We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meghan Allen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Meghan, appreciate you joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?
My parents had several business ventures of their own that I got to witness growing up. I watched them succeed and fail and pick themselves back up as business owners time and time again. I had no reason to believe that wasn’t possible for me as well. Another thing worth noting is that they never pushed anything on me. I never felt pressured to continue on with a sport or activity, and I certainly never felt pressured to go to college or pursue a specific career in order to be successful. They gave me space and freedom to figure out what I enjoyed, what I was good at, and what I wanted to do. I never felt like I had to go after something conventional, practical, or safe. I credit much of the success in my journey to them for that.
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?
I own an online store of handmade jewelry and accessories. I started making polymer clay earrings in 2019 as a hobby & side-hustle. It grew quickly and I found myself working long nights trying to keep up with orders, but also just overflowing with creativity that I had to pour out somehow. It was exhausting but I was having so much fun. It eventually grew to the point where I was able to quit my job and work on Clay + Bloom full time starting in late-2020.
My goal is to make jewelry that makes people feel instantly more confident when they put it on. I want to make jewelry that’s interesting and intriguing. I love working with vibrant colors and irregular shapes. I believe a pair of statement earrings can complete a whole look and make somebody feel beautiful.
I’m proud of the community I’ve built online. It doesn’t just feel like a business or a brand, but a huge group of friends that have come together online to support one another. I try to interact with people online as much as I can. In the thick of the pandemic, I got so many messages from people saying things like “your earrings have motivated me to get ready for the day and make the most of working at home!” or “I wore your earrings on a zoom call and everybody loved them!” I value my customers so much. They’ve given me immense support, and I’m honored that my work has brought them joy as well. I want people to know that when they purchase from Clay + Bloom, they’re also becoming part of a community that is so dear to me.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I made a big change to my business model at the beginning of this year. Up until this point, I had been doing bi-weekly restocks and new product launches, trying to keep up with demand and also creating new designs for the changing seasons and trends (keep in mind that I make everything myself!). It was getting exhausting, and I knew it wasn’t sustainable. That’s when I had the idea for the Signature Collection, which is a collection of my core designs. These are earrings that have sold out time and time again and they truly represent the C+B brand. I spent six weeks doing almost nothing but creating tons of back stock of these designs so that they would be available to purchase anytime. I launched the collection in January and it’s been going really well. I work on new batches when I notice things are running low. In addition to that, I do monthly “limited edition” launches, and those are pieces that I get to be a little more creative with and use seasonal colors, patterns, etc. I feel like this model helps me to manage my time better and also helps to avoid burnout. It’s given me space to grow as a business, and it’s also given space for the things in my personal life that need attention and growth as well.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process./
Making jewelry means I am essentially the manufacturer of the finished product, but I do have to source a lot of supplies in order to make everything. I would say that after almost two years of running Clay + Bloom full-time, I am just now in a spot where I am comfortable and confident with all my suppliers and the materials I use. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out not only what I liked, but what made a piece of quality jewelry that would last and look good for a long time. I’m naturally a very frugal person, so I understand it can feel risky and like a waste of money to try out lots of different materials and supplies, but how else will you learn what works? What works for one business may not work for yours, and it’s worth the time, effort, and money to make sure you’re getting it right. I’ve learned that it’s better to invest in creating a quality product upfront than having to invest in damage control later.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopclayandbloom.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopclayandbloom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopclayandbloom
- Other: You can order my new book, “Handmade Clay Jewelry: A Beginner’s Guide to Creating Stunning Polymer Earrings, Necklaces, and More” on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1645674886/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i0