We recently connected with Tara Sharifi and have shared our conversation below.

Tara , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

Hi there – thank you for having me! Personally, philanthropy has never been a difficult decision to consider. As a small business, we’ve made it a priority from day 1 to pay it forward by dedicating a portion of sales to various non-profit organizations – from the American Red Cross, focused on providing aid in crisis relief, to sponsoring children across the world via Children International, to aiding in global humanitarian efforts via the UN Refugee Agency — giving back to our community is our small way of thanking our network of loyal clients and customers for supporting our brand.

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

My name is Tara and I’m the founder and CEO of BEADS By Tara Inc. My lifelong passion for jewelry stemmed from a fascination of my mom’s vintage jewelry collection, and eventually led to creating my own custom designs for my friends from as young as 13-years-old. The initial components of my designs consisted of polymer clay and feathers (all the trend in 2010), a humble and stark contrast from the materials we utilize now. A decade later, I found myself hand-beading bracelets at my kitchen table in efforts to save money for graduate school. Through Facebook, I found a community of customers who purchased my first few dozen bracelets (unbeknownst to them, changing my life in the process). Per the request of several, very kind, content creators who wanted to tag and promote my work, I quickly created an Instagram page with the handle “@BeadsbyTara,” never once imagining this account would amount to anything beyond a few follows and likes.

Four years later, we are proudly a woman-owned and operated team of 6, working hard to wear all the hats that one does in a small business during these unprecedented times. Our founding ethos emphasizes the importance of timeless, quality jewelry that transcends seasons and trends. Our slogan reads, “Designed to Layer, Made to Last.” Much like my mom’s own jewelry collection that I lusted over as a child, our designs are meant to withstand the test of time, reflecting quality and luxury without breaking the bank.

Our dedication to superior customer service, philanthropy, and creating quality products has allowed us to grow a uniquely loyal following of customers who have single handedly aided in the growth of the brand. From introducing BEADS by Tara to their local barista, to gifting our pieces to family members, our customers and followers have aided in our brand’s success in one of the best forms of grassroots marketing I could ever ask for. Our incredible community of customers and supporters from all walks of life is arguably what I am most proud of in my company.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn (quickly), was the idea that I could, and should be handling every aspect of my business alone. This idea was rooted in a deep fear of losing control over a company I poured my heart into creating — so, for the first year and a half of business, I wore every hat of a small business owner — head of marketing, production, sales, customer service, accounting, sales, and every role in between.

With no prior background in finance, business, or marketing, many of my late night hours were dedicated to learning sales tax laws and nexus, comparing corporate entities, studying marketing tactics through free online courses. These lessons and hours ultimately proved indelible, as I was able to successfully dip my toes into every facet of running a small business. True to the saying, “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” I quickly found myself burnt out and resenting jewelry, something that always brought me immense joy. I truly believe the universe always has a way of aligning things, because soon after, an old friend reached out, expressing interest in working for me. I knew I needed the help but didn’t feel comfortable hiring a stranger, so I took a leap of faith and hired my friend as my first employee – a leap that exponentially changed the course of my company’s growth.

Learning to release control and adapt to change are two lessons I’ve historically never been fond of practicing, yet ones I’ve learned time and time again are necessary in evolving with the ever-changing climate of today, especially as a business owner.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Interacting with customers is one of my favorite aspects of running this company – I’ve always gravitated to career paths that involve meaningful human interaction (my career aspirations all my life always were at the medical field for this reason). There is so much to learn from people of all ages, walks of life, and demographics. Because of this, I find that keeping in touch with customers comes very naturally to me. Since the beginning, I’ve always prioritized personally engaging with our customers through email, DM, and all forms of communication on a daily basis. While unconventional, I truly enjoy conversing with my customers and learning their stories, keeping up with their lives, and following their journeys.

Jewelry has this remarkable way of carrying stories, sparking conversations, and honoring loved ones — the customers who wear our jewelry are an extension of these beautiful sentiments. I confidently believe that a significant factor attributing to our success is rooted in the fact that our customers find gratification in conversing with me or any member of our team like we’re friends, rather than solely for transactional purposes. From a financial standpoint, we work to foster brand loyalty by incentivizing purchases via a rewards system, ambassador program, and weekly giveaways. I always try to remind our customers that their support goes beyond a financial investment via a purchase – their support is also exemplified through social media engagement, referrals, and honest reviews.

To this day, I am continuously humbled (and pleasantly surprised) that our customers share personal details about their purchases with me. From ordering a necklace to honor a loved one lost to cancer, to celebrating the birth of a new family member, to commemorating a friendship anniversary of 10 years, the stories behind our customer’s purchases are the driving force behind my passion for creating intentional, quality jewelry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beadsbytara.com
• Instagram: @beadsbytara
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beadsbytaraa
• Twitter: @beadsbytara

Image Credits
Sarah Sherman Photo