Amanda Judge - How to grow a successful jewelry biz? 8-figure UNTAMED PETALS brand, now with 100k+ customers and growing globally
Amanda Judge
It doesn't have to be this TikTok I got rich in 30 minutes situation, which I think there's this trend that this is so easy and you could do it so quickly and you don't have to do anything and work two hours a week and sure, I'm sure that's possible and I think that's amazing if you could do it. But I also think there's such a power in hard work.
Anne McGinty
Welcome to the 28th episode of how I Built my Small Business. Today we have Amanda Judge chatting with us about how she created a brand of high quality, timeless bridal and special occasion accessories and dresses. Amanda is the CEO, founder and lead designer of Untamed Petals. Her business has collaborated with Nordstrom's Anthropologie and the costume designer for the CW drama Reign. Her jewelry has been photographed being worn on the red carpet by several celebrities, including Kate Beckinsale, jennifer Lopez, gwen Stefani, sofia Vergara and many more. You can find a link through to her business in the episode's description. Before we jump into the interview, if you enjoy the show, there is one thing that you can do to help me reach more listeners ears, and that is to follow the show. All right, let's get started. Thank you to our listeners for being here today. Amanda, thanks for coming on the show.
01:46
To start off for anyone that doesn't know what is Untamed Petals?
Amanda Judge
Yeah, so by common misconception, we are not a floral florist or anything of the sorts. We are a bridal accessories company known for our amazing bridal jewelry, everyday jewelry and now in the last couple of years, our party dresses that are really fun, modern and flirty and just kind of breaking the mold of that basic bridal look.
Anne McGinty
So how did this all start in the first place?
Amanda Judge
I started this as a hobby. Actually, it's kind of I've never intended to start a business, which I think is sort of rare in the entrepreneur space. I worked at MTV in ad sales marketing and I was at a brand called Spike TV, which is the channel for men, and, as much as I loved it, I was working with brands that were very male-focused and I've always been super creative. So I decided on my spare time to just list a few fun things that I was making at home on Etsy, which at the time, 15 years ago, etsy was this just handmade marketplace with things that people would make and sell in a maker's market online, and that's how it all started. I just started listing these pieces for fun.
03:09
I started making floral headpieces, which is where the name Untamed Petals came from. I was cutting and sewing chiffon flowers and things that had like a raw edge and they were untamed, if you will, and they were colorful and fun. But I had a lot of brides reaching out to me saying could you make this in ivory or white? Could you have crystals? Could you add pearls? And I saw this need for bridal pieces. Girls wanted something different, they wanted something less traditional, and so I just started listing more and more and more bridal pieces and I would say within the first eight months it just took off. It was a crazy, crazy thing where I was home making pieces at night till midnight, two in the morning, trying to keep up with the demand.
Anne McGinty
Oh my gosh, that must have been amazing. It was really amazing. Shifting from Etsy then to having your own online e-commerce store. How did that pivot happen? Can you take us back to the super early days?
Amanda Judge
Yes, there was actually like extremely pivotal moment in my transition. You know, I went to business school. I've always been this corporate girly. My dream was to get promoted and climb the ladder. So this was kind of off-brand for me to go on this journey. That was completely unprecedented and just kind of scary. So I kept going with the business and was really pushing myself and honestly, it got to the point where I was working these insane, insane hours Part of my job at MTV.
04:48
I would travel, so I was going on flights to Vegas or wherever to shoot content with celebrities or whoever it was. But my schedule was really crazy. So there was one particular moment where I took a flight to Vegas, shot all day. This was when I lived in New York, by the way. So the flight was pretty long and shot all day with talent. And then I had to get home that night because I had so many orders that I had to get out for these brides. So I took a red eye back to New York that same night.
05:20
So it was like this like 24 hour crazy work day and I ended up fainting on the airplane mid flight. Oh my gosh, so crazy. I got up, I was like something feels off. I was so exhausted I had been just working myself to the bone, was trying to walk down to the bathroom and just ended up fainting completely in the aisle and knocked out. I hit the ground, woke up I had this amazing man, who I call my guardian angel, just scooped me up, put me in a seat, got me water. They were paging for a doctor. It was completely mortifying. But I came home. It was a red eye.
06:04
So I got home, my boyfriend who's my husband now. I crawled into bed. He was there. I was like I can't do this anymore. This is crazy. Like I can't keep up with this pace. And he's like you're going in tomorrow and you're quitting your job. You have to make a choice. And did you do that? I did. The next day I went in and I spoke to my boss, who I adored, and it was so hard to make that choice because I really did love both. But I ultimately took the path. That was about a year in and I haven't looked back since.
Anne McGinty
Wow. So the business had to have been producing enough that you had the courage and the comfort to make the step.
Amanda Judge
I think at that point as you know, it's an ebb and flow you never really know what you're going to make. So that's, I think, the fun part of being an entrepreneur, because the sky's the limit. But you can also have a bad month, you never know.
Anne McGinty
And you were making that amount solely from Etsy? So what were the next days like, once you gave your leave, your notice? Then what happened?
Amanda Judge
I gave notice and my boss and my whole company was amazing. They were so supportive, they threw me a party, they helped promote the business. They were so incredible and they just knew that this was where my passion was and I think I probably stayed for a couple weeks or transitioned to the next, since it wasn't such an immediate need. It was in the next probably three to four weeks. I transitioned out. I was in an apartment, so I just set up my little workspace. That was already set up, but I just made it a little bit more functional and I started working from home full time within those few weeks and just took it from there. And then I really knew, like now I have the time to put into this and actually think about growing the business, which ultimately was the goal.
Anne McGinty
And what was your studio space like? So you just carved out a corner in your apartment for this?
Amanda Judge
Yes, my husband will. We laugh all the time thinking back about this space. It was kind of like you, like New York, your apartments are tiny. So we had a kitchen table in our apartment. We lived down in Battery Park and I did all of my work. Everything was handmade by me. At that time I would hand sew, glue, stitch, cut everything all by myself at night. Even my husband would sit and help me. Sometimes he would cut ribbon and it was my boyfriend. Even my husband would sit and help me. Sometimes he would cut ribbon and you know it was my boyfriend, but now husband.
08:47
But we had a wardrobe like an Ikea wardrobe in our bedroom that became just full of ribbon and trims and fabric and just all the things. We would open it. It would just like come out at you. I mean, there was no space. He would take photos of me which are so hideous If you look back at him. It's so funny to look at and we would take them out our window right in the apartment. I mean definitely no frills. But I was so happy. It was just such a fun time and so exciting.
Anne McGinty
And what is your business like now? How many team members do you have and how many different items are you selling? How many team members do you have and how many different items
Amanda Judge
It is so different. If you look back and compare the two, it's wild. I know some businesses grow so rapidly 1, 2, 3 years. My business has grown over 15 years so it was never like this crazy overnight success. I'd say it's grown really consistently over each year. But we're now in a massive warehouse here in California. It's about 5000 square feet, huge space, tons of inventory, really cool work desk team. We have about seven or eight people in the office. We have a pretty small team still and, yeah, I love my office, I love going there. It's very creative space, very open and covered with beautiful things. So it's a complete dream. Honestly, I look around sometimes and I'm shocked dream.
Anne McGinty
It sounds incredible to have that creative space. So now that it is your 15th year anniversary this year, looking back, what would you say have been some of your favorite memories that you hope you will never forget?
Amanda Judge
Wow, there's so many memories that you know have just been pinch me, moments that I've just loved, but a few that stand out for me. Or when I first got my account with Nordstrom, that was such a huge moment for me where I felt like wow, like, is this like a real business? I think all the time you look back and you're like, is this a real business? Or I don't know, I just questioned myself along the way because it never really. You know, I never came out with like a real business. I think all the time you look back and you're like, is this a real business? Or I don't know, I just questioned myself along the way because it never really. I never came out with a business plan and it just happened and snowballed really naturally. So it was always like, oh wait, this is a real business. Now.
11:17
Nordstrom, then Anthropologie. I was like, whoa, this is so cool. Oh my gosh. You know I am, I've made it, this is amazing. And then we did a line of headpieces for the show rain on the CW, which I just was so proud of, so excited. And then, most recently, we did some tiaras, some specialty tiaras for Bridgerton, the queen Charlotte's been off, which was like so, so cool, because I'm such a huge fan, so we've had so many cool moments that you're like, oh my gosh, is this real? This is so fun, these are huge moments, yeah, and they're just so fun.
Anne McGinty
How did Nordstrom's and Anthropologie? How did these people hear about you? How did they make that initial connection?
Amanda Judge
I still remember sitting at my office getting an email from one of the buyers at anthropology saying like hey, we're opening up a bridal brand, beholden, which was before Beholden launched, and we would love for you to be a part of it. Can you send us samples? We're going to look them over and we would love for you to be a part of it. Can you send us samples? We're going to look them over. And I was like, oh my gosh, whoa, this is so cool. So they found me somehow I don't know how, but it ultimately became a great partnership for us along the way and Nordstrom, they found us at one of the Bridal Fashion Week shows that we had attended. So they saw our booth and made the connection there, which was really cool.
Anne McGinty
What has it been like for someone who didn't expect this to turn into a business to now be managing a team of seven to eight people with a giant warehouse and scaling? How did you figure out how to do each of these steps?
Amanda Judge
It has been a learning curve along the way. Every step of the way, I feel like I'm always learning, but I'm also really open to advice and feedback and learning, so I've had the amazing opportunity to speak with mentors and reach out to people when I need help and I really think that's helped me along the way. Is just not being afraid to ask is just not being afraid to ask. And also, I really love business, I think, as much as I love design. Designing has been so much fun, but ultimately I did go to school for marketing and finance, so that is my wheelhouse. I love managing people and I think that part of my background really aided me in being able to do both of those things together.
Anne McGinty
Do you think that you could be where you are today without your business degree Like, could you have learned what you learned at school on your own?
Amanda Judge
Possibly? But I think that it did give me a solid base. I think having a few years, too, in the corporate environment really gave me an understanding of like the whole picture, because I think a lot of times entrepreneurs don't realize not only do you have to create an amazing product, you have so much more than that. There's, you know marketing, obviously, insurance, workers comp, you know a handbook, hr, like there's so many prongs of owning a business that I think most people don't really realize that it's not just creating a product and having fun. It's like there's just so many more things that go with it.
Anne McGinty
Yeah, and in the 15 years that you've been running this, what have been some of the biggest problems or pains that you've felt, or pains that you've felt?
Amanda Judge
So recently one of our biggest learning moments teaching moments, I like to say is inventory management. That can be really challenging because you always wanna be ahead so that you don't sell out of things, but you also don't wanna over-order because then you're stuck with a lot of things. So that can be really difficult. And having somebody on staff for me it's my husband which is he's in finance, so he ended up coming on to the business full time about 6 years ago and is our CFO, so he'll forecast and do a lot of that stuff, which I'm not as good at. So having somebody who is has been super valuable and important, because we ended up over ordering for some things that we thought were going to be amazing and then they weren't. So we had to learn from that and liquidate and get rid of stuff, because you don't want to just sitting at the warehouse and taking up space. So it can be, it can be hard.
Anne McGinty
Is it better for you to overstock or understock, then when do you err on when you're planning to place your orders?
Amanda Judge
That's a great question. It's really tough. I always want to be right on target, but I think for us it hasn't been that hard to do things like a sample sale or a warehouse sale to get rid of excess inventory. We don't order that much too much. But I think probably understocking is a little bit more where I'd like to be, because it does create excitement for your customers when things are sold out. There is a little bit of excitement there on the marketing side. It's not a bad thing always to have to wait for a restock. I think it kind of creates a little bit of FOMO. It can naturally kind of boost sales in their own way, so you could look at it as a positive.
Anne McGinty
And when it came time to add to your team. What do each of the team members do that are on your team? What roles do they fill?
Amanda Judge
I don't know how I got so lucky, honestly, but I have a few key members of the team and a lot of support members. Some of our key members are, of course, my husband, the CFO. He's amazing. He's my partner. I think a lot of people could probably not work with their spouse, but we love it. It's easy for us because we're very, very different, so we bring very different things to the table and really complement each other in that way.
17:14
I have a marketing manager who is phenomenal and I think she has just this incredible vision and drive that brings us to the next level constantly. And then we have an operations manager who is like the inventory queen. She's managing our entire wholesale accounts, which we have like 250 stores. She's doing it all wholesale accounts, which we have 250 stores. She's doing it all all the time but she has her finger on the pulse. And then we have our Ecommerce manager, who is literally our lifesaver getting our orders out and managing the fulfillment team to make sure our customers remain happy. And she leads our customer service just all of the customer service communication, which is such an important part of the business. So those three prongs, or four prongs are just so important, but they're managed so well and they have such a great support staff that I think it's really allowed the growth.
Anne McGinty
And do you have any sort of systems in place that allow you to just connect with everybody on the team, whether it's on a daily basis or weekly or monthly? How do you make sure that everybody is on the same page?
Amanda Judge
We have what we call our all hands. On Monday, all hands meeting and every department goes through what they're working on so that we 360 understand what everyone's working on, and we always want to know you know what drops are coming up and how can we help with product knowledge for our e commerce team so that they can answer questions, how you know, how are we on inventory, what are we projecting, those kinds of things. But having everybody within the conversation is super important and super helpful. We also use Slack, which I think if you're starting a business or if you're running a business with even just a few members, Slack has been amazing. We love it. We have so many different channels that are specific to what everyone's working on different projects, and it just keeps us super organized.
Anne McGinty
That sounds like you run it so well. You make it sound very easy and natural. Oh, that's so nice. You've obviously been able to get it to this point, and if you love your team, well, I think that that all stems from you. Oh, that's really nice. With the marketing person, what strategies do you feel are the most effective in getting your products out?
Amanda Judge
Well, it's funny because I think marketing is constantly changing, so I think that's the hardest part is like figuring out what is the current best platform to use and what are the best tools to use, Because, as we all know, the algorithm can be so frustrating. We never really know if it's going to work, If it's not Instagram. You can't put all your eggs in one basket and I think what we've learned and what we try to do is we really try to have a consistent 360 approach where you know, for having launched today, we launched an amazing new collection of everyday hoops, but we're pushing it out on all our channels. Email marketing is huge. Anybody who doesn't have email marketing is really going to be missing out, because those are customers that you have their information and you can contact them at any time. You don't have to rely on an algorithm or anything for that. Sms marketing, social platforms, of course, TikTok, Instagram. Those are our big ones. We don't use Twitter. A lot of people do, but for us it's just not something that works for us.
20:45
Pinterest is huge for the wedding industry. We love Pinterest and then just honestly, word of mouth and connecting with our customers we do something really special that I think a lot of companies don't offer is we do live chat on our website, where you could literally chat with one of my employees who's at my warehouse it's only people at the warehouse and you can get styling advice. You can send us a photo of your dress, you can send us a photo of your hairstyle and we will help style you personally. It's not some third party service. Like we really truly care about our customers and we're giving them this ultra personal experience. So then I think they share that and they kind of like trickle down in that way.
21:30
And then Jenna, who's our marketing manager, does these insane photo shoots that I think girls just resonate with. They're like I love the styling. Like our styling is different. It's fresh, it's fun, it's it's on trend and I think a lot of bridal brands tend to stay in this box. That's a little bit safe and we kind of push the envelope a little bit because we're all about showcasing your personal style, which I think is really fun and and that a lot of people don't see anywhere else. So people look to us for that special look. You know, that feels more like them.
Anne McGinty
Where are you getting inspiration for your designs?
Amanda Judge
Gosh everywhere. You know, it's just I'm always feeling inspired. I travel a lot. So one thing that my husband and I and our kids really value is travel, and we travel quite a bit throughout the year, as much as we can, as much as their school will allow honestly the year, as much as we can, as much as their school will allow honestly. And I'm always, you know, there's so many different interesting cultures and fabrics and things that you can pick up, even from, like a curtain or, you know, florals, all the things. So I'm just finding the inspiration everywhere I go.
Anne McGinty
And you mentioned kids, yes, so what has it been like running and scaling a business while being a mom?
Amanda Judge
It's not easy, I'll be honest. I think being a mom, being a full time working mom, is hard, because it is like having a third child. I have two boys who are amazing, but they're busy, they have a lot of activities and a lot going on. So for me, I had to learn to find the balance between work and mom guilt. I think mom guilt is super real. Oh gosh, it's so real. It's real and it's something I personally struggled with, really, really a lot.
23:38
So I had to find a new normal for me, for myself, once I did have kids. It just changed. You can't work 15 hours or 12 hours. So for me, work-life balance is really important, but it's also something I think starts from the top. So we really preach it to our employees too, who actually none of them have kids yet. But I just think that it changed my perspective on what work-life balance should look like and what we want it to look like for everybody in our company, because I really don't feel like we're not doing anything so important. We're not doctors, we're not lawyers. It's just accessories, it's just jewelry and dresses, and while that is so fun and important, it's ultimately okay if that email goes out the next day, so learning to let go and set your boundaries is really important. How?
Anne McGinty
did you juggle between your professional hat, your mom hat and balancing to put this into place?
Amanda Judge
It was not easy for me. I don't think it rolled out seamlessly. I think I learned. I cried. I would feel like I'm letting my team down, I'm letting my kids down, I think over time. It probably took me a couple years, especially when they're super little and it took me a few years to really figure out that it was okay to say no and learn the power of no and also learn my own limits. So I had to learn to be okay with that, because I had my whole life pushed myself so hard that I now realize that it's not just about me, it's about my kids too and our family, and I needed to make that a priority.
25:28
So after a few breakdowns, I just ultimately sat down with my husband and then with my team and was like, listen, I've got to make a change, Otherwise I'm going to burn out. And then burnout is real too. So if you're burning out, then nothing can be good. You're not really doing anything good for the company or for your employees either. So it was a process either. So it was a process. But sometimes that's what it takes. I think burning out even to make you realize you have to reevaluate the whole process.
Anne McGinty
Yeah, like hitting rock bottom. I mean you fainted, yeah With that job?
Amanda Judge
Oh well, totally, which is exactly it. You know, it's like I tend to push myself so hard to where I faint, which that was a one time thing, thankfully. But you can't do that with kids they need you. So I'm also found that being present even when I wasn't at the office was a challenge. I would be catching myself emailing, or at dinner time or whatever. So now we just don't, we just cut it off. I put my phone away when I get home and I don't look at it.
Anne McGinty
Wow, that is so disciplined
Amanda Judge
And it was hard for me it's really hard, but it got easier, Like the more I did it and like cut the tie. People start to realize and respect your boundaries and they don't expect you to respond until it's business hours again.
Anne McGinty
Well and, at the end of the day, like what is this all for if you don't have your time with your family and totally you can't enjoy your life because you're working too ?
Amanda Judge
nd people might not agree with that, but that's what works for me, and I think that's what's so important is to figure out what works for you, because it might be different than what works for me, and that's okay.
Anne McGinty
So, with that in mind, and knowing that you don't want to be a workaholic and you want to have good work-life balance, what do you also hope for the future of Untamed Pedals? Where do you see this going, or where would you like it to go?
Amanda Judge
Wow, I just feel like we're in this huge growth pattern right now and I've never been more excited about our company and about all the plans we have. We are so excited to be doing our first pop-up event in New York City during Bridal Fashion Week, which we've never done before, and this is a huge opportunity for us to really involve our customers in what it's like to be at Fashion Week and shop with us and have this personal one-on-one experience. So I foresee more of that in the future. I'd love to travel around and do pop-ups to connect personally with our customers and our customer base. I feel like there's so much value in that experience and for us learning as a brand, and I just think the sky's the limit. We're just tipping the iceberg right now. It's just so new the dresses are so new still for us that I just feel like there's so much room for growth.
28:21
And when did you decide to add dresses to your collection Around the beginning of 2021, we started cherry-picking a few little styles just to add, because brides were asking us. We listen, you know that brides are asking us like, oh, I love this and we'd style and do these awesome styled shoots with, like these cute dresses and be like, oh my gosh, do you sell that dress? Like we want that dress. And I'd be like, no, we don't sell that dress, like, why don't we, why don't we sell dresses. So finally we were like sell that dress, why don't we, why don't we sell dresses?
28:53
So finally we were like we need to make a little line of dresses that we can sell, because the girls want the whole look. I mean, they want our whole look. So we're like, okay, let's try it, let's do a couple styles. And it went really well. They were really fun Lower price point but fun. And ultimately, in 2022, fall of 2022, at October Bridal fashion week, we launched our first couture bridal mini collection, which was a huge new product launch for us, and it went amazing, like amazing. So we just nobody was doing it at the time. It was fresh, new.
Anne McGinty
Are you working with designers or are you the designer? Time, it was fresh, new.
Amanda Judge
Are you working with designers or are you the designer? No, I'm the designer, Wow, yeah, which I'm not trained in design of garments, but I've been sewing and making my own things since I was 10 years old, in my room with a hand sewing things not even a sewing machine, it's. I love it. So luckily I was able to partner with an amazing factory who helps me. You know, I sketch things out and they really help bring it to life with the patterning and all of that. So it's been a really fun learning curve for me, but I feel like I've really dialed it in every season it's getting better and better and better. So it's just been so fun and really kind of reinvigorated me as a designer because it's something so new and fresh that it's really fun.
Anne McGinty
It sounds like it's a natural talent. You've never taken any courses.
Amanda Judge
No, I haven't, I think too. I just I have a natural eye for styling and that made it so easy Like, oh, I like this, you know, look, but I wish it had like this top or this. You know, I just kind of like started there and then now I'm much more technical in my you know, now it's been two years, so now I'm definitely learned and more technical and and I've perfected my craft, but ultimately it's one of my favorite parts of the business right now.
Anne McGinty
Amazing. So between the dresses and the jewelry, how would you like it to be split up?
Amanda Judge
It's pretty equally mashed. I'd say jewelry is still our bread and butter. We started with jewelry and that's definitely what I think we're known for. Dresses is still new, but it's very quickly gaining momentum. I think, ultimately, if it could be a 50-50 split, I'd be happy with that.
Anne McGinty
And between wholesale and direct-to-consumer. How do you see the division there?
Amanda Judge
To be honest, we adore our wholesale partners. We have such amazing stores that sell our product and that's really where we focus as far as reaching brides for things like dresses and veils that are a little bit more expensive, more hand-beaded, because it really is something that, because of the price point, makes way more sense to buy it in store to try it on, to make sure you love it, before we hand make it for you. So that part of the business I think for the wholesale side is definitely like the wholesale bread and butter and then online jewelry, earrings, things like that. We definitely sell more of that online because it's just an easier online purchase. It doesn't have to fit, you know, it's like a one size fits all.
Anne McGinty
Oh right, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And for the dresses, are you making everything to ?
Amanda Judge
Mostly, although we do have some styles that we stock only because they're bestsellers, and we do have like seasonal things where, you know, this time of year girls are like, oh my gosh, I forgot, I need a dress for my bridal shower or I need an after party dress, but I only have four weeks. So there are for us proven styles that are just amazing bestsellers that everyone loves. So we do try to have like a little bit of stock on hand just to help those last minute customers.
Anne McGinty
Yeah, and your annual sales? Now, can you give us an idea?
Amanda Judge
We are in that seven-eight figure mark, which is exciting for us, and I'd say we've definitely reached over 100,000 brides in the last couple years since we pivoted to eCommerce, which has been really fun, and undefined brides are coming back, which is our goal. We've launched so many new everyday jewelry styles because once our bride is so happy and has her dress and her jewelry and her veil, we want her to still come back because we love those customers. So we really have put a lot of effort into creating collections that are not just for brides too Hoops really fun earrings and bracelets and rings and things like that Charm necklaces we just did, which were really fun. So usually girls find us when they're getting married, but we want them to stay with us, bridal and beyond.
Anne McGinty
How are you able to differentiate yourself and stand out against some of the larger competitors in the space?
Amanda Judge
I think that we're known for our styling, our personal style, our creativity. We have a very specific look. So I think mostly people look at something I think, oh, that's untamed petals Like. I think we're pretty recognizable at this point because we do try to have a fresh take on bridal and the way we style our models. It just feels a little different and I think that that's why a lot of brides really like us, because they don't necessarily want the same thing as everybody else, or maybe they just want something that feels more like them. A lot of times, with the wedding gown, girls will go really traditional because they want it to be timeless and in photos they want it to feel like it's never going to go out of style, which I love. But then for their after party they're like oh my gosh, now is the time to really show my personality. I want feathers, I want beading, I want a short skirt, I want great shoes. It's just kind of this moment that's really fun and really on trend right now, so it can be a little more risky.
Anne McGinty
It's incredible that you've been able to touch so many lives in this way. I mean, you are a part of one of their most memorable days of their entire lives.
Amanda Judge
It is truly such an honor. I love it so much and I think sometimes we cry like in the office when girls will send us their wedding photos and tell us how happy they are and they'll send us their story and we share a lot of that on Instagram because it is so special. I mean, this is such an important day and to be chosen as a brand to have them wear our pieces it feels so special. It's incredible. It really is, and I'm like this is your wedding day. You're going to remember this forever. So we really do love our customers so deeply and when they share those moments with us, it's just everything.
Anne McGinty
And where are you going on your buying trips now?
Amanda Judge
I'm always out and about. I'm always in New York and LA and I went to China this last year in Hong Kong, which was really fun, and it's just. I go everywhere to source fabrics. I'm really kind of the type of person that I'm very inspired by like a textile before I design something Like. If I find a fabric that I really love, that's usually kind of what kind of starts my design process. So I'm really a raw material kind of person. So anywhere I can go India we do a lot of beading in India, which is like we have like the most amazing team there. They're so wonderful. So I try to do as much as I can.
Anne McGinty
And if an aspiring jewelry maker came across you and you struck up a conversation, what advice could you give them that you think would have been really helpful for you when you first started out?
Amanda Judge
Really spend the time to make a great website Because I have gone back and forth. I used a few platforms when I first got started and I think that if I had really honed in to building my own site and really had someone help me from the beginning, I think it would have been a lot saved me a lot of headache like technical headache down the road. I really suggest Shopify. I think Shopify is probably the best Ecommerce platform. People might not agree, I think it's the best. And then also join groups. I'm part of a couple different groups, a couple different mentoring programs that I just think, talking to other people who are willing to share their advice and go back and forth, like even other designers, I think it can be such a collaborative environment. It doesn't have to be competitive, it can be community over competition and I just think there's so much to learn from each other. There's enough space in the market for a lot of people. So I just think if everyone kind of shares a little bit, it can really better everyone's experience and, honestly, networking is huge. It's huge.
Anne McGinty
How have you gone about networking, like, where have you found these groups, and is this in person or is this online?
Amanda Judge
It depends. So I am in an in-person business group here where I live, which I love, and we meet weekly and it's only business owners. So it's really awesome because I learned about things that I never would have learned about. There's a lawyer in my group, there's an insurance broker, there's an architect all sorts of different people but they're all running their own business. There's an hr consultant like all these things that you just still need to learn to like, grow as like a whole business owner. I I learn a lot from that group. And then I'm also part of the 10th house, which is an online women entrepreneur group, which I highly recommend. It's amazing. There's all walks of life. There's message boards and you can ask questions and people are really engaged. They really will respond and help you. I really think it's a pay it forward mentality.
Anne McGinty
That's really good advice. So for a final question here if you could just go back and have a conversation with yourself when you were in your early 20s, what would you say?
Amanda Judge
Wow, I feel like I've just really enjoyed the entire process and I think ultimately, I do love it, and I think that's the key to running a successful business is you really do have to have passion for it and love it. Business is you really do have to have passion for it and love it. I would tell myself not to get too ahead of myself and not to worry so much about growing so big and just take it one day at a time. I think compartmentalizing when it comes to growing your business can be really helpful. Working backwards from goals really helped me reach small milestones. Make them attainable milestones. My favorite book is Atomic Habits. One of my favorite books.
Anne McGinty
It's literally sitting on my counter right there.
Amanda Judge
I just ordered it, you did. Okay, you have to read it. So it really is the idea that that 1% difference can add up and it does. It really really does. It doesn't have to be this TikTok I got rich in 30 minutes situation, which I think TikTok. Obviously that wasn't around when I was. I don't think it was around when I was 20.
40:45
But I think that there's this understanding or this trend that this is so easy and you could do it so quickly and you don't have to do anything and work two hours a week and you can be running this massive business. I think that Sure, I'm sure that's possible and I think that's amazing if you could do it. But I also think there's such a power in hard work and just doing, like making those one percent changes and constantly reevaluating yourself to see, like how you could do better, and looking within and saying like how could I be a better boss or how could I make my product better? Or listening to negative feedback, like don't be afraid of negative feedback, because even though I'm super sensitive, so sometimes I would be like, oh my, she like hated something or it arrived broken, which it's going to happen, but just using that more of like a tool of learning and approaching everything with like a learning mindset. I'm learning all the time.
Anne McGinty
Yeah, all of us Still learning, oh yeah, every day. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your story with all of us.
Amanda Judge
Oh my gosh, you're so welcome. This has been so much fun.
Anne McGinty
Thanks again for being here.
I feel like today's conversation had so many wonderful learning points and I didn't want to narrow them down, so I kept them all in.
Today's key takeaways.
Etsy is one of several online marketplaces where you can try out your hand at making and selling items on the side. If you are creating and having fun and feeling excited about what you're doing, you'll find success.
Starting and growing a business is a learning curve all the way. Don't be afraid to ask for and stay open to advice, feedback and learning.
Consider taking a few business classes to give you a solid base in understanding marketing, finance and management.
Look at problems, pains and negative feedback as teaching moments and tools for learning.
Forecasting is very valuable and important, and inventory management can be very difficult. Being slightly understocked can create excitement for customers when items are sold out, so it's not always a bad thing to have to wait for a restock.
Having an incredible team and supportive staff are one of the keys to growth. Weekly team meetings, or, as Amanda calls them, all-hands meetings, allow every department to discuss what they are working on so that they can 360 understand the business.
Slack is a great software to use for setting up different communication channels that are specific and organized. The value of direct email marketing is huge because it doesn't rely on any algorithms and is a direct line of communication to your existing customers.
For entrepreneurs who are mothers, you have the added challenge of balancing work and mom guilt. Learn to set your boundaries. For example, try setting designated hours for work time and personal life when possible. People will learn to respect your boundaries and will learn to not expect you to respond until business hours.
Burnout is not good for anyone and if you're experiencing burnout, maybe you should take a moment to reevaluate your process.
Join in-person business groups and mentoring programs where the idea is community over competition. Networking is huge.
The 10th House is an online women's entrepreneurs group that offers in-person events, pitch events, community mentorship, skill building workshops and more. So any women listening in check it out.
Break down your goals into smaller steps and take it one day at a time. Work backwards from your goals and make small, attainable steps to get there.
If you haven't yet, consider reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Take the time to build a great website, not just an okay one, a great one.
Lastly, don't get caught up in get-rich-quick schemes. There is real power in hard work.
That's it for today. I release episodes once a week, so come back and check it out. Have a great day.
