B (2:27)

Yeah. And now that we've moved one, now that I've gotten past the technical issues, I actually love Patreon.

A (2:34)

It's more straightforward. I like Patreon, too. It makes more sense with what we're trying to do. And, yeah, I like it a lot, too. That's where I originally launched the St Old Collective. It did not make sense for that. Mighty Network makes more sense for that. But for a podcast, Patreon, it's very straightforward. I like it too.

B (2:54)

Yeah. And we're leveling up our audio. Hopefully, people listening to this notice that.

A (3:00)

Our audio is a little better.

B (3:01)

We're not recording on Zoom, which is not the greatest. So hopefully the audio quality is better moving forward.

A (3:09)

Yeah. Let us know what you think. And maybe, maybe this year, too, we'll get a little intro jingle.

B (3:17)

Yes, that's definitely on the list.

A (3:19)

It's on the list. It might take a minute, but I also wanted to shout out all of the new listeners. I feel like I've been getting many messages from people that they just started listening or they just found the podcast. And welcome. Thanks for being here.

B (3:35)

Thanks, new listeners. I know I saw you posted a little review the other day or a little shout out from someone, and it warmed my heart.

A (3:42)

I love hearing that kind of stuff. If you are a listener, whether you've been here for a long time or you're new, shoot us a dm or you can message through Patreon. We're reading all of this. It's not like we're getting floods of them, so it's not that hard to respond to them. But please, please send us a message and let us know that you're listening or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. That's always really helpful for us, too. And also, I didn't put this in the notes, but we really should shout out the Rough Cut podcast for our award.

B (4:16)

Yes, we won the second best jewelry.

A (4:20)

Podcast award, which is kind of hilarious. And because obviously Rough Cut is number one. And obviously, yes, we are very honored to be number two.

B (4:33)

And my other podcast, Joy Joya, didn't get an honorable mention.

A (4:37)

It didn't. There's actually a lot of great jewelry podcasts that were not mentioned, but maybe they will be next year.

B (4:44)

Yeah, there is so much. If you guys have a jewelry podcast that you really like, we want to hear about it, because maybe there's one we don't know about.

A (4:50)

Yeah, let us know. What. What podcasts are you listening to? I would say that A Thousand Facets podcast is a must Listen, because she interviews artists, and the interviews are really good. They're really, like, intimate. Like, you can really get to know the artists behind the brand or the collection. And I love that.

B (5:11)

That's a good one. Yeah. You know, it'd be fun to have. My voice is crackling, like a listener voicemail or something, where people left us questions or messages.

A (5:23)

That would be amazing. Would anyone leave us voice messages? I don't know, but let's set that up.

B (5:30)

That sounds very fun. I'm gonna look into it.

A (5:33)

That's great. Also, I want to mention that Hannah Cole from Sunlight Tax, who was on a few weeks ago, she has a podcast about taxes, which is really, really helpful and a great resource if anybody's looking for that type of podcast.

B (5:51)

I have to say, if someone's able to make good podcast content about taxes, wow.

A (5:59)

We got some great feedback. At least. I got messages. I'm not sure if anybody said this to you, Larissa, but, like, great feedback about that interview with Hannah, which is funny, because, you know, taxes are not always the thing we want to think about or talk about. But I think she did a great job being very engaging. And actually, her emails. I've been on her email list for a while, and her emails are really engaging, too.

B (6:25)

Yeah. I loved editing that episode. It was so informative.

A (6:29)

I learned a lot.

B (6:31)

Yeah.

A (6:32)

All right, so it's Q2 when this.

B (6:35)

Comes out April 1st.

A (6:36)

I know we're recording on April 1st, but when this comes out, it'll be kind of halfway through April, but it's Q2, so I don't know.

B (6:47)

Happy Q2? Happy Q2.

A (6:49)

That's what I wrote in the outline here. I think that things don't get scary until Q3. Scary meaning, like, oh, gosh, I have to, like, have everything buttoned up. And I feel like a lot of designers that I talk to kind of, like, missed Q1 in terms of planning and stuff like that and are really getting into, like, okay, I'm starting my year now.

B (7:13)

Oh, wow.

A (7:15)

I think it was a slow start to the year. I don't know. People are just kind of figuring out their footing.

B (7:21)

I get it. And sometimes, yeah, January, like, things feel surreal after the holiday season, and then suddenly you wake up and it's April.

A (7:31)

It's kind of what it feels like. I feel like I woke up more so, like, in March, but I think spring, too. I. Every new Year, I see this, like, good point made out there on the Internet, that the middle of winter is not the best time to, like, start fresh and set goals and do all of that. But, like, spring is a great time to do that.

B (7:55)

Yeah. And depending on how your mood is. I know for me, I kind of like, mentally perk up a little bit when, like, the flowers are blooming and the birds are chirping. And so it gives me an extra pep in my step to, like, reinvigorate my plans.

A (8:08)

I agree. So what are you focused on right now with your brand and your clients?

B (8:16)

Ooh, that's a great question. I mean, as always, we're always leaning into email where. So this is a time of year when we do have to start thinking about the summer months. Like right now, all my clients were set in the Mother's Day plan, which is like a month and a half out. Month. Month and a half out. But we are starting to imagine summer. And summer for most businesses is the slower period. And so this actually becomes a harder time of year to plan for a lot of my clients because it's like, okay, Mother's Day. What's after that? I mean, for some it's like graduation, something like that. But it does become difficult to, like, keep the momentum going.

A (9:02)

Yeah, I. I think that summer is tough, and it's actually a great time for thinking forward to Q4, but you still need to show up consistently. Right. So what are you saying to people who are checked out or on vacation or traveling or doing their own thing? It's.

B (9:21)

Yeah, that's tough too, because if you are actually going on vacation, you need to, like, fill in the gaps. I mean, some people can disappear for like, weeks at a time, and it doesn't affect their business. Good for you. But most people have to, you know, either pre schedule content or think about how they're going to fill that time while they're away. So I think the main message that I'm sharing with my clients is, like, be consistent, like, in a way that's sustainable. Because if you are going to want to take time off, I think it's important to show up. But, like, let's be realistic about that. Maybe it means pulling back a little bit on the cadence or being a little more transparent just about what's happening. Like, hey, I'm stepping away a little bit, be authentic and transparent about that. But I think it's important not to just disappear. So we try to, like, work within the boundaries that we have.

A (10:17)

That makes sense. I think that keeping it, like, light and fun in the summer too, and a little bit personal and like, being authentic in, like, hey, I'm going on vacation. Here's How I'm packing my jewelry or you know, like fun content like that.

B (10:33)

Yeah, definitely. But yeah, hair cleaning. Don't put your jewelry and sunscreen or chlorine like that kind of stuff.

A (10:41)

Yeah. Or like fun how to style kind of stuff. Yeah, I always like that type of content.

B (10:50)

Definitely.

A (10:51)

But email marketing is been working for my clients too. Even though they're higher end, just like showing up to their list and maybe they've had conversations about pieces before, but them showing up in their inbox sometimes leads to that sale. So it's all about like that, those consistent reminders to people who are already fans of the brand or collectors of the brand that's really been working.

B (11:21)

Yeah. And bringing like a good energy to it always. So like, if you hate email marketing, if it's a chore to you, that's going to come through in what you're doing. And so maybe shifting your mindset, like, oh, this is a fun chance for me to connect with my audience who wants to hear from me and like changing the script in your brain. And I think that will help you produce something a little bit more personal and authentic.

A (11:48)

Cami from Loam Marketing in one of our recent emails made a great point about this, how one, you're not bothering people. But two, getting an email from an artist or a brand that is smaller that they like following, that they want to support is a nice break from all of the other marketing content and emails that people are getting.

B (12:11)

Oh yeah, totally. I get so excited when I see something like new and different instead of just like another DSW shoe sale or something.

A (12:24)

I know that type of content stuff. It's, it's also so, I don't know, it just kind of keeps coming. It's like an avalanche. And then you're like, oh, well, should I buy new shoes? Do I need new shoes? And then when you really look in your closet, you're like, I do not need new shoes. But then they text you and you're like, oh my gosh.

B (12:46)

Definitely.

A (12:48)

The other thing I'd say before we wrap up this episode is that one on one connection. I know I've said this a lot, but reaching out to people one on one, having a prospect list is super important. It's the best way to create authentic connections and also cut through all of the noise. And also getting out there in person and talking to people or doing events or networking or just going out in your community. It really does go a long way.

B (13:15)

Yeah. I think one other thing to add to that. This is a good time to try something new, especially if it's slower for you and you have a little bit of time, like leading into summer, late spring. Do something you've never done before and actually give it time to try to work. Because doing something like once and deciding it didn't work isn't good. Like, give it like three months so that by the time Q3 comes around, you could say, oh, I want to keep trying that. Or no, tried it. Not for me.

A (13:48)

I love that. That's great advice. All right, everyone, what are you focusing on in Q2? Let us know. Visit successwithjewelry.com and if you love the podcast, we'd love to hear from you. Send us a message or leave us a review. Thanks for being a part of our community.