← Success With Jewelry
Success With Jewelry
154 - Laryssa Interviews Liz Kantner on Finding Your Place in the Jewelry Industry, Community, and Evolving Success
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Welcome to the Success With Jewelry podcast. Your go to source for real conversations about business marketing and what it actually takes to succeed as a jewelry brand. Today, I'm Larissa, the strategist, systems queen and the one who finds joy in turning big marketing challenges into step by step plans that actually work. Email marketing and generating revenue through it is the specialty of my agency, Joy Joya. And I'm Liz, your creative compass and advocate for designers doing things differently. I I live for brilliant brand storytelling, beautiful visuals, and helping designers confidently show up and shine. I founded the StayGold collective to create community and support for independent jewelry brands. Together, we bring you nearly two decades of jewelry marketing experience. And on this podcast, we're pulling back the curtain on everything we've learned. Whether you're just starting out or scaling to your next big milestone, you'll get honest insights, helpful tips, and maybe a few giggles along the way. This is episode 154. And like last week, we're switching things up. Larissa is interviewing me, Liz Kantner. We'll chat about how I got started in the jewelry industry, what I've learned from years of working with designers, and what keeps me inspired to help others build meaningful, sustainable businesses. And if you've ever wondered what my own creative process looks like or how I think about the future of the jewelry industry, you'll want to stick around. Let's get into it. Are you ready to be grilled? I don't know. I like, I. I tend to like interviewing. I don't know. The listeners may have noticed that I ask a lot of questions on our podcast and it's because I love interviewing people. I don't love being interviewed. Well, I'll try to make it comfortable and fun. Thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, so I think you shared like some of this on the podcast before, but maybe if people have missed it, what was your start in the jewelry industry? How did you first get involved? I was thinking when you were answering the question last week. We do have a similar journey. Like, you graduated with a degree in creative writing. I have a marketing degree and I was working in digital marketing and I moved across the country to Denver, Colorado from Philadelphia. Not the best decision I've made in my life, but it did bring me. Maybe we could share more about that with insiders, but it did bring me into the jewelry industry. I moved without a job. I had a great job in Philadelphia working for a digital marketing agency. And you know, you do like, I grew up there. I went to college there. You know, I think it was Good to get out of my comfort zone and move somewhere else to do it without a job. I don't know if I'd recommend that a hundred percent, but I found a jewelry social media job on Craigslist working for Todd Reed. Little did I know that he. On Craigslist, I know. Little did I know that he was one of the top jewelry designers. And I knew nothing about any of it. I didn't even know there was a jewelry industry I didn't know anything about. I know, obviously knew what jewelry was. I love jewelry, but I didn't realize the craft that went into it, and it felt like a master's degree. That job was an incredible experience for me, and I learned so much, and it just. It put me in the jewelry industry, and I loved it so much that I never left. Yes. So I guess in that time when you were with Todd Reed, I mean, I'm sure there were so many moments that you said it was like a master's degree, basically, but are there any major points or, like, moments that stand out that help shape where you are today or how your career has evolved? I think it. And if you talk to anybody who's been in the industry for a long time, I think they'll say this, but it's the people it was we were doing. I was. I had the opportunity to go to trade shows like Centur and Couture, and just the community around the jewelry industry. And some of the key people in the industry were just so incredible. And I found this fascination for designers, too. There were so many people creating really incredible work, and I started posting about it on my Instagram, something that had been part of my life for always, which is why I, like, had a digital marketing job with social media. I just loved the opportunity to connect with people. I was an avid blogger for a long time, and I was in this, like, blogging community kind of before Instagram started and after for a while. But I'd blog about music for the most part, and I'm still friends with people I met on, like, blogspot back in the day. But this, like, whole idea of, like, sharing the craft, sharing these designers that, you know, because I didn't know that existed, and there weren't that many people sharing that type of content at that time. So it was really, really interesting to me. But, yeah, the community and the people in the jewelry industry was kind of like what made me want to stay. And then also just seeing, and I've said this before, but walking into Todd's workshop, where he had many Master goldsmiths and seeing them take a flat sheet of metal and turn it into truly a work of art that you could wear was just. I, I didn't know you could do that. I knew nothing about the craft, so that was really incredible to see. I have so many questions, but maybe we'll save them for the insiders. But I guess one question I could ask because you're such an advocate of like the arts and supporting like hand crafted goods is did you always have that passion or did that develop like with, with that job that you had? I think I always was interested. I just didn't have. I didn't necessarily pursue it. Right. I went to business school. I majored in marketing and I don't. I was very into music and that was kind of like my core focus in terms of like hobbies and like going to concerts and things like that and, and what I was interested in. And I didn't really. I went to museums. I appreciated art, but I never really got into it until I think that moment of walking into that workshop and seeing a piece being made and then learning more about the craft. Another very little known fact about me is that I did used to make jewelry. Not in the way that, you know, y' all are thinking. Like, I didn't make jewelry, but I did collect like vintage buttons and vintage odds and ends and things like that. That's another thing that I was really into was just vintage and collecting vintage. And one of my main hobbies and Colorado when I was out there was thrifting because their thrift stores and estate sales are, were just amazing. But when I was in high school, I did also make jewelry, like little stuff. Cool. You know, anyway, yeah, so it was always kind of there. It was always kind of there. But I didn't, I didn't really pursue it or know about it. I also have the narrative. I mean, and this is true that my, I. My grandmother had some pretty funky jewelry and I did love looking in her jewelry box, which I know a lot of people can relate to that as well. So how did you get from that to your own business? So I loved working with independent designers. And something I love and will always appreciate about Todd Reed is the fact that he was so willing to help people coming up in the industry. And at that time there was this other great mentor in the industry, Cindy Adelstein, who was such an advocate emerging brands and independent jewelry designers. And around the time that Cindy Edelstein tragically passed away, there was an opening to like kind of help with emerging brands. With J New York. And so I was able to move into a role where I could help younger brands do their first trade show. So I started working with Jay New York, and that was a contract role. And alongside that I started managing Instagram accounts and creating content and doing content strategy for independent jewelry designers. The first one I worked with was Daria de Koning, and she was a friend I had just met through the industry. I forget exactly how I met Daria, but she was my first client and I was managing her Instagram page and creating her content and all of those things. And then I was also helping emerging brands participate in their first trade show. So from there I just kind of kept going with that. I kept bringing on clients to do content for. I kept working with Jay in New York. I learned even more about the industry. My passion for helping emerging brands kept growing. Were you actively like soliciting clients or it just kind of naturally happened because of the relationships that you had? I felt really lucky because my whole business started from relationships and just knowing people and chatting with people and someone saying, oh, I need help with social media, and me saying, oh, I could probably help you kind of thing. And then if it was the right fit, we'd start working together. So it was very, very organic. And I didn't start the Stay gold collective until 2019. And that kind of came from working with these trade shows and realizing that so many design didn't have access to like education about the industry and so many kind of went into a trade show not knowing exactly what to do. And with the new designer gallery at J in New York, I was able to help them and help guide them through it and help educate them. And I was kind of like, what if I created something where I put out this information for any designer who was interested? And that's kind of how that was born. Yeah. So how have. I mean, you just mentioned in 2019 you had the Stay Gold Collective. In what other ways has your business and have your services evolved over the years? Like through today? They have evolved differently than I think yours have. I think like unintentionally. I. That's something I'm always trying to figure out in my business is how can I be really intentional about the like one to one services that I offer? And with Stay Gold, I always like have this like core vision for it and how I want to grow it, but with some of the other stuff I do, I'm not as sure. And I was managing Instagram pages and doing content strategy, but like you said in your Interview. Digital marketing changed so quickly and you have to really be on top of it and you have to be ready to move with it. And some of the newer things that happened, like the reels and the putting your face on camera and doing skits and things like that, I just. Art is not where I'm at or what I want to be working on or creating. I don't want to edit videos, I don't want to do that kind of stuff. So I've really moved away from content strategy, which I was doing for so long, and Instagram and all of that. So I think that I'm still in this place of like, I want to like intentionally decide what kind of one to one services I want to offer, but I'm not sure what they should be or what feels good or what I want to be working on. That makes so much sense. And by the day, things still are changing. I mean, with AI content and like everything, it's almost hard to kind of keep up with like the decision making for your business while the world is spinning like times a thousand around you. It's so wild. I mean, Instagram's changing every day there's something new. And I was getting so burnt out on social media clients because you'd be giving these reports and they'd be like, why is it not growing? I'm like that the consistency is paying off. Let me point to these ways. But it's not what they're paying me to do or that's not what they hired me to do. And yeah, kind of defending that and kind of having that conversation over and over again got exhausting. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. That's kind of why we don't really do social media either. I know if it's the right client who gets it, which I do have one or two of those who just like understand what I'm doing and understand how it pays off. That's great. I love doing that. I love doing content strategy in that context. But doing it where you're looking for followers, you're looking for those, those vanity metrics, I can't do that. And also what has changed so much? Not to make this about a whole other thing, but a lot of social is so much pay to play now. Like you really need to be investing in ads to get those things that maybe five years ago were easier to get organically. And it's like, like you said, it's hard to explain that over and over, all of that. And if you're going to invest in ads, you need a strategy. You need a decent sized budget to do it. You need to be consistent about it. There's a lot to consider. Totally. So what do you think makes a jewelry brand stand out today? Having a distinct point of view. Having. Leaning into a niche in general. I know that's kind of scary to do because it feels safer and logically maybe makes more sense to be everything to everyone. But leaning into your niche is what stands out. Like, leaning into, like, the core of why you're doing this, and just having a really strong point of view, that's what helps you stand out. It's not necessarily all the other stuff. Like, yeah, you need to post your work that's helpful for people to discover you, and you need to have a clear idea of what you want to say about your work. That's really important too. But if you know what you want to create and you believe in it wholeheartedly and you've leaned into that fully, then you will stand out. So true. I love that answer. So what's the mistake then that you see over and over? It's always like, oh, well, I started creating this because this is a trend, or I think this is going to sell, or I think this is what stores are looking for, or, you know, working in trade shows, a lot of times it's like, oh, I met with this buyer and they're looking for this price point, and they don't have this price point. So I'm going to create this thing to fit this price point. And a lot of times my response is, oh, but I thought you want it to be over here. And I thought you wanted to do this with your business. And a lot of times it's like, yeah, but I also want to be in this store anytime you're really bending in a big way that doesn't align with what you had been wanting to do or what the core of your business is. That's a mistake that often leads to just, you know, just losing focus. That's such a good point. So how. What's your take on the origins of success with jewelry? Why. Why did you also agree to do this podcast with me? I agreed to podcast because Larissa does all the hard stuff. I would not have created a podcast on my own. I don't know how you do your own podcast without a co host, but I. It's just. It's such a great way to reach. I love it. That. Yeah, I really love that. But I also think that for myself, like, I manage a community. I love supporting a community of jewelry. Designers. But for myself, I didn't have a community, and Covid was very isolating. And to have people to talk to who were doing what I was doing was really helpful. So talking to Larissa and really, like, having a conversation about marketing, you know, out there for people to have free access to you, I think is really important. And, you know, it's. It felt like a big way to expand my community and what I was doing with the Stay Gold Collective, definitely. What's something that you've learned over the years of doing this podcast? Podcasts take a lot of work. Like, I. Sometimes people are like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna start a podcast. Or I have this idea for a podcast, or I was talking to a friend about doing a podcast, and something I'm working on outside of jewelry right now is helping a brand launch a podcast. And I learned so much from doing it with Larissa that I feel somewhat qualified to help with that. But the content writing involved, it's a lot, and it's. It's not easy. And anyway, that's the biggest thing I've learned is I also. I mean, I guess I already knew this about myself, but I have a lot to say. Yeah, I could talk forever, but to make it make sense to be cohesive, to think about episodes, to connect with your listeners, it's all a lot of work and a lot of strategy. I know it's fairly easy to start a podcast. Like, anyone can technically do it, but the longevity part is very difficult. And when we first started our podcast was. Was. I'm not gonna. I know. Like, it was very much like, here's the takeaway we were trying to be. And we still want to take away. We still want you to gain something from this, but we aren't as set on, like, we need this structure, and we need to say, this is the main thing that we want you to hear. From what we're saying, it was more like webinary or something. It was webinary, which I don't think I would go back and listen. I don't think I've listened to any of our podcasts. Oh, no. I think the conversational format that we've evolved into is better. So I agree. So how do you stay inspired with all the ways that you are also balancing creativity with business and strategy and the day to day of being a solopreneur? I don't know. I don't do anything that feels creative. Like, I love how in your interview, you said confidently, I am a creative person. I don't know If I would say that about myself just because I am surrounded by really creative people. There's so many creative people in my community and it's imposter syndrome from a lot of, I think in a lot of ways. But I, I, I struggle to call myself creative. I don't do many things that feel like they're using my creativity. But then when I kind of saying that I'm like, oh, well, but you. I love helping businesses figure out what type of content to put out there so I can be creative for other people. With myself, I haven't made much space for that. Hmm. I like to invite people to expand their definition of creativity. Tell me more. I don't know. I think like really anything can be creative. Like how you structure your day could be like a creative exercise. Cause like you're creating that, you know what I mean? Or how you style your jewelry for the day. Like that's a creative exercise. That's true. I like that. That's a good challenge for myself. Push myself to see myself as creative or do things or notice the little things that I do that are creative. Yeah. So for you, how, what's your definition of success? And like how has that changed and evolved? What is it today? I, my, I used to want to be big or I don't know, big. I don't know what I necessarily mean by that, but I wanted to grow a business. I wanted to be the face of a business. I want it to be out there. And in past years, the past few years, I've really wanted to be small or like get smaller or like be behind the scenes and things and not the face of it and local. Leaning into local, staying more connected with my local community rather than always looking to like big cities or big things or big events and things like that. Like how can I just be really tied in with my local community? So success for me is kind of like your answer too is just to have like a calm, anxiety free day to day where I feel happy. Yes. Is that so much to ask? It feels like a lot sometimes. No, for sure. So if someone is just starting their jewelry business today, what's your like go to advice to give to that person like that? I think find a community is a big one in whatever creative field you're in. I know it's jewelry designers listening to this, but community is everything. Connecting with other jewelry designers is a big deal and people want to help people. So you know, this whole concept of community over competition is the vibe of many jewelry designers and that's what I've always loved about the industry is that people really want to help each other thrive in it. And so I would say first and foremost, like, dig into your local jewelry community and if you can't find that, feel free to shoot me a message and I will see what I can do to help you. But that would be my first piece of advice. I love that. All right, quick fire. Question round. Who is a designer that you're currently inspired by? Laura Wood. She's a local jewelry designer. I feel like I've mentioned her a lot recently, but she just has such a strong point of view and has such a strong perspective when it comes to color and color matching and she creates really sculptural work. I'm just inspired and impressed by her. Love it. What is your dream creative project? I wrote this question and I don't know. So I would hope my dream creator. I should have an answer, I think. So this kind of came to me the other day. I was thinking about it. I don't know if I would do it, but, like, because I've gotten really tied in with the local Asheville Craf community, like a show or some sort of like pop up where I was pairing jewelry and art. I don't. Some kind of curated exhibition. I don't know, something that kind of mediums together. Yeah. Yeah, I think that would be fun. I feel like that wouldn't be super hard for you to make it real. Yeah, I would just have to have. I would have to make the time and have, you know, like, I used to love putting myself out there and I really, like, I've really become more introverted. It makes sense. Book or podcast that you're loving. So I've been reading. I read a lot. I love contemporary fiction. Just in general, I'm a big reader. But this summer, I think just because the world feels crazy, I've been reading, like, much lighter stuff than I typically do. And I'm very into Alyn Hilderbrand, who writes about Nantucket. But I've read so many of her books this year and I can't stop. But also the Stay Gold Collective and I started a business book club recently. So I'm. Right now I'm reading hug your customers by Jack Mitchell and I am in the middle of taxes for humans by Hannah Cole. So I'm trying to also read business books. And I don't listen to podcasts in general. I don't know, I can't recommend a podcast. You have a podcast, so whatever. Exactly. Yeah. Very cool. Thanks, Liz. It was Nice getting to know you better. Thanks, Larissa. All right, do you have any questions for me? 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 part of the Success with Jewelry community.