We were lucky to catch up with Lindsey Carl recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I came up with Ellesee when I was finishing up my masters degree as a physician assistant. I wanted to have a creative outlet while also giving back to the community. I had always loved fashion growing up, I loved following the latest trends and looking at outfit inspo on pinterest but I knew I wanted to pursue my passion for healthcare as well. As I was getting ready to graduate from school, polymer clay jewelry was beginning to get really popular. I ordered some clay from amazon and used some cookie cutters I had around the house to start experimenting with making jewelry.

This quickly became a fun hobby and I was making jewelry for myself, friends, and family. I loved that I could make large statement earrings and they were so comfortable to wear. The amazing thing about polymer clay is that once it is baked it is almost weightless. Each pair of earrings weighs less than a quarter!

I then moved to Chicago which was absolutely a blessing for my business. I had become much better at creating jewelry that was high quality and looked great! This is when I started to really consider taking clay from a hobby to a business. I decided to make an etsy store and start sharing my passion with people outside of my circle. I came up with my business name – Ellesee – which is my initials spelled out L-C. I also wanted to give back to my community, especially women. For this reason, I donate a portion of every sale to a local women’s shelter. My aim and hope for my business is to make women feel beautiful and confident when they wear my jewelry all while helping women in their communities as well.

I started doing craft markets on the weekends and made some amazing connections in Chicago. I am so proud to have my jewelry featured in multiple boutiques in Chicago as well as in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Nebraska. I hope to continue to make great connections and bring my jewelry to other boutiques across the US!

It has been amazing to watch my business evolve and my skills improve. I learned a lot of lessons along the way and still continue to learn new things about being a woman in business. I hope that one day I can inspire other women to take a chance and really pursue something that they are passionate about. I never imagined Ellesee would be where it is today but I am so glad I took the chance and started this business!

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 25 years old from a small town in Pennsylvania and moved to Chicago after I graduated with my Masters in Physician Assistant Studies. I currently work in Psychiatry and love being an advocate for those with mental health problems. My business started out as a hobby that I began while I was finishing school.

My work really sets me apart from others because I combine multiple mediums with polymer clay, such as acrylic paint, resin, glass, and metals, to create unique and one of a kind pieces. The polymer clay jewelry market is really saturated with other amazing creators. I am constantly amazed by other women artists.

I make every piece with hope that that pair of earrings will make someone feel beautiful and more confident as soon as they put them on. I want people who purchase my jewelry to know that each piece was made with so much love and that they helped me to donate money to a local women’s shelter. I am so proud to be able to make a donation monthly.

As I continue to grow, I want to keep bringing awareness to current issues impacting women and really just support women with all different backgrounds, careers, and passions. I want to be a business owner that my customers feel comfortable to reach out with any questions or if they need some sort of support. I want to be their biggest cheerleader all while sharing my passion for polymer clay jewelry with the world.

One thing I am so proud of is that I have made earrings. I am able to color match to the brides color scheme and work with the bride to make her and her bridesmaids the perfect earrings for her special day. I can’t tell you the amount of joy and pride I feel when I get photos from the wedding sent to me and see the earrings being worn. It is just such an honor that brides choose Ellesee to be apart of such a special day in their lives.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am proud to have over 8,000 followers on instagram. I grew this following over the last 1.5 years. It was never easy but I never gave up whether or not my post got 10 likes or 10,000. I think the most important thing with social media is to remain consistent and to not give up! You really have to put in the work to reap the benefits. Social media takes a lot of time which I dont think people realize! Between taking product photography, editing, making process videos, finding music that compliments the content, etc it is truly a labor of love. I do enjoy this part of owning a small business but I know a lot of people do not. I have people messaging me all the time with help with instagram reels and the algorithms. It can be very frustrating but one day it all will be worth it!!

I love being able to connect with my customers through social media. It is a great way to get your business out into the world. I am able to message people who I met at markets or during personal appearances in stores and really get to know them and learn about what they want to see from me in the future. Its also so fun to see my jewelry being worn out in the world!! I love hearing feedback from customers and really do take their opinions into consideration for future collections. I am so thankful for my customers my business would not be where it is without them and I do thank social media for helping me stay in contact with them!

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

I think my high quality work and personality helped with my business’ reputation. I love to interact with customers in person which is why i frequently do markets on the weekend. I want my customers to know the woman behind Ellesee. I only use high quality materials and make sure my clay pieces are properly cured for every single piece of jewelry. I want my jewelry to last for a long time and hold myself to a high standard when it comes to product quality.

There is so much that goes into polymer clay which is why I like to share process videos of me making the jewelry. The clay needs to be properly conditioned which means rolling the clay through a machine until all of the bubbles and imperfections are gone. Once the clay is conditioned, I use different tools and cutters to make each shape. Next, the clay needs to be baked for an hour and cooled. Once the clay cools I sand the edges and drill holes to get ready for assembly. Depending on what type of earrings I am making this is when I add other elements such as resin, paint, or gold leaf. Then I assemble and card the earrings. Now they are ready to be sold! Each step needs to be done properly or the quality is compromised. It is truly a labor of love but the end result is worth it!

One important thing that has helped me build a good reputation for my business is offering a variety of styles. I want people to come into my market booth or look through my instagram and know they will find something they love no matter what their style is. I am happy to offer various collections for each season, holiday, and special occasion. I have a line specifically for brides for example. I also offer basic styles that can be worn every day in addition to statement pieces. I think this really shows an inclusivity for my brand. Everyone is always welcome at Ellesee!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElleseeWomen
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ellesee_creations_/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063888529882&_rdr
• Linkedin: N/A
• Twitter: N/A
• Youtube: N/A
• Yelp: N/A

Image Credits
All my own photos.