Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shelley Limpert. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shelley, appreciate you joining us today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business
Oh my god. I was just starting Valley of the Beads. I mean like first few weeks and the moms at drop off at my daughter’s school were my first customers and they were so supportive and so excited for me except for this one mom. Let’s call her Lessica. She was supportive at first. She was buying bracelets for her and her mom, I would custom design pieces for her with pink rose quartz as she was a cancer survivor, I would design pieces for her sick aunt or whatever but I thought we were good. So things really start moving for Valley of the Beads and she reached out and asked where I was getting my beads from. I stupidly tell her, and she starts her own jewelry business trying to design the same things I was doing. She called me one night to tell me and I was so upset I shook the dresser in my vanity and the whole house shook. Fast forward a few months when she really was losing her fake customers she ended up just selling other people’s jewelry from China but like a low end QVC and moved to Calabasas (they usually do) and I get to have my little slice of heaven.
Shelley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m really proud of the brand we’ve created at Valley of the Beads. It’s nice to know that certain people you meet and work with can come in to your life in such unexpected ways. I worked for this advertising agency Crew Creative a few years back. Oh man did we have fun. I worked under Julianne LaMarche and she taught me so much about marketing. She got to build an incredible team of the most talented art directors, creative directors, designers, developers, and project managers you’ve ever seen. Then, we had the most diverse and interesting clients and we actually got to create something so special. I’m so proud of the work we got to do. Just this past Sunday, Valley of the Beads had our first pop up shop and was lucky enough to be a part of the JCL Edit, which is curated by Julianne LaMarche. It was at The Aster in Hollywood and was such a fun event I’m still filling orders!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I really feel that any business which starts or stays afloat during the global pandemic is a real frigen badass. I was just talking with my girlfriend the other day and she said “We are survivors” and I don’t think people realize that yet. Someone should be running in the streets saying “we are survivors” but then they would be taken away so maybe not that far but still it’s really remarkable how much we had to be resilient about you know? This will age me and its so cheesy but I often think of “You’ve got mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and the small little bookstore that could. There’s so many obstacles and crazy roadblocks but there is no giving up when it’s your business. That’s just not an option. And I guess I would say that is the ultimate resilience to me, just not giving up. There’s no time for “why me, why did I have to start a business during the great global pandemic that happens every 100 years?” It’s about saying “We are f*cking badass mofos and I’m going to create that for people to wear as a badge of honor. She’s going to be so mad that I’m saying this but My daughter was sick with a rare neurological disorder with Guillain Barre Syndrome and became paralyzed and had to relearn how to walk again at 10 years old. She never once said “Why me?” or felt sorry for herself in any way. She is a warrior and I designed the “Brave” bracelet for her and her bravery. She is the epitome of resilience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://valleyofthebeads.com
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