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

Yolanda , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Well, my then employer had gone through a reduction in force, and I was offered a buyout with severance pay from my mid-management position in the nonprofit sector. I’ve always been in love with fashion and accessories, the adorning of taking a simplistic outfit to glam in a matter of minutes by adding the right accessories to make that outfit pop (is such a vibe)! At this time, I was also leading and mentoring a women’s group at my local church. At one of our social gatherings, I thought it would be a great idea to do a bonding exercise. So I headed to my local Michael’s store and bought a box of beads along with stretchy cord. We made bracelets that night and had so much fun designing them. And then it happened, an idea turned into a real AH-HA-Moment! I said to myself, I can do this! Then I went on a quest to educate myself about starting a business and literally taught myself how to bead and design jewelry as an artisan. I launched the then formerly YODEL Accessories & Co now, YODEL Jewelry Box on January 26, 2006. I’m so thankful that I have such an amazing support system of women, who rallied behind and around me as I stepped into the journey of becoming an entrepreneur/businesswoman. Honestly, it was a scary defining moment of courage to leap with faith-but I DID IT! I used my own personal finances to buy inventory, display stands, built relationships with gemstone vendors/suppliers and did all the marketing myself to keep some overhead costs down. Now, 17 years later we are still cultivating sparkling relationships by celebrating the boldness and savviness of the “EveryDay Woman Who Dares To Be Different”! It’s our tagline, it’s our base and the audience we stand by at YODEL Jewelry Box.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m your Everyday Woman who embraces the beauty in all things! My name is Yolanda D. Brunson, a native Washingtonian, currently residing in Maryland. I have always loved accessories since I was a little girl playing dress up, while diving into my grandmother’s and mom’s jewelry boxes of vibrant gemstones, necklaces and rings! The excitement in finding the right accessory to compliment my outfit awakened the creative genes inside of me right from the start. As a wife, mom, daughter, friend and entrepreneur, though these roles are important, I find pure joy in encouraging others to be their best. I love seeing other people win at life (especially women). One of my inherited gifts is exhortation and cultivating sparkling relationships because they are important to me personally and in business. I still have a core group of loyal customers who have supported my dream since day 1 at YODEL. As an entrepreneur in a saturated market of fashion jewelry merchandising, at one point I felt discouraged. Honestly, attempting to start anything bigger than YOU is a huge undertaking, especially when it’s new and you are solely relying on your craft, ingenuity, and business acumen to make a lane for yourself. However, I didn’t stay discouraged for long because it takes true courage to implement a DREAM and see it in its rawest form turn into reality. During the pandemic, I launched a business cohort platform for women called “When Queens Talk Business” to allow other businesswomen to be transparently open to share their learned experiences in business both the highs and the lows. This served as an opportunity for us to mentor each other and reignite creative passions to soar. YODEL Jewelry Box targeted audience is the “EveryDay Woman Who Dares To Be Different’! because I believe no woman’s style is the same every day, there’s always an opportunity to color outside of the lines and try something different. Well, at YODEL, I solve this problem, by taking the guesswork out of fashion jewelry trends because our jewelry remains timeless. We have clients to this day, who still wear jewelry that was designed when YODEL first started in 2006. Our jewelry is sustainable, and I personally love that we continue to create magical sparks in the way we celebrate the bold and savviness of women who DARE to BE Different everywhere!

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve had many moments in life where I felt a shift come that changed the whole trajectory of my outlook on life. But I recall the most pivotal time in my life was when I felt an inkling that I wanted to become a mom. I was what some may say past my prime in egg supply, however that didn’t deter my husband and I from trying for our blessing. When I found out that I was pregnant, it was pure joy! I gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy named (Daryl) at the age of 45. Despite the grim statistics that are often given to women who decide to have children later in life. My husband (Daryl) and I chose to trust God and not be subjected to a lot of tests that frankly in my opinion bring on more anxiety than coming to the full rationalization that you’re going to be someone’s mother for the very first time in nine months. Then I had a discussion with my husband that I would like to be a stay-at-home mom for one full year and then return to my management position in the nonprofit sector. Well, it’s been six years to date and though I had some apprehension at first about leaving my nonprofit career, it’s been one of the best decisions I ever made.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

In business, you may’ve heard that being an entrepreneur is hard work and it requires a certain level of commitment along with ingenuity to reinvent and create products that connect with your clients/customers that they can feel a part of.

Well, at YODEL Jewelry Box, We Cater To The EveryDay Woman Who Dares To Be Different! I also believe that not every woman is the same, so I came up with a marketing campaign that would possibly speak to what I believe is the 4-E Woman. This is a woman who Encourages others, who Esteems others, who Elevates others and definitely who Empowers others. It’s a movement especially collaboratively when women come together with a common cause! This magnifies these powerful intrinsic traits of what the 4-E Woman represents. In the campaigns, I highlighted each attribute during YODEL’s seasonal jewelry launches. In October 2022 the launch of the Elevate.Her Collection which comprised of YODEL Jewelry Box’s “Women Who Shape the World” ear and wrist glam. The ear glam comprised of all kinds of vibrant color wood shapes with beads intertwined and the wrist glam of beaded bracelets tagged with inspirational and empowering words/phrases embossed on charms that dangled. I wanted to remind women at the start of their day, in the middle of their day and at the end of their day of their greatness and that they mattered. Those collections SOLD OUT in a matter of 2 days! To date some of my clients are still trying to get me to replicate some of those YODEL Originals that were showcased in that launch.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yodeljewelrybox.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yodeljewelrybox/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yodeljewelrybox
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Tosha Francis, Owner of The Captured Life

Yolanda D. Brunson, YODEL Jewelry Box