We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lori Dreaden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea of my business came to me during a time in my life that was extremely difficult for me and my family. My youngest daughter was competing in a high school cheerleading competition and endured an injury to her neck and back of her head. Test results concluded that our Ella was actually born with a rare malformation involving the brain. In order to relieve the onset of symptoms following the cheer incident, Ella would have to have a neurosurgery procedure to remove a small portion of her skull. This procedure is to make more room for her brain by reducing pressure on the cerebellum and spinal cord and restoring the usual flow of spinal fluid. All are terrifying terms for a parent to hear. After much prayer and extensive research, we decided to move forward with the surgery, as it seemed to be the best and, well, only option to give Ella the opportunity to get back to being an active teenage girl who loved riding her horse as well as tumbling, hiking, etc…, Just a little under a month before Christmas in 2017, Ella had her first neurosurgery procedure at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. The surgery went great, and Ella seemed to be healing as expected, until her symptoms (severe headaches following any extra amount of pressure in her brain), came back. Ella would have to have another, much more invasive surgery to include a patch in the dura of her brain. Our active girl couldn’t even attend school most days because of the pain.
Ella was readmitted for the 2nd, more invasive surgery and was able to make it home by Christmas Eve. We were so happy to have Ella home for Christmas, as this is a holiday that is very important to our family. Just a day later Ella began experiencing headaches, accompanied by vomiting-both signs of a CSF leak. More time in the hospital. Ella had extremely rare complications, resulting in fluid being trapped on her brain. Many neurosurgeons (including one coming out of retirement for Ella’s case), came together and established a lifesaving plan to heal Ella. A final procedure was done, including a new synthetic patch in her dura, and titanium clips. FINALLY, our Ella was healed. And we were just thankful for whatever form of her we had, not having high hopes of getting the “old” Ella back and relying on prayer more than anything for what was to come.
During our stays in the hospital with Ella, I found myself relying on prayer, and creativity. Creativity has always been a source of comfort for me, my mom being the most creative person I have ever known; therefore, I grew up in a creative environment. Making bracelets was something that I could do in the hospital, and after making a few, I discovered (I had lots of time on my hands, so I watched LOTS of “how-to” videos) memory wire. As a busy mom of three, I loved the way the memory wire afforded me a way of making a bracelet “stack” that was both easy to wear as well as a way of keeping a favorite “stack” together-never losing a layer of the stack! In the beginning, I made for my family and friends. It wasn’t until I received many “where did you get your bracelet?” questions followed by strangers wanting to buy them, did I make the decision to make it all official. All of this came to light after our precious Ella was miraculously, completely healed! She is our walking, intercollegiate horse-riding miracle attending Auburn University. Thriving doesn’t come close to explaining Ella’s life now, and for that we are all so thankful to God!
The name of my company, Found, means so many things. During this, the most trying time in our lives as a family, we all “found” a much stronger faith in our savior. We “found” the strength to keep fighting for Ella. We, as Christians, were lost, but now, are FOUND. Luke 19:10

Lori, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Attention to detail, as well as the quality of components are a big part of defining our brand here at Found. A bit of a perfectionist, I have been known to spend hours designing a piece, taking it apart and putting it together many, many times before declaring it suitable to offer to our customers. At the same time, one of my favorite things to do as a designer is to mix metals, often breaking the unsaid “rules” of jewelry. We offer lines that range from conservative to what most would probably consider “over the top” designs. Both of these things set us apart from a lot of other jewelry companies. All of Found designs are handmade in small batches, never mass produced. Here at Found, we take pride in being able to make being stylish a little easier for busy moms. By simply adding a Found bracelet “stack”, or coil bracelet, moms that are “surviving” each hectic day can elevate any outfit. As a mom of three busy kids, I know what an impact it makes to feel “put together”, if only a little!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

An important lesson that I, as a designer, had to learn is that in business, sometimes saying “no” can be beneficial. After always having the mindset of never saying no to a customer, I realized that sometimes what the customer describes for the design of a piece of jewelry is not always what they actually want. It took more than a few tries of creating a custom piece exactly to the customers’ specifications to see this. I also sign all of my work, and I have learned that I HAVE to be proud of a piece to put my “signature” on it. I have learned that you can’t please everyone, and that is okay.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I definitely consider myself an Entrepeneur, and I am aware that it takes the occasional “pivot” to find success. However, if a new partnership requires a rush to the process or seems too good to be true-run. Run the opposite direction because the ONLY thing that truly pays off in the end when referring to business, is hard work, and patience. There is no easy or quick way to build a business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foundld.com
• Instagram: Found by Lori Dreaden