We were lucky to catch up with Summer Rothrock recently and have shared our conversation below.

Summer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I started my business at the age of 35 while working a full-time job and parenting a then 5 and 8 year old. I had been making jewelry for friends, family, and myself for years – my passion for spreading joy through jewelry actually started with a friendship bracelet stand in the front yard of my childhood home.

Right before starting my business I had worked my way up to a senior level position in my division at a large, public University. I loved my job but I felt a pull towards entrepreneurship in a way that I had never experienced before. I met with students daily to provide guidance, a listening ear, and support as they navigated their paths to their future endeavors. I would confidently tell them that they can have as many paths as they wanted, that they should believe in themselves, how to find the tools to support them, and to follow their dreams. But I wasn’t taking my own advice, I wasn’t following my dreams.

So one evening after the kids went to bed, I told my husband that I was going to start a handmade jewelry business. I had laid out my plan to managing a new business with our busy lives and I even set a timeline of one year. If I didn’t see some measurement of success or if it hurt our family in any way, then I would close the business after a year.

Five months after starting my business, the global pandemic hit. I started working remotely, supporting my kids virtual schooling, and running my business all from the same guest bedroom in our house. As time went on, I saw how the flexibility of owning a business from my home could support our family. The small business community around Pittsburgh was supportive and caring. My customers showed support to small businesses during really hard times and my business continued to grow as I poured my heart into it.

My University job was increasingly stressful and about a year into the pandemic I started losing my hair from the stress. I was almost at the one year mark in my business and I already knew that I wasn’t going to close the business but instead was going to embrace becoming an entrepreneur. I told my husband that I needed to make a change that would support our family but also allow me to prioritize myself and my health. So I proposed to my supervisor that I leave my senior level position for a part time position in the division. I love the work in higher education and know that I can use my experience to benefit students in a different position. This also allowed me to expand our in-home jewelry making studio and grow my business.

Entrepreneurship didn’t come naturally to me. It was truly learning a new career from the start and managing my expectations along the way. I’ve learned from failures, gained new skills, built a wonderful small business community, connected to my customers, and am excited about how much more I have to learn. But most importantly for me, my kids see me believing in myself. They help with the business, they attend my markets, they pack orders, and we celebrate business success as a family.

I believe that the timing of starting my business was right for me. I’m not sure I would have had the same journey if I had started earlier. I needed to have my career experiences so I could prioritize the right path for me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I founded Leo and Lynn Jewelry to provide handmade resin, gemstone, stamped, and beaded jewelry for real life. Women have many roles in their days and lives and I strive to create jewelry that makes them feel like their best self through all of those roles. My jewelry transitions to the office, school pick up line, Target runs, special events, date nights, and all the places our wearers need to be in a day.

I had been making jewelry for many years before starting my business. I saw a need for high quality, casual, every day jewelry. I heard from other women that they bought a cute pair of earrings at a big box store and the earring irritated their ears, or they fell apart after a few wears. Casual jewelry should not add more stress to your life. Leo and Lynn Jewelry is focused on creating casual jewelry that adds ease to your life.

Leo and Lynn Jewelry uses high quality, nickel free metals to create pieces that are easy to wear, have a classic style with a touch of whimsy, and are comfortable. Our jewelry is all made in small batches and we offer limited edition seasonal collections, and a classics collection filled with our bestselling designs available all year round.

I’m most proud that the jewelry I create is with my customers during their every day moments. It’s a way to connect us as women and share our lives. I smile every time I see someone wearing my jewelry at their kids birthday party, out to lunch with their partner, leading a meeting at work, or just relaxing on their couch. I believe in the magic of every day and my jewelry is a reflection of that.

I also offer free repairs because I know that life happens and sometimes jewelry gets damaged. I want to be with my customers for the life of their jewelry.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m sharing this lesson but I must also be honest that I’m still unlearning it. It took me a while in my business and in my life to learn that I cannot possibly do it all or be everything to everyone. As a one woman business owner, I do it all – design and make the jewelry, order supplies, all marketing, social media, order fulfillment, website development and updates, customer service, and everything in between.

One area of my business that caused me stress was product photography. Which is ironic because product photography is essential for an ecommerce product business. I would set up my living room for photos and then procrastinate for days before taking the photos.

On a long family drive across the state of Pennsylvania I told my husband that I needed to outsource something in my business to keep growing. He immediately responded that it needed to be product photography. I knew he was right and I had been following a product photographer in our area for a while and just daydreaming about working with her.

Learning to outsource the critical business tasks that caused me stress and to hire an expert has made a huge difference in my business. I now hire the product photographer for every collection and we have worked to create cohesive images and branding photos for my business.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me is customer referrals. I have the best customers ever!

I hear from many new customers that their friend sent them their first piece of Leo and Lynn Jewelry, or they heard about it from a friend who owns pieces from me.

Customer referrals mean so much to me because it shows that my customers trust my business, appreciate my jewelry designs, and they are continuing their support of a small business by encouraging new business. It means so much because my customers become my friends. I see their life updates on social media, I see them in the community, and I get to meet them at pop up events and markets. I feel so honored that my jewelry is a part of their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leolynnjewelry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leoandlynnjewelry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leoandlynnjewelry/

Image Credits
Personal photo – Goss Boss All other photos – Amanda Brisco Photography