#285 How this Designer Built a Values-Driven Business and More Than Doubled Her Sales this Year with Alyssa Miner | Otter.ai

#285 How this Designer Built a Values-Driven Business and More Than Doubled Her Sales this Year with Alyssa Miner

Tracy Matthews34min

Alyssa Miner

00:01

Well, first of all, identifying my core values made my brand story crystal clear to me. And until you really clarify those things, you cannot find your ideal clients because there's nothing to hang on to.

Tracy Matthews

00:16

Welcome to Thrive by Design. The podcast for ambitious, independent jewelry brands looking to profit from their products. Get ready to make more and sell more doing what you love without spending every single waking minute doing it. Hey, and if you're a creative fashion or product based business, I want to welcome you to the show. I'll be dropping big tips on launching, growing and scaling your business. So you can spend more of your precious time using your creativity to make money.

Tracy Matthews

00:45

You ready?

Tracy Matthews

00:46

All right, let's do this. Welcome to the thrive by design podcast, Episode 285. Well, if you think that having a strong values based business doesn't help your sales, well, I've got something for you today. I'm interviewing an amazing designer which we'll jump into in a minute. And the thing that's so exciting about Alyssa story is that within one year, even though she'd been a jewelry artist for over 27 years, she doubled her sales just by tweaking a few things. This wasn't about her working a lot harder anything else, just by tweaking a few things and really dialing in her messaging, her brand story and her brand values. By doing that, that helped her create a cycle of repeat customers and ideal dream clients were flocking to her work and sharing what she did with everyone else. So we're gonna dive in to Alyssa story momentarily, but I'm really excited in particular, because we just launched into our marketing makeover boot camp. And we are about to start enrollment for our Laying the Foundation program. And we are more than thrilled about it, we've made some incredible upgrades to the program. And if you haven't heard about this program before, it is designed to help you launch grow and scale your sales, online and off. But also build a business that is remembered and help you get this cycle of repeat sales. Consistent predictable sales, as we like to say, every single day. And we take you through our desire brand methodology, and teach you how to do everything from get your business off the ground, launching your business foundation, dial into your brand messaging voice, create desire by attracting those perfect dream customers get to a place where you're sharing desire where the sales and marketing process becomes super easy. And start to introduce you to that place where you can start scaling that desire and getting people to buy from you over and over again. Because I think everyone's ultimate goal is to not necessarily work harder but to work smarter. To get people attracted to their brand, the right kind of people. Make sales to those people and get them to be repeat customers and your best referral partners because they're referring their friends and family to you. So we want to dive right in today. And if you haven't checked out Laying the Foundation, I really want to remind you that it is an amazing program. You can head on over to flourishthriveacademy.com/ltf to see what the program is all about. I'm gonna introduce Alyssa right now. So Alyssa is an experienced metalsmith and certified gemologist who designs bold and free spirited jewelry collections from her charming studio in Clarksville, Tennessee. Driven by her love of artistic expression and giving back. She's devoted her time behind the bench making artful statement pieces as our heartfelt fundraising collections. For causes that she holds dear. She talks a lot about that in episode as well. Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and metalsmithing for Moore College of Art and Design and is a certified gemologist earning her designation from the prestigious G.I.A. Alright, let's dive in to today's episode. I am so excited to have a special guest on the show today. Alyssa Minor of Jammin Hammer. I tried to say that three times fast and is not working out. So I slowed down a minute. She is Laying the Foundation grad and also a student in our Momentum Program.

Tracy Matthews

03:51

Alyssa, thank you so much for being here.

Alyssa Miner

03:54

Thanks so much for having me.

Tracy Matthews

03:56

I am super excited to have you here. You know, we're kind of doing these end of the year round ups talking to people having these special classes for Laying the Foundation students. And you popped in and you said like; "Oh, my gosh. Laying the Foundation, can I change my business? And my business doubled since I've taken it and so I just had like I have to talk to you. So I want to hear a little bit more about your journey into the jewelry industry because I know you have a fun background. So tell us like... let's start from the beginning. Tell us where you started.

Alyssa Miner

04:24

Of course, the beginning. How long do you have? I've been in the business a really long time. So I went to art school back in the 90s when I was a Sculpture Major and my junior year and I was really excited. I was taking a Welding Class and at the last minute they canceled the Welding Class because we had some staffing issue. And they told me I had to take a jewelry class and I was like; "No, I was not happy." I lived in the jewelry making rails, saw a little hand tools and I thought; "Never." And that was my first lesson in; "Never say never." Because whenever I say never to anything, I will spend the rest of my life doing it. So I took this jewelry making class and literally two weeks in, I had a conference with my advisor, and I changed my major to Metal Smithing. So, so that was really where I began.

Tracy Matthews

05:19

That's so funny because I think a lot of people can relate to that story. Similarly I was a Liberal Arts Major. I think I was a European Studies Major. I was like; "What can I do to graduate in four years but also learn about art and history?" And I got into the jewelry studio, and I'm like; "Oh, my gosh. This is like my calling" kind of thing.

Alyssa Miner

05:36

Never leaving. Exactly. So that happens to me. And another thing I said I would never do, I would never get married. Of course, I was very young at the time. So I graduated with my Metal Smithing degree and I married my husband at age 22. A couple months later. Yeah. And he was in the army at the time. And so we moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a three year honeymoon. And it was awesome. And we lived in a little tiny, tiny, tiny little shoe box apartment. And I just kind of felt like I had to contribute financially. So I just, you know, what do you do? You graduate art school, you know? I was working in like frame shops. So whenever I could do to be around art but I was really depressed. It just wasn't, you know, this was the first time I was like a fish out of water. I didn't have access to being an artist. And it was like something was taken from me. And my husband said to me; "You know what? You just have to be an artist" you know? And so we looked around the apartment, and I have this teeny tiny little corner of a little guest bedroom of our, like, teeny tiny apartment. And we sat down and he took out the checkbook, and he was like; "I want you to have half our life savings" which was like very little at the time. He's like half of everything we have, which was again very little, and said, I want you to get everything you need to have this little corner to start your business. And that was really where I started my business. And so for the first years, that was really just me, making one of the kinds of jewelry. Selling it and galleries and boutiques and museum shops. And back in those days, there was no online. We had a little chat room and AOL but that was about as far as it went. And, you know, you just it was enough back then just to be an artist. You know, you didn't have to be entertaining or, you know, share yourself with a world. It was really different world. Anyway, I had a great career there. And then we come to the next "never." I told my husband, I would never have children. And of course, I have four. You know, family is of course, my number one really important. So I've always ebbed and flowed my business around my family. There was only one period where I stopped working completely for about a year and a half. And that was when my third child, he's chronically ill since he was born. And around the time he was, I don't know, maybe seven or eight, we found out he had a really rare form of epilepsy. And that just kind of derailed everything. And so you know, I stopped working, and it was all about, you know, just doing what I had to do for my family. And once I kind of got a sort of grip on all that, I had one of my other children who was 12 at the time, Jordan came home from school and said; "Yeah, can you open up your studio for me? I want to make some bracelets and I'm going to donate I'm going to sell them. I'm going to donate 100% of the proceeds to drill water wells in South Sudan." No! I was like; "Oh, of course." So we started making these little hammered bangles that he designed. And something really magical happens. And you know, first of all, he made a lot of money. It was a school project. And he was like, one of the top, you know, contributors. I mean, really magical happen not just between the two of us and the work stuff. But you know, the people who bought them and you know, just the joy in making them and delivering them and then donating this money for such a great cause. That was the day Jam and Hammer Jewelry was born. The two of us combined forces. First of all, after the class was over. I was like; "Oh, thank God that's over. So far we just made hundreds of these bracelets. That was like a lot of work." And he looked at me, 12 years old, and he said; "Oh, no. I'm just getting started." I was like; "Alright, and so, you know. Making jewelry, making sculpture, artistic expression was always my passion. But it was my 12 year old son who taught me what my life's purpose was. And that was taking those skills and those tools and sort of creating something to make an impact, you know, and help other people. So that's really where Jam and Hammer was born. And Jam's J-A-M are my son Jordans initials.

Tracy Matthews

10:07

Oh, my gosh! That's so cute. So Jordan is... How old is he now?

Alyssa Miner

10:15

So he's 18. And now he's an engineering student at the University of Tennessee.

Tracy Matthews

10:20

Oh, that's so fun.

Unknown Speaker

10:21

Yeah.

Tracy Matthews

10:22

I mean, I love that story. And I love how the personal connection. How you kind of, like, reinvigorated this with your with your son, and I'm sorry to hear about your other son, your other child.

Alyssa Miner

10:32

Oh, that's okay. Thank you, though.

Tracy Matthews

10:34

Okay, so... I'm super excited. And I can hardly wait to ask you about this because it's really exciting. And I kind of teased it before. You doubled your income by more than 100%. Last year, what is your journey look like for you?

Alyssa Miner

10:48

Oh, gosh. So every, every year, I try to invest, you know, in my business. So usually, like, at the end of the year, you know, before you before we close everything out for the year, we like to make those investments. And for me, that usually looks like a new tool, upgrade in the studio or something like that. But this last year, I should say, I really wanted to invest in my business on a deeper level. And I had been looking at your courses in the past. And I always hesitate. And I thought I don't know, it's a lot of money. I really didn't know what to expect, I knew that it was going to be a great class, just because I've been listening to your podcast for a long time. And I know that you really do impart a lot of great knowledge. But I what I didn't realize was that I was really going to have to delve deep into, like what my values are. And that made the hugest difference, it really helped me sort of overcome all of my little bugaboos about, you know, wanting to put myself out there and wanting to be seen than when I started out in the 90s. When like, it was enough to see. It's Jammin Hammer, I'm just gonna go hide, you know, don't look at me, there's nothing to see here. You know. And I was always really uncomfortable with trying to figure out, you know; "What do I say? what do I do?" But when you really know what your brand stands for, and what your values are, which again, I always knew who I was what I stood for. But the first lesson was just I just learned that I wasn't communicating that. I wasn't infusing it into into what I was doing. So that people knew that. So I really delve deep into that. It was a great process. It was a great journey. And things just started moving. I started implementing right away. And the first time, like the first real confirmation that this was, like, incredible and it was really working for me was in July. So I don't know about other jewelry makers out there selling online. But summers are usually pretty dead. I'm usually like, on vacation with my kids in the summertime, because there's usually not too much going on. Well, this July, I exceeded my last year's holiday sales. Which by the way, I thought my holiday sales last year were pretty good. I'm pretty proud of it last year, which was why I invested in the class in the first place. But that was my first confirmation that like, wow, like things were really clicking, you know, things were really starting to come together. And then of course, you know, things just kept building. And then this November, I actually doubled my sales from last holiday, which again, I was pretty blown away by that. (That is so awesome.) In November, I made more than I can remember many years making for the entire year. I made that in one month. So that was like, just incredible.

Tracy Matthews

13:41

That's so great. So what were you doing? What were the actual things we were having like virtual trunk shows where you're just selling online? or How did you do it?

Alyssa Miner

13:47

I was really stuck. Like it was pretty incredible what happened when I wasn't even having trunk shows I ended up not even have time to do them because I was just so busy. But I really was just selling on my Facebook page. Like I was literally just sharing what I was working with, you know, using everything that I learned and building on everything that, you know, I was practicing, and it's just really took off.

Tracy Matthews

14:19

And it clicked and I can tell that you probably have customers. I'm looking at. If you're listening to the audio version, you're not seeing Alyssa'snecklace, but it is beautiful. And you ended up collaborating with another designer in our community. Can you talk about that a little? (Yes.)

Alyssa Miner

14:33

Yeah. So I met this amazing lady named Annie Salter of Annie Salter Fine Jewelry. And she and I just made a connection early on and I was making, you can't see but you know, I was making some really large pendants with like big one of a kind druzy stones. And I was having a really hard time finding a chanin that would support it that wasn't going to be like over the top of expensive. You know how expensive silver is these days. Anyway, Annie makes these amazing... This is like a beaded chain I'm wearing. They're big onyx. And they're woven together with fine silver. And they are just magnificent. So the two of us are actually collaborating now on some pieces for some other customers for both of us. So that was kind of a neat connection to happen.

Tracy Matthews

15:17

Well, you know, what's super cool is that you're like building each other's audiences in a way. It's like the collaboration. This is something that I always like to teach. Is that when you can collaborate with other makers, artists and designers. Normally, it wouldn't recommend necessarily working with another jewelry artist. But in this case, it works fantastic for you guys, because one person is doing the chain work. One person's doing pendant. But it's a way to leverage each other's audiences. And it's a great way to build your email list and build your exposure and to get new customers in general. So that's awesome.

Alyssa Miner

15:47

Definitely, definitely.

Tracy Matthews

15:49

So you mentioned something about your creative process when we were doing our pre- interview. So I want to hear a little bit about how streamlining, to build out a cohesive collection and how that's been kind of changed your business a little bit. What did you think that journey look like for you?

Alyssa Miner

16:02

Yeah, so biggest, the biggest sort of explosion that happened in my business this year, in a really good way was that, you know, I've always had cohesive collections. But I realized through taking this course, that I was limiting my possibilities. That I had some false beliefs around, you know, I was always told or I don't know where I heard it. But I believed that you really couldn't scale a business making one of a kind jewelry. And I was really grateful that your program opened me up to the possibility that that's not true. And I was really inspired by some of the other designers that you've featured over the years who are just killing it, making one of a kind pieces. So I took what I learned about collections, which have always made collections but your course did a really good job of just clarifying and quantifying exactly, you know, what a good collection is and how it works. And I found a way to incorporate my one of a kind pieces into that. What I mean is, so I haven't made one of a kind stone pieces in over 10 years. And I didn't realize how much I missed it. But anyway, I used to buy some really interesting one of a kind, unique stones. But I would buy one. And then I would make that piece and it would sell and I'd be like, okay, it's gone, I have to create something else. So anyway, I took all of those principles and concepts, and I started buying groups of stones. And instead of thinking, you know, one offs was like, I could do a whole collection, I could have 20 of these stones. But each one is unique and completely one of a kind. There's nothing really automated about it. And so what really ended up happening, this is how it all started. You know, he did my research, I thought about what I wanted to do. Did lots of drawings. And so one day on my private Facebook group page, I posted a picture of three pendants that I made. And two more people wanted one. So there was three, and I posted a picture of those three pieces. And there was just like a handful of stones, you know, all like all around my sketchbook and it was just like a picture. And something really amazing happen. I just started getting DMS and private messages. "Is this stone taken?" You know; "I'll take this one, this one and this one." You know, it was just incredible. I was like; "Oh my gosh, these people don't even know what to do with these pieces yet. They want these stones." It was just... it was incredible. And I was excited and they were excited. And it's just kind of took on a life of its own and just exploded and it's brought me a lot of... it's just really reignited my creative spark that, again, I didn't even realize was missing.

Tracy Matthews

18:40

Yeah, you know, what's really interesting about everything that you said is, you know, I talk a lot about a couple of designers in particular who have really built amazing one of a kind businesses. You probably heard me talking about Alex Camacho and Twyla Dale and our community. She does have collections but she started launching these one of kind drops and many other people are kind of going after that. Because I know as an artist as a creative, like, the process of repetition of making the same thing over and over again, can be a little bit boring. And so a lot of people like to go into this one of a kind of genre and it can be really lucrative, if you do it right. I think the challenge is is like finding that balance between, like, what's the right price point that I can do this and to actually make money and how will it make sense? I've had a one of a kind business for the last 10 years and it worked for me because I was working in fine jewelry. Because that price points higher you know I can incorporate the setup time and the design process into the piece of the jewelry. So I'm glad that you said that. So for all of you one of a kind jewelers out there: know that you can scale a one of a kind jewelry business, you can double your sales. It's really about having strategy behind how to do it the right way. So thanks for sharing that.

Alyssa Miner

19:48

Exactly. You're welcome.

Tracy Matthews

19:49

I love it. Okay, let's talk a little bit more about your brand story. You were talking about values earlier. I know that this was a huge key shift in your business. What was that process like?

Alyssa Miner

19:57

It was saying this I just really had to dive deep into, you know, what my values were? And, you know, how am I going to communicate this to my customer? My brand story, you know, we all have a lot of stories. You know what it's like? I really had to tighten up my story. And well, first of all, identifying my core values made my brand story crystal clear to me. And until you really clarify those things you cannot find your ideal clients because there's nothing to hang on to. And so once I finally did that, it made the difference between, you know, someone seeing something that they like; "Oh, that's nice. I'll take that." You know, and like, you sell it and, you know, maybe maybe you'll see them again. Maybe you won't. But when they, when you really connect with them on a deep level, and they really get who you are, and they really love what you do. They're like; "Oh, my gosh, I love this, I love everything about this." You know, it's like a customer for life. And a lot of them go on to become friends. I'm sure you're like that, too, with, you know, some of the pieces you've sold. You've probably become friends with the couples right over the years. I mean, in the proof of it, for me was, you know, there were these people I had never seen before, I don't know how they were coming to me, but they were finding me. They would order a piece. And then they come back for another one and another one, and then they bring their sister and their mother. And it was just a really beautiful, magical thing that happens when you connect with people genuinely based on your values. And the other thing that that was just so huge, and I was really working on this for a long time and I really couldn't figure out how to get through it, and that was getting over my ickiness of selling. I'm sure you deal with a lot of artists that are like, you know, don't want to ask for, like; "Hello, can we even talk about the elephant in the room?" Like, okay, now you're gonna ask for a sale, and it's a pandemic, you know? And like people losing jobs and like, all these horrible things are happening. And I think if I hadn't taken the course this year I probably would have just hidden until the smoke cleared, you know? Because, but when you learn how to lead with your values, and you learn that you're really solving a problem, and you're really fulfilling a wish, a need, a desire for someone, and you're coming to it from a place of service, and from a place of giving of yourself, you know? And also, as I mentioned before, we everything we do is to make an impact and give back to others, you know? So that's always our end goal. But when you come from a place like that, suddenly, it's not icky. It's wonderful, you know? And I really, truly connected with people on a new level. And a lot of people thanked me for it, you know? Like; "I'm so glad I met you. "I'm so glad that I have this piece in my life." "I'm so glad that I was able to help you, you know, achieve your goals and that you're able to donate" which I didn't know this yet. But I'm really proud of this, our biggest accomplishment this year was that we donated over $15,000 to non-profits this year. And the feedback that we were getting from the nonprofits was: It was huge for them, because a lot of them were, you know, missing out on their, you know, their in person events, a lot of their volunteers, you know, couldn't go out and work anymore. And so we really kind of picked up the ball for them and, you know, spread a lot of awareness and, you know, generated some income for some of these organizations that we work with, and partner with. So that was a really beautiful thing that happened, too

Alyssa Miner

22:45

What organizations do you like to partner with?

Alyssa Miner

23:46

So our favorite organizations are animal rescues, there are people, the animal lovers are just the best people in the world. And they really get me and I really get them. So we do a lot, you know, a lot of pet rescues. And of course, we always donate to "Water for South Sudan." That's sort of the foundation of what our business was built on, giving back to them. And we also do a lot of work for Epilepsy Foundation, New England, because they're really important to us in our lives. But well, you know, we'll partner with any rare disease, you know, so things that impact and touch our lives are the things that that we support.

Tracy Matthews

24:26

And that's how you tie the values back into your mission driven business. Because you know, it's like, your story is so great, because you talk about your children and how they've impacted you and how they've gotten you to this place. How you started connecting with the values and I want to touch on something about your brand story and how you've kind of created this cycle of repeat customers. Because the goal in the sharing economy which we have this methodology that we call the Desire Brand Effect over here at Flourish and Thrive. And the second pillar of the three pillars of the Desire Brand effect is the Sharing Economy. And this is really about being able to create desire and connect with the right people and then share that. And when you're able to share that in a way that is authentic and you and not salesy or pitchy, you end up attracting these customers who buy from you over and over again. Who refer you out to their friends. And it becomes like, really easy. And you're like, all of a sudden, I'm sure like this, you're like; "What the heck, like, we're in the middle of a pandemic, and people... my business is doubling. Like, what the heck." And that's, this is how it happens. And this is when sales and everything starts to flow in Super simply, and I have to say this. Is like, anyone can do this. It's just about having the courage to step up and stand for, like, put stakes in the ground for what you stand for.

Alyssa Miner

25:42

Totally agree. I remember taking that part of the course and feeling like; "Oh, that would be nice," you know. Like, "How would I ever get that to happen?" And you can't make it happen. The way it happens is just by really like you said, stepping into your values, and, you know, really delving deep. And when you do that. Magical things can happen. You know, when you're doing what you have, and it's just it's like, synergy, it's you're excited, and your customers are excited. And it's just, it's contagious. It really is.

Tracy Matthews

26:18

It's so amazing. I just so excited for you, because like, now, like, it's only going to snowball from here, which is amazing. Now, what advice would you have given to yourself or other designers before you're taking the leap to invest in your business? Because I know you mentioned that typically you have invested in your business at the end of the year but it was usually like buying tools or like things that are going to like or baby stones or gems that you could write off from taxes. So what was it about investing in a program? That was kind of the the thing for you this year?

Alyssa Miner

26:49

Oh, my gosh. Well, kind of like everything I said. Like I really wouldn't have been able to connect, you know, with my ideal clients. Probably didn't even... I thought I knew who my ideal clients were before. But that was a very superficial level. And now I'm very clear on you know who these people are. And I'll even just give you another little example, you know. I'm sure you've heard how awful the mail was this holiday season, right? Everyone's package is like disappeared and everything was getting lost, right? And all I saw all over my groups that I belong to artisans like I'm getting these hate mails, and every day, these customers are so angry at me. And I feel like because I really have my ideal clients who just really love what we do and really understand what we do. I was getting a policy emails from my customers were saying; "I'm so sorry, I haven't received my package yet. I know that it will come. Thank you for doing..." you know. So that was like, just, to me, that was just proof that, wow, we have really found, you know, these wonderful people. So in the beginning, I really hesitated to spend what I thought at that time was so much money on a course. And I think you know, I've taken a lot of courses over the years, or masterminds or whatever. And I always ended up sort of getting sucked into these courses that were sort of geared toward maybe coaches or service oriented businesses. And personally because I'm really fascinated by the whole, you know, I love to learn about all these things but they weren't really helping me in my business. And one of the things that attracted me to LTF was, you know, it's one of the only really jewelry specific programs. I'm sure there's some other ones out there, but it's the only one I could find. And so I decided to go for it. And at the time, I thought it was this huge investment. And I laugh at that now because I mean, gosh, it was like a gift. It was a gift I gave myself. Number one... and I think... I don't know if you remember this, Tracy. Because, you know, you and I didn't even know each other. But a week after I bought the course. I just finished module one, and I sent you a private message on Instagram. I was like I'm cheating myself. I didn't do this sooner.

Tracy Matthews

29:17

I do this because I'm like; "Yes, finally." Because I think... Have you ever done challenges with us before? Cuz I think I remember your name in the challenge.

Alyssa Miner

29:25

I have. I have I have done challenges over the years and that was really why I knew what I was getting myself into with you. And, also, I've listened to your podcast for years. And I just I know that you really know your stuff and you're really generous with your wisdom. And I knew it was gonna be a good investment for me. But you know, there's always that; "Ooh, should I? Tou know, what if-what if? But I'd say that I waited

Tracy Matthews

29:51

Well, no, you didn't wait too long. You did it took it right at the perfect time for you. But that's a great lesson to people who are kind of on the fence. I feel like in a way like; "If it feels scary, right? Like just do it." Because like, I know this isn't going to be like, we're not going to go into whole sales pitch for LTF right now, but at the end of the day, like, I think what really is awesome about it is that you know, we offer, you can try it out for a little bit. And if it's not for you, if you really don't feel like it's for you, we'll give you a full refund. Like, we're cool with that. We just know that the system works so well. I mean, we've helped thousands at this point, I think we estimated we've helped in this program alone at Flourish and Thrive Academy, we've helped about 8500 plus story and creative brands. LTF, like over 3000 people have taken this program. And it's really like made like a huge difference in their lives and has helped people like really make some solid decisions about moving forward about what they're doing with their business. And it's also helped some people, I mean, this is not like our goal, but help some people decide like; "You know what, I really don't want to have a jewelry business because I don't want to put in the the initiative that it actually takes." And I think that clarity, that is that doesn't happen that much anymore, but it did happen in the beginning. Because I think people were like, wow, this is... like you have to make it you have to commit to showing up for your business.

Alyssa Miner

31:08

really do. And the other thing that I would say to people is, and I'm sure anyone who's been at this for a while, and I was not a newbie when I came to this course. I mean, I've been doing this for what? 27 years or so. And you know what, you're never too old, it's never too late, you can always learn more. And you know what? Sometimes you just don't know what you don't know. And you just have to open yourself up to it. But what I can tell is that, you know, anyone who's been at this for a while will be able to agree with this; "You can make the most beautiful work, you can take the most breathtaking photographs, you can have perfect copy, you can have a gorgeous website, you can put it all out there, what happens? Nothing, absolutely nothing." You can do all that. But guess what? Those are requisites, like, you have to have good work, you have to have all of those other things. And I think LTF can definitely help you get there. But until you really delve deep and learn how to connect with, you know, who you are, what you stand for, what your brand messages and how to really communicate that to your customers? All the best pictures and whatever it's not, it's not going to get you to where you want to be unless you just want to be, you know, making, you know, beautiful things for a hobby, you know. And so, I'd say that, you know, if you've been even if you've been at it for a long time, like me, it's really a valuable thing. And I'm just really grateful I did it, Tracy,

Tracy Matthews

32:35

I'm so glad that you did. And you know, one of the things I like to tell people is that if you aren't getting the kind of sales that you want. LTF is the perfect program for people who are kind of in that startup phase and people who are in that growth phase where they're trying to get their business kind of to that next level or to like really solid kind of six figure business or whatever it is. So, thank you for sharing your story. Alyssa where Can everyone find you?

Alyssa Miner

32:58

Thank you so much. So you can find me on my website is jamminhammer.com. That's j m m i n hammer, or on Instagram at Jamm in Hammer Jewelry or on Facebook Jammin Hammer Jewelry.

Tracy Matthews

33:12

Awesome. I'm so glad you sent me that dm a couple years ago or last year at this time to thank you. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. All right, this

Tracy Matthews

33:23

Tiis osis Tracy Matthews signing off till next time, I would love to invite you to head on over and check out our laying the foundation program. If you're anything like Alyssa and you've been putting this off or putting off investing in your business. There is no better time than now. In this episode, she talked a lot about how she is so glad that she did this before the pandemic because she might have never done it. And what ended up happening is her business doubled last year. So if you want to be looking back at your business this time next year and have your business double, then highly recommend you taking a look at this program. It will change the way you view making and selling jewelry forever. Head on over to flourishthriveacademy.com/ltf and check it out today. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. It's my mission to help thousands of creative businesses inside and outside the jewelry space use their creativity to make money. Make sure that you're subscribed to Thrive by Design on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever podcasts are played. And we'd love to hear what you think. Please rate and review the show and if you're inspired please share this with your friends. Cheers to seeing you Flourish and Thrive.

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