We recently connected with Taylor Gervais and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Like with everything in life, there are pros and cons to being a business owner. For me, the pros far outweigh the cons but it’s not for everybody. Of course, there are always moments that arise when you feel like throwing in the towel. I’m sure every small business owner has dreamed of a 9-5 where you can clock out and leave work behind at least once in their life. There is always something that needs to be done and no one to rely on for help. It’s all you, and it’s a lot. From sourcing, pricing, product photography, website, social media, marketing, accounting, taxes, customer service, designing, and so much more. It’s hard to keep up with all the moving parts that a business needs to operate. That being said, it’s so rewarding to see your vision come to life and even more special to see the products you create make your customers so happy. That makes it all worthwhile.

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

I was so scared to start my journey as a business owner because truthfully I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. But I was in a position where I really didn’t have anything to lose (other than my self esteem) if I failed. My jewelry business very steadily grew over the course of 3 years in which I was then about to welcome my first daughter into the world in 2018. My plan had always been to be a stay-at-home mom and I figured why can’t I do both? After my daughter was born I quickly realized how taxing being a mother is. My mom always made it look so easy! My visions of my sweet sleeping daughter in a bassinet when I made jewelry and ran my business quickly were disrupted by exhaustion, baby cries, postpartum anxiety and pumping. I had nothing left to give. I slowly turned my back on my business and stepped away to focus on motherhood, but I was never willing to say goodbye for good. I just knew I needed to hit pause. Then we lost our second daughter in 2020 on her due date which left me completely broken and I never thought I would want to create anything again. My son was born just one year later in 2021. I felt a huge weight lift and with that allowed myself to start feeling creative again. While I was enjoying all the baby snuggles and soaking up time with my daughter, my wheels were spinning on what I wanted to do with my business. I had a general direction I wanted to go, but I did a lot of research before I committed.

Since becoming a mom, I had fallen in love with laser engraved goods for my children and knew I wanted to create my own products for moms just like me. That’s how I decided to add a CO2 laser machine to my business. I now offer on-trend, simple jewelry and custom laser engraved goods. Some of my favorite products to create are monthly milestone discs, personalized kids art magnets, Christmas stocking tags, large name signs for nurseries/kid’s rooms, baby announcement signs, and back to school signs. Being able to create things for other moms to help make their memories with their kids a little sweeter is my favorite thing I do.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I try to stay consistent with sharing current projects I’m working on. Instagram is my main focus for marketing and it’s been so fun to stay connected with my followers and customers and getting to share my process of how things are made. A lot of things I do are custom, so when I share a project I’ve created for a client, it sparks ideas for my other followers. On top of that, word of mouth and reposting how much they love their products has been really helpful in my growth. I consider my clients my ‘families’. I love my repeat customers because I learn their kid’s names, and it’s such an honor to be involved in the most special part of their lives-creating memories with their kids! I really aspire to make them all their laser engraving needs through each milestone, from adding new babies and making the baby announcement signs, to adding Christmas stocking tags. I want to provide a full range of products to provide my clients with what they need at each new phase.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When I first started I really had no idea what my long term goals were. I started so small I didn’t need to take out a loan or find funding. I probably started with $30. At the time, I had been working at a local boutique and told them I could make jewelry. They told me “bring in some styles!” So I turned that $30 into a few styles and they took it all! I was so excited. I took the money I made and went and bought more supplies. This happened over and over and over. It just grew naturally and steadily. At one point I was wholesaling jewelry to boutiques in 10 different states. I’ve made ten’s of thousands of pieces of jewelry. I still laugh to this day at how I started to where I am now. I am forever grateful for the amazing owners of Kindred People who believed in me more than I believed in myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cinderandsoot.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinderandsootstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopblacksheepjewelry
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cinderandsoot

Image Credits
Becky Hagen with Barefoot Photography MN