We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Wharton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

When I started House Of Baesics, I had saved up $10,000 of my own money to start it. If you’re a fellow business owner, you might be thinking this is chump change. But I had just turned 26, left a toxic job, and used every penny I had to start the brand. It felt like the scariest risk I had ever taken….until the actual launch.

By the time I got my inventory, branding, website up and running, and a launch date set….we were in the height of COVID. Everything was shut down, businesses were closing, and here I was launching an online jewelry and accessory brand. It was definitely the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. When I turned my website live on Sept 22, 2020- my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. What if I got no orders? What if I just wasted $10,000 and over a year of my time?

But I truly believed in myself. I truly in my core felt (and still do) that I have it in me to keep going no matter what gets thrown at me. I ended up getting over 50 orders my first day of launch, and it felt like I had just won the lottery! Each month that passes by, I learn something new and can adjust accordingly to the ever changing world of e-commerce!

Taylor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started House of Baesics in 2020 after being in marketing for a few years! House of Baesics is not just another accessory or lifestyle brand. I’m writing this in the first person because this brand is a true reflection of my own personal style, and unique personality. My name is Taylor Wharton, I’m the founder and owner of House of Baesics- a lifestyle and accessory brand that believes in empowering people to be their most authentic selves.

Growing up, I always had allergic reactions to fake jewelry. My skin would turn green, my ears would swell up, and I would break out in hives. When I decided I wanted to start my own brand- I instantly started researching how I could create waterproof, allergen free, high quality jewelry that the everyday person could afford. So that’s exactly what I did! Once I started really mastering the designs- I wanted to take accessorizing a step further. How can I make this even more special? How can I create jewelry that MEANS something? So I started creating personalized jewelry that lasts a lifetime. Any names, words (yes, even profanity. We’re not judgy over here), and sayings can be customized on my website.

I am SO moved every time I see someone order from my website. Because I know that piece of customized jewelry is going to actually mean something. I make a lot of jewelry for brides to be, new moms, pregnancy announcements, and even remembering people who are no longer with us. The fact that I can be a place where people come and purchase products that provide them with a forever keepsake means the world to me.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My commitment to my customers and always showing up as my true, most authentic self has helped build my reputation for House of Baesics. When I speak to my customers (DM, emails, etc) I speak to them like friends. I don’t have cookie cutter responses that I copy and paste. I speak to them in real time, hear their needs, and build relationships with them. I believe this is truly how I’ve turned first time customers into repeat customers. Because I truthfully don’t consider them customers. I consider them family. When they purchase from me, they’re putting food on my table. They’re supporting my dreams. For that, I will always go the extra mile for them. No matter how large this company gets.

When I market my products, I’m not always throwing expensive photoshoots, creating super high quality videos, or putting on pretty makeup to create content. I’m usually in a t-shirt, no makeup, hair in a messy bun, hopping on social media to tell my followers about new products, what jewelry I’m wearing, etc. This is a core pillar of my brand- because it shows my customers that you don’t have to have your “life together” to incorporate House of Baesics into your life. You don’t have to be dressed up, glammed, or even leaving the house. I think this helps people relate to me and understand that I’m not a corporate company taking their $$ in exchange for jewelry. I’m just like them, and some days that means working in my pajamas and just being real with where I’m at. I connect with so many customers when I post authentically throughout the day.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

After the initial launch of my brand, as it does, the excitement faded. Now it was time to really do the dirty work. I had to keep my customers engaged, happy, and coming back for more. Launching in the height of COVID…this was a pretty big mountain to climb, and honestly still is. I had months where I was barely bringing in 4 figure numbers, no profits, no money to re-purchase inventory or create new products unless I took it from my personal savings account.

I just KEPT GOING. I know this sounds obvious, but there was no other choice unless I wanted to shut my business down. Which was, and never will be an option for me. When the numbers were low, my orders were slow, and my bank account was dry…I continued to operate as if I was profitable. I think a lot of business owners tend to get scared and go into survival mode when things are slow, which usually means cutting back and focusing efforts on consolidating money and pausing certain action items. Which is pretty backwards to me, because less effort = less orders. So, I did the opposite. I kept creating, posting, launching, dreaming, and talking to my customers every single day. I didn’t let a day go by that I didn’t act like my business was flourishing. Some may say that’s being naive, I say it’s being a true business owner. Mindset is everything. The slower months were tough, really tough. I’m not going to say I didn’t have moments of fear and “what the hell am I doing?” But I just truly believe in myself. Even on the bad days, even on the days where getting out of bed feels like a chore. I built this brand from nothing. So when some bricks fall down, I have the glue to build them back up. Resilience is a choice, I’m choosing it every time.

Contact Info:

• Website: houseofbaesics.com
• Instagram: @houseofbaesics

Image Credits
Devon Adrianne Photography