We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sammy-Jo Rocco a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sammy-Jo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Known for our bold statement jewelry that brings out your inner confidence, our mission is to inspire everyone to celebrate their individuality. From one of a kind statement jewelry to my small batch collections, I’m most proud of how our jewelry makes people feel. Our customers select the jewelry that they identify with most, knowing they are one of the few to ever own it. The ability to customize each piece is liberating and an act of self expression that we’re passionate about offering to every individual. JoRocco’s exclusivity to our customers is what fuels my creativity. My greatest hope is that our customers feel seen, and that I, in some small way, encourage them to take a moment to reflect on their deepest desires.
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
For me, JoRocco is a knowing I’ve had inside of me since I was a little girl . It started when I would stay up late to bead necklaces that matched my school outfits in the seventh grade and evolved to realizing work would feel liberating if I could manage to turn my love for jewelry into a functioning business. Fast forward seven years later, my jewelry had a name – JoRocco. JoRocco is how I would wake up every morning when my mom would enter our bedroom singing “Samantha-Jo Rocco!” The name felt like a natural choice- it’s both masculine and feminine, and there seemed to be nothing more aligned with how I would express myself. JoRocco felt like the perfect manifestation of my entire life, and suddenly I had a clear path to walk on.
At the time, I was between JoRocco and Calla Lily, and when a classmate exclaimed that JoRocco is “too masculine,” I knew in that moment I had created something that would challenge traditional ideology. This bold foundation is the armor surrounding every design I create, as well as the functionality of the brand. Today, when I make a decision for my business, it’s using that same gut instinct that knew to pick JoRocco.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The idea that success equates to suffering and extreme sacrifice is a lesson I’ve had to unlearn, and am still working through. I used to believe that my well being meant I wasn’t sacrificing enough for my business to be successful. While growing a business is a big responsibility for many reasons, the idea that my quality of life cannot exist alongside my success is a limiting belief I’ve carried. I’m still working through finding a balance that works for me. The glorification of overworking is extremely dangerous. In my most profitable season, I was at my lowest both physically and mentally. This is sometimes the reality behind the shimmer of our successes, and in this chapter of my career, I feel so comfortable speaking my truth. It’s important for other entrepreneurs to know that they aren’t alone in their journey. It’s up to us to be fully transparent and supportive of each other.
Have you ever had to pivot?
For me, one of the most exciting parts of entrepreneurship is that we are never done learning and growing. As my business evolves, so do my goals. I look at JoRocco as my foundation, and truly enjoy evolving the business in different areas. In that way, I don’t feel limited to selling solely in store or online. We sell with incredible retailers worldwide, participate in JoRocco events, send our jewelry to set, etc. The pivots we’ve had have always activated areas of the business we couldn’t have anticipated without life happening naturally. These are all of the wheels that keep JoRocco moving, and I’m so grateful for such an eclectic portfolio.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jorocco.com/
- Instagram: @joroccojewelry
Image Credits
@samayahjaramillo