Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tamara Wilkerson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tamara, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

On a regular day, ever think to yourself, HOW did this person get to this point alive? WHERE is the common sense? WHO raised this person? I sit back and think thank GOODNESS my mother taught me the things she did, because compassion, logic, and being analytical are NOT necessarily a given.

Aside from her being the catalyst for having started making jewelry and embraced an entrepreneur mindset to begin with, I can confidently say that my single-mama raised me right. I’m eternally grateful for the empowered disposition that was modeled for me, as well as the compassionate while skeptical lens I use to view the world. I learned a solid basis for morale and values when I was young, and many concepts have stuck with me. Here are some of my favorites (that I preach to our kids as well as to my peers):

– Leave things better than how you found them
– Exhaust all resources (before you give up or panic), there is ALWAYS more than one option
– Seek first to understand before being understood

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.

HOW I GOT INTO IT
Being a crafty kid, I experimented with anything I could get my hands on: clay, wire, paint, wax, paper, fabric, candy, etc. Making jewelry was one of the most efficient and rewarding mediums to use as gifts for friends and family. In high school, while earning money for a trip across seas, I sold my first jewelry to neighbors and community. Seeing its potential, I quickly improved the quality of her materials to begin a fun and profitable small business. Through college, I explored as many forms of expression as I could (visual arts, multiple dance forms, sports, music, etc). I embraced expression and rhythm as inspiration and influence to my work with elements like shape, pattern, scale, and energy.

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
I’ve manipulated sterling silver wire for over 20 years using pliers & hands (with all cold construction) to create a range of jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and ear crickets/cuffs). One unique and important product/service I offer is my custom-fit ear-cuffs. Offered in sterling silver or gold-filled wire, I custom-fit each cuff to someone’s ear, making sure the length and angle is correct so that it doesn’t PINCH and reduces chances of getting lost, while being super fashionable (ages range from 5yrs to 90yrs).

My growing product line includes *modernized* chainmaille, which combines stainless steel and/or brass with rubber rings to celebrate perfectly balanced woven patterns in various colors. These pieces are an excellent answer to “active-jewelry”, as they can be worn for outdoor activities, dancing, beaching, playing, etc. While my style, material, and clientele has evolved tremendously over time, I always consider durability, versatility, aesthetic, and self-expression. My goal is to continue to create badass pieces for the active, expressive & adventurous for a range of ages, styles, and genders.

AND MORE
Aside from jewelry design, I have many years of experience in specialty foods including wine, cheese, coffee; plus dabble in graphic design. I can also be found are town designing & installing chalk board and small mural art, latin dancing, observing and dissecting social behavior constructs, enjoying clean foods, and supporting local businesses.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I started dating my now fiance Andres in 2018. He learned quickly that I made jewelry, attended a couple shows with me and appreciated my work. He would occasionally ask me to make him something, to which I’d respond *yeah, I will eventually*. After much of my procrastination Andres began to pick up pliers and rings, humbly taking guidance and feedback from me, and ultimately learned how to make chainmaille. This was a very exciting time for me, because I had never successfully taught a family member, friend or significant other to make anything resembling my work. Everyone else had given up or said it was too hard.

Once he realized how quickly he could produce an item, he started to teach himself different patterns, and had grand visions for creating large amounts of inventory. He’d ask me questions about my work like *how much does it cost to make __* or *what’s the profit margin on __* or *what are my gross vs net sales*, or *how many of __ do I have made already*. I felt like these were very relevant and practical questions that I just never thought to figure out. Nowadays, I have standard documents including but not limited to Product Cost Breakdown, Materials Cost, Jewelry Inventory List, Supplies Ordering, Sizing Guide, etc. It’s kind of crazy how long I was running a business without having things like this! But until I had to explain it to someone else, there didn’t seem to be a reason to have or know them…

Once he started making more items, I found that I was also able to more emotionally separate myself from my jewelry pieces, because while I was the one who designed each item, I was not longer making every single one myself. For the first time, I was able to take a step back and see the potential of uniformity, volume, consistency, and how it could scale up more than I would have been able to before. I certainly CAN do everything on my own, but there’s no way I can squeeze in MORE production, administration, new projects, when I only have the same hours in a day. Overall, adding another person and embracing delegation was a game-changer for me to not only be able to see a bigger picture, but move toward it and make more gross sales than ever before.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Honestly, not being shy about asking for someone’s contact info has greatly increased my tangible client-base. ESPECIALLY after they’ve already made a purchase, they have already shown me they are a fan of my work, so it’s not a difficult switch. I used to be hesitant about the *awkward* question, but It just became part of my spiel and I was quickly because less self-conscious about it. Similarly, after someone has purchased an item, I love asking if I can take a picture of the now-customer wearing their new item – this benefits me to have more *models *that I can use for my website and social media, plus, it’s a fun way to get the Instagram info of people to quickly gain another follower(s).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wirealm.com
• Instagram: wirealmbytamara
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wirealm

Image Credits

– FemForceDC (for “Tamara Making” and “Tamara Customer”
– G&H Customer Workshop (for “Tamara Workshop”)
– everything else credit to Tamara Wilkerson