclayco/
Image Credits
Jes Whiteford