Tiny Tags CEO Melissa Clayton: 'We are not in the business of buying customers'

Summary

The Glossy Podcast: Episode Summary

Title: Tiny Tags CEO Melissa Clayton: 'We are not in the business of buying customers'
Host: Jill Manoff
Guest: Melissa Clayton, Founder and CEO of Tiny Tags
Release Date: March 12, 2025

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Introduction

In this insightful episode of The Glossy Podcast, host Jill Manoff engages in a deep conversation with Melissa Clayton, the passionate founder and CEO of Tiny Tags, a customizable fine jewelry brand. Launched in 2012, Tiny Tags has flourished without external funding, boasting a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business and a significant partnership with Target, which sells their collection in nearly 1,700 stores and anticipates $7 to $9 million in sales this year. The discussion delves into Melissa's entrepreneurial journey, the brand's focus on mothers, innovative marketing strategies, and the challenges faced in the competitive jewelry landscape.

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Entrepreneurial Beginnings and Business Growth

Melissa Clayton attributes her entrepreneurial spirit to her upbringing, highlighting the influence of her father’s business ventures. She shares her initial foray into entrepreneurship with a product showcased on Shark Tank—a foldable, collapsible bathroom mat designed to maximize space in small bathrooms. Despite not securing funding from the show, Melissa emphasizes the resilience and cautious inventory management that allowed her side hustle to succeed without overwhelming risks.

Notable Quote:

“[04:34] Melissa Clayton: ...you sell out when the show aired, but it's not like we walked away with millions.”

Transitioning from a side project, Melissa recounts the evolution of Tiny Tags from handmade necklaces inspired by her desire for personalized jewelry for her first son. The brand's growth was organically fueled by word-of-mouth and exceptional customer service, leading her to partner with established jewelry makers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. This strategic move enabled Tiny Tags to scale effectively while maintaining control over the brand's mission and product quality.

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Focus on Mothers: The Heart of Tiny Tags

A pivotal aspect of Tiny Tags' identity is its unwavering focus on mothers. Melissa elucidates how this dedication arose from her personal reflections on motherhood and her relationship with her own mother. By narrowing the brand’s target audience, Tiny Tags fosters a strong, authentic connection with its community, reinforcing the brand's core values of love, connection, and celebrating the precious moments of motherhood.

Notable Quote:

“[05:59] Melissa Clayton: If you try to be everything to everybody or nobody.”

Melissa shares a transformative moment when confronted with the question of her "why," leading her to embrace motherhood as the central theme of her business. This clarity allowed her to delete non-motherhood-related content from the website, reinforcing the brand's focus and creating a cohesive narrative that resonates deeply with their primary audience.

Notable Quote:

“[05:59] Melissa Clayton: ...we are not in the business of buying customers.”

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Marketing Strategies and Community Building

Tiny Tags thrives on a robust mix of marketing strategies that prioritize authenticity and community engagement over aggressive customer acquisition tactics. The brand leverages platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where their marketing manager has successfully cultivated viral content and driven significant sales. Additionally, collaborations with influencers and other female entrepreneurs amplify their reach without relying heavily on traditional advertising.

Notable Quote:

“[10:26] Melissa Clayton: ...we are not in the business of buying customers.”

Melissa underscores the importance of storytelling and word-of-mouth, highlighting how genuine customer experiences and heartfelt stories shared by women in their community foster loyalty and organic growth. This approach aligns with Tiny Tags’ philosophy of building meaningful connections rather than merely increasing sales figures.

Notable Quote:

“[11:38] Melissa Clayton: ...I love supporting my other female founders.”

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Challenges and Competition in the Jewelry Market

Despite its success, Tiny Tags faces notable challenges, primarily from intense competition and the fast-paced nature of e-commerce giants like Amazon. Melissa discusses the complexities of maintaining an artisanal, personalized product in a market dominated by quick-turnaround, mass-produced items. Tiny Tags differentiates itself through superior craftsmanship, such as their use of laser engraving for intricate personalization, which stands in contrast to the superficial diamond drag technique used by competitors.

Notable Quote:

“[20:15] Melissa Clayton: ...how do you take a personalized product that takes time to make?”

The brand's commitment to quality and storytelling serves as a counterbalance to the convenience offered by larger retailers, positioning Tiny Tags as a provider of heirloom-quality jewelry rather than disposable fashion accessories.

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Role of Influencers and Celebrity Endorsements

Influencers and celebrity endorsements play a crucial role in enhancing Tiny Tags' credibility and visibility. Melissa shares anecdotes about gifting customized pieces to notable personalities like Meryl Streep and Olivia Culpo, which not only boosts brand recognition but also underscores the personal significance of their products.

Notable Quote:

“[13:15] Melissa Clayton: ...Meryl Streep literally put it right on.”

These authentic endorsements reinforce the brand’s image as a meaningful and trustworthy choice for personalized jewelry, further differentiating Tiny Tags from competitors.

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Company Structure and Operational Insights

Tiny Tags operates with a lean team of approximately 11 members, leveraging a mix of full-time staff and 1099 contractors to maintain flexibility and efficiency. The operational hub is based in Rhode Island, where all jewelry is manufactured locally, ensuring high-quality standards akin to prestigious brands like Tiffany’s and David Yurman.

Notable Quote:

“[19:03] Melissa Clayton: ...we sit inside our manufacturer's building in Rhode Island.”

This streamlined structure allows Tiny Tags to efficiently manage production, quality control, and distribution while fostering a collaborative and remote-friendly work environment.

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Lessons Learned and Advice for Founders

Melissa imparts valuable lessons for emerging entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's "why" and the courage to seek help and mentorship. She advocates for maintaining control over the business without external investor pressures, allowing for a more authentic and passion-driven approach to growth.

Notable Quote:

“[24:51] Melissa Clayton: Emerging founders should know, I think, understand knowing your why.”

Melissa also shares candid experiences of setbacks, such as dealing with fraudulent partners, highlighting the necessity of due diligence and financial prudence. Her emphasis on transparency, especially regarding financials, serves as a foundational pillar for sustainable business growth.

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Future Goals and Vision

Looking ahead, Melissa outlines her aspirations to expand Tiny Tags’ community engagement through in-person events and collaborations with fellow female founders. She aims to deepen the brand's storytelling and maintain its focus on creating meaningful, personalized jewelry that serves as a constant reminder of what truly matters in life.

Notable Quote:

“[23:28] Melissa Clayton: ...it has allowed us to have a lot of stickiness with our community.”

Melissa is also enthusiastic about upcoming jewelry launches, ensuring that the brand continues to offer stunning and meaningful pieces that resonate with their dedicated customer base.

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Conclusion

Melissa Clayton’s journey with Tiny Tags exemplifies a commitment to authenticity, quality, and community over rapid expansion and external funding. Her strategic focus on mothers, coupled with effective storytelling and a strong online presence, has cultivated a loyal customer base and sustainable growth. This episode of The Glossy Podcast offers valuable insights into building a purpose-driven brand that prioritizes meaningful connections over mere transactions.

Closing Remark:

“[31:22] Melissa Clayton: ...remind what really matters in life.”

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Listen to the full episode here.

Transcript

[Jill Manoff]

Foreign. Thanks for tuning in to the Glossy podcast. I'm your host, Jill Manoff, and today I'm sitting down with Melissa Clayton, the founder and CEO of the customizable fine jewelry brand Tiny Tags. In addition to its DTC business, Tiny Tags has a Target collection that sells in nearly 1700 stores and is expected to drive 7 to $9 million in sales this year. I wanted to ask Melissa about how she's grown her business, which launched in 2012 and has yet to take on outside funding. I also wanted to ask about the brand's sharp focus on moms and how that's informed its marketing strategies and facilitated community building, among other opportunities. Welcome, Melissa.

[Melissa Clayton]

Thanks for having me, Jill. I'm so excited to be here.

[Jill Manoff]

I'm so excited to have you. I went a circle back at the beginning. You were on Shark Tank.

[Melissa Clayton]

Yes. But not for Tiny Tags.

[Jill Manoff]

Yes. What was going on? Were you always this an entrepreneur preneurial spirit? I can't say this word.

[Melissa Clayton]

I have to say yes. I grew up with a father that was every very entrepreneurial. It was definitely in my blood. And the product that I was on Shark Tank for, I love it was not something that was gonna. It's not my heart and passion the way Tiny Tags is, but it is, it's very gimmicky. But I still use my, it's called the mat and I still use mine every single day. And one of the biggest fans of the mat. So you know what it is? It's a foldable collapsible. Let me back up. I've always had a small bathroom. I've put my hair dryer on the toilet bowl, my makeup around the sink. Everything falls in the sink goes on the floor. So the mat is a foldable collapsible mat that lays over your sink and creates an instant counter. I live in the suburbs of Boston. I use mine every single day. And it is to me a must have if you have a small bathroom.

[Jill Manoff]

Yes.

[Melissa Clayton]

But what the problem with the mat is that there's so many copycats and unless you want to spend your life savings in court.

[Jill Manoff]

Yeah.

[Melissa Clayton]

It was not worth the, the time and energy, unfortunately.

[Jill Manoff]

Oh, my God, that is so smart. I would travel with that. The, the worst thing for me when I'm traveling and I go into a hotel and it has a little pedestal sink and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna send you one. Oh, my God, I'm gonna send you one. I, I, I won't, I won't deny that. But no. Where was the idea for tiny tags.

[Melissa Clayton]

I've had tiny tags for a very long time. I sometimes feel like we are an old school company, that we have grown old school, word of mouth, amazing customer service, amazing product. My background was not in the jewelry space. My background was I was a cpa. I always say that I wasn't a very good cpa. I was not meant to sit behind a computer all day, but I had my first son. I saw a mom wearing a necklace. It was hand stamped at the time. And this is literally 19 years ago. And I said, I want one of those. I'm going to figure out how to make, make them. There's a lot of things that happened that I ended up actually making one and I sent them to a bunch of friends. I mean, this is, it's hard to imagine a world before social media and kind of very old school. I would get checks in the mail, grandmothers would call me up, I want one, I want one. And that's how it started. And it was like that for many years. When I moved back to New England, I felt that we had something, you know, we did like, we hit like 450 in revenue. And I knew if I could scale, scale the business, if I could get out of the day to day. So luckily for me, Rhode island and Massachusetts have huge history of jewelry making. And we have amazing business partners that we sit inside their building actually in Rhode island, and we went to find personalized jewelry. So we do 14 karat gold, sterling silver, gold vermeil and went to laser engraving, which I'll get into. But so we completely overhauled the business. So I was not making jewelry anymore.

[Jill Manoff]

Oh my gosh. So interesting. We're both businesses going on at the same time at the beginning.

[Melissa Clayton]

So the funny thing is the mat has received so much press from the Shark Tank, the Today show, but it has always been a side hustle like pick it up, pick it down, pick it up, pick it down. The Shark Tank experience. If anyone has been on the Shark Tank, well, it's a reality show and it's not what it used to be. I think, you know, 10 years ago when brands would go on, it could change, it could change your life. That was not our journey. And the problem is, is that you, you don't know if you're going to air. So you, you either have to take a risk and buy all that inventory.

[Jill Manoff]

Oh my God.

[Melissa Clayton]

And then you might be stuck with it. So we were pretty conservative on the inventory side. So when the show aired, you know, we sold out. But it's not like we walked away with millions.

[Jill Manoff]

So, yes, totally. So are you the creative side of the business and the business side of the business? Like, do you have a co founder who were your partners to get this off the ground?

[Melissa Clayton]

It's. It's all me. My husband did join as our CFO about nine years ago. I think I am. The brand is an extension of what's in my heart, is the truth. So I look at myself as the one thing I can do well is I connect with our brand mission. I cry with our customers, I hug them when I see them. It is just an extension of me. So it's never been hard for me to be that person. And I think it's really good marketing. But the word authentic is so overused. But it is authentic to me. It's an extension of what I believe that life is precious. We're here to love and we're here to connect with people and tiny tags. That is what it's all about.

[Jill Manoff]

So, yes. Would you say like 99 of your shoppers are moms? Like, it's interesting because you have jewelry. It can be customizable. Anybody can wear it, Anybody can customize anything. But why have you really zeroed in on moms? And is that like at the differentiator or that's. That's actually who's going to buy this in the end?

[Melissa Clayton]

So when I started the business, you know, everyone tells you what you should do, so people would tell me, oh, you should do something for graduates, for brides, for dads. And my head was spinning. I listened to a book called Brand Warfare and it really made me look within me of what I wanted to connect with our community on and what I cared about and very much about. If you try to be everything to everybody or nobody. And I literally went home and deleted everything off the website. That did not have to do with motherhood. And as I've had this business for so long and the journey of it, it has been about motherhood. And I've. I've come back to. I'll tell you a quick story. I was asked about probably eight years ago, I was in a yo, which is an entrepreneur's group, and someone said, what's your why? I think it was around the time that Simon Sinek's book was out. Know your why?

[Jill Manoff]

Yeah.

[Melissa Clayton]

And I said, I. My why is I love my kids. And he said to me, no, there's got to be more than every mother loves her kids. And he said. I said, well, that's my answer. If you don't like it, that's fine. And then he said to me, well, what was your relationship like with your mother? And I started to cry. And I was like, oh, my gosh. And it really was that light bulb going off that here I was someone that grew up with my father, my mom struggled to show up. And now I'm in the business of celebrating children. And maybe it wasn't an accident or the passion for talking about motherhood, the passion for understanding the journey of motherhood was really something within me that I wanted to explore more.

[Jill Manoff]

Yep.

[Melissa Clayton]

And it just felt that's where my calling was. Is one a lot of from the storytelling that whether it's because everybody has a mother, whether you're a daughter or whether you have a grandmother or if your mother's not with you, you know, your aunts, it is, it's a community. We all have a mother. So everyone understands that relationship and that dynamic. And I wanted to explore all the different journeys that women have had. You know, we have had and we do a whole series of story behind the tag. We've had women share the journey of giving a child up for adoption because they felt they couldn't raise that child. And what has blown my mind and what continues to inspire me is women willing to share their stories for no money, for no accolades, purely to support and help another woman along her journey. And that, to me is what has been the most powerful part about tiny tags.

[Jill Manoff]

Nice. Where are you setting the stage for this? Where are you inviting your community and to tell their story and showcasing these amazing stories?

[Melissa Clayton]

We've done videos. We used to. We actually did probably like eight videos quite a few years ago. And I'm like, we need to do them more. They were two minute videos, which now seems way too long for anybody to ever watch. But we do an email series. We do a lot on social. You know, when I meet people and they tell me their story and I sort of, I try to take those stories and I'm sharing them whether it's on my own social. So it's obviously very heavy social media, but email and then we do a lot of videos that to me, seeing the videos bring it to life is what I absolutely love. But that's obviously a much bigger endeavor.

[Jill Manoff]

Yes. Let's talk about the whole marketing mix. So you've got social probably largely focused on Instagram. You tell me you've got email video, obviously, obviously. I'm sure your target relationship serves as an awareness play. But yeah. How would you describe your mix?

[Melissa Clayton]

So, yeah, we are very heavy on Instagram also pretty heavy on TikTok. We have an amazing marketing manager who has had quite a few videos go viral on TikTok and has had things sell out which has been for me, I'm not organically on TikTok. So that has been a pretty wild to see that that channel perform so well for us. And then we obviously through email and you know, being a D2C brand and then the target has been a newer relationship and a whole new channel to have an in store presence. But that is a completely separate line. It's 25. Our AOV on our website's about 250 so it's a completely different product. But nonetheless from a brand awareness standpoint, it's been really exciting.

[Jill Manoff]

So exciting. Would you say you're shaking up your investment in terms of advertising when it comes to like Meta or all of those platforms still are as successful for you as they ever have been?

[Melissa Clayton]

I think we have not grown. If you would ask me how we have grown the business. It has been through kind of going back to basics, an amazing product, an amazing customer service and really good storytelling and building a community. We have a huge word of mouth presence. We know that our moms wear our jewelry and then their sisters see it, their daughters will see it, their friends will see it. We've also had a really amazing collaborations with influencers. We've worked with Matty Nelson for years now and that has been a huge channel for us. We're still. We do obviously invest in Meta but I would not say it has been where we have put, you know, we are not in the business of buying customers. We're not like a lot of other D2C brands that are lose money on the first purchase and are just buying buying customers. That has not been our strategy.

[Jill Manoff]

Totally. Well, I've see I saw you on your Instagram. Does your customer know you? Is that important? They want to know the founder and more about you. I love your series. You call your customers to find out the meaning behind their order. So cute. But yes. Tell me about that connection to you and the importance of that.

[Melissa Clayton]

I think it's important. I'm always asking our team. I wanted to jump on stories. I want to talk more to our community. Does this make sense? And sometimes you feel as a founder you have to put on something you're not. And I feel like I can only be me. And I do think, I like to think our community does care. I think I know when I make a purchase who is behind that brand matters to me. I love supporting My other female founders. I don't like lining the pockets of Meta. To be honest, I really would prefer to do a collaboration with another female founder. We're doing a collaboration with Petite Plume this Mother's Day, another female founder. And to me, like, that makes sense. That's where I want to support and put my marketing dollars. So when I think of how we're going to grow this business, yes, we have to do Meta and all of that, but I love doing brand collabs. I love working with other influencers, which I look at as female entrepreneurs as a way to kind of get our name out there. But I love connecting with our customers though. To get back to the original question, I love calling customers. I jump on customer service all the time. When I'm. If I'm at night and I'm working, I'll jump on and I cannot not answer a question if someone has one. And then I'll just say, I'm Melissa, the founder. And people are so blown away because the perception is always is that you're bigger than you actually are.

[Jill Manoff]

I love that. So fun. Well, tell me about the, the power of an influencer, a mega influencer or a celebrity in terms of driving traffic or driving sales. I mean, Meryl Streep anyway. But yes, tell me about what the impact of something like that.

[Melissa Clayton]

I think it gives just a lot of credibility. The Meryl Streep was a good old fashioned hustle, which I love talking about that story. She was a speaker here at an event in Massachusetts and I hounded the woman that was in charge of the event and I said, what are you possibly going to give Meryl Streep that she would care? And I said, I will make her a 14 karat gold circle pendant with her four children's names on it and she will love it. And I did and I made sure she got it. And Meryl Streep literally put it right on. And then she wore it for a bunch of press. And what was so special is in some of the photographs in the video you could see it, but other times you couldn't because she wasn't wearing it for anyone but herself. And I think that's what Tiny Tags really is about, that women wear it because it means something to them. It's not for other people necessarily. So that was a amazing moment. And yeah, I think when, when you're out there serving ads on Meta and they click on your website and they see a Meryl Streep or Nicole Phelps and they see celebrities or you see press, I Think it gives, like, okay, this is not a pop up company. They've been around for a while and they're real. Because I think that is, you know, you never know what. I've ordered dresses and it comes from dhl and I'm like, where did this come from? I think it helps alleviate that. That nervousness.

[Jill Manoff]

Totally. Well, I also noticed yesterday that you were celebrating on your insta a celebrity that happened to announce their pregnancy. Olivia Culpo. Like, is that often how those relationships start? Like, she's very influential. I'm. It would be great for her to wear your jewelry. Or maybe you'll send her a necklace with her baby's name on it. You tell me one.

[Melissa Clayton]

I love those three sisters. We worked with Aurora when she first had her child. Again, good old fashioned hustle. I reached out to Aurora and to Sophia and I said, I'd love to your tiny tags. We did. And when Aurora got married, we made all of them bridesmaids gifts. So we have all three of them wearing our tiny tags. And then. Yeah. And plus they're Rhode Island. She's from Rhode Island. Our jewelry's made in Rhode Island. So to me it seems natural that Olivia would want to wear tiny tags. And I just, I think her energy is so fantastic. And obviously they're just, you know, as far as a couple, you just. They don't get any cuter. Melissa, we're hoping. We're hoping that she wears a tiny tag. Christian, if you need a gift, call me.

[Jill Manoff]

Christian, heads up. Oh, man. I tell you, when we first met, you came up to me at an event. I knew you were a hustler in the best way. I was like, go, girl. Are you've always been like this?

[Melissa Clayton]

Yes. And I listen to. And I read a lot of books and I, I have so many stories that I love sharing and. But I don't want to kind of go off tangent, but everything good that has ever happened to tiny T bags is because someone else has helped me. And I think when you really love what you do and you believe in your product and it's, you know, I'm not just hawking jewelry. I think we are truly spreading love and why we're here on earth. It is so meaningful. And the stories I've heard over the years, when you, when you love what you do, you kind of don't feel like you're bothering someone. You actually feel like, you know what? She would love my product and I'm gonna reach out and just go up to her.

[Jill Manoff]

So I love that. Well, no funding to date. I hear often from brands, I get a big retail partner and then they're like, oh God, what do I do now? And that puts a lot of demands on the business. But yeah, what's been your approach? Are you at this point in time, now that you've reached a certain level, would, would an outside partner be beneficial or how do you see it?

[Melissa Clayton]

So we have. I've chosen never to raise money. It is just. I like, maybe I'm a control freak, I don't know. But I really feel as though I love the journey of this. This has never ever been about making enough money so I can sell it and go lay by a pool. I need something to do. I love, love working. It is my passion. I look forward to Monday mornings. I'm like, people get Sunday night blues, not me. So that I think when your business is not a means to an end and you love the journey of it all, there's a lot less pressure to that you put on yourself. Obviously I have to pay my bills and, and you know, it is our sole income as, as a family because my husband works here. But I have never wanted investors because I really don't want people telling me what to do. And as far as cash flow, because I'm the D2C brand and has always been someone, that someone orders it, we make it. So my cash flow, it's never been an issue. The target has been a completely different beast. And luckily for us, my husband's from upstate New York are very good credit. And we have never ex. We've never gone above and beyond our means as a business. So what? Being able to fund the business, we got a line of credit and we've been able to fund the business internally without going outside. So no, I don't can see any near future of bringing on someone. But you never, you never know. I mean, in the perfect world, in a couple of years, if someone said to me, sell piece of the business, I get to be the face of the business and run in. And they believe in our values and what we're doing, I could see doing something. But right now I'm. I'm honestly just having too much fun. And I love what we do.

[Jill Manoff]

So the fine jewelry business, 100% DTC.

[Melissa Clayton]

100. I mean, we sell at maisonette. We used to be in Nordstrom and we used to be in Pottery Barn kids. But right now I think we're in maisonette. But D2C. Yeah, just the website.

[Jill Manoff]

Amazing. That's a children's company, right? Yes, yes. I thought so. Just fact checking myself. So how large is you? It's your husband. How large is the company in terms of the, the staff and how large in terms of like it's. I think you mentioned to me seven digit revenue.

[Melissa Clayton]

Yep. So we are a team of about 11. We have been doing a lot more 1099s, which I personally quite like, to be honest. So we sit inside our manufacturer's building in Rhode Island. We have our own office space there and it's the same manufacturer that makes Tiffany's David Yurman. It's all made in the same place.

[Jill Manoff]

Wow.

[Melissa Clayton]

And it is made. It's walked over to our area. We inspect, package it and then our team ships it out. So we have three people in that office and then our CMOs in New York, marketing's in Arizona. Customer service is remote, product development is remote. So we're very remote team. And then we have for influencers and PR, we all have 1099. Graphic designer, 1099.

[Jill Manoff]

So perfect.

[Melissa Clayton]

Which is really helpful as a small business that you're able to kind of pull people in when you need them, but you don't have the commitment of having a full time salaried person.

[Jill Manoff]

Totally. Well, wow. Made in America. We're hearing a lot of drama about tariffs. I mean, it's putting a lot of businesses in a an uproar. Everyone's freaking out. What would you say for you the challenges you're facing now in 2025 today?

[Melissa Clayton]

I think the challenge is competition. When I first started the business, I think there was probably like four brands. And I think, you know, we don't look at competition just as other jewelry brands, but we also look at flowers and things that dad can get in 24 hours. So for us it's how do you take a personalized product that takes time to make? And we do laser engraving, which is a very slow process, versus diamond drag. So a lot of jewelry companies will do diamond drag. I'm going to bore you for a sec. Diamond drag is when a piece of metal comes in and etches the name on the metal so it scratches it. We do laser engraving so a laser beam comes out so the metal is never cut. What is really special allows us to do back engraving and which I think is even more beautiful storytelling. So it takes time. So one, you know, our biggest holidays are Mother's Day and holiday and getting dad and gift givers to purchase early is always a challenge, especially in the world of Amazon. So that is always our challenge. And so competition from flowers and just Amazon. We are not on Amazon. So. And educating the customer in their very short attention span. Why tiny tags is different and a lot of it is how the jewelry is made. That most of our jewelry is made in Rhode island and that it's not fast fashion, it is an heirloom quality piece of jewelry.

[Jill Manoff]

It's not going to turn green. I would think that your business boomed during the pandemic. Everyone is taking time there. I don't know, it's a very emotional time, you tell me.

[Melissa Clayton]

Yeah, we grew during COVID like a lot of brands that were already a D2C so when I look back now I'm like oh. Because at that time we were barely investing in Meta and I was like oh, we really could have probably grown more. But again we, our manufacturers got the okay to actually stay open which was crazy. I don't know how they got the essential business. That jewelry was essential business. But yeah, it was a huge opportunity for us. And you know, I think a lot of brands you're, you had that huge peak and now to maintain that double digit growth year over year is more and more challenging.

[Jill Manoff]

No doubt. Well, you, we talked about your community. Is it more about the shoppers connection to the brand or are you doing things to bring these moms together?

[Melissa Clayton]

I would love to do more community like in physical spaces, but right now it's mostly online. I actually have in my Asana board like I've been seeing like I love the Hatch and they're doing all these little pop ups with like, like with Monica and Andy and other brands that are just coming together and getting conversations going. We're gonna do like a press preview in April in New York City which I love getting editors in person because I think the one thing that is kind of my strength is being able to connect with people because I think when I talk about the brand I think people see that it's real and it's not, you know, it's not just a founder trying to hawk their, their business that I really care about what we're doing.

[Jill Manoff]

Yes. What are your specific goals for, for this year?

[Melissa Clayton]

My goals for this year is one I've been, I brought on a CMO which has been great for me to be able to be more the face of the brand. So my personal goals this year is to do more in person events supporting other female founders. I'm doing speaking at my alma mater, Northeastern. They have a students entrepreneur group. So I'm going to be there on their, on their keynote speaker. I did a keynote speak two weeks ago. So that's what I love to do. I love to talk about building a brand because I think I've learned a lot of lessons over the years, and I think because we have focused on building a brand, not just selling jewelry, I think that has allowed us to have a lot of stickiness with our community. And I think it's very easy to get distracted by the shiny object. And it's really hard to build the brand because you say no more than you say yes. So, yes, that's my personal goal is to do. Is to do that. And then we have some amazing, gorgeous launches happening. So I'm excited about that as well, of course, because our jewelry still is absolutely stunning.

[Jill Manoff]

Yes. You want to stay in the jewelry lane.

[Melissa Clayton]

No.

[Jill Manoff]

Yes, yes, yes. We're not expanding categories left and right. You were talking about what you've learned as a founder. If you can name, like, one big lesson learned, like something you would either advise or that like all budding founders.

[Melissa Clayton]

Emerging founders should know, I think, understand knowing your why. I think so many times that we want to listen to everyone. Everyone wants to give you advice as to what you should be doing. And I'm a big believer of taking the time to look within you as to why you're doing what you're doing, because having your own business will stress you out, and it will. It can break you financially, emotionally, because you pour so much into it. So taking the time to know you why. I said to my husband, I'm like, even if the business. Because, you know, we have our days of like, oh, are we doing it right? Are we doing it right? Is that even if it all ended tomorrow, I would have no regrets because I have absolutely loved the journey of it all. And it has. I have learned more about myself, about why I do what I do through the stories of our community than I ever could have, I think, working in corporate America. So I am so indebted to the community. I'm so indebted to the moms and the women that have shared their stories with us. And so, yeah. So I think know your why. And I think also not being afraid to fail. You know, I have failed. I have been ripped off because I've trusted women or this one particular woman. I sent her a check for $5,000, and she was a scam artist, which was crazy.

[Jill Manoff]

Oh, my God, no.

[Melissa Clayton]

And it's okay to make mistakes. I know now I never pay someone in full. I will give you a deposit, and then you get the rest upon delivery of services. So those are lessons to Be learned. And, and then I also think asking people for help. I have, I have talked to the CEO of Pure Vita, the CEO of Aiden and Nay. I have reached out to so many people and just said, hey, can I get 15 minutes of your time? One of my mentors, Kim Krusenberg, she was at goop, I hit her up on DM and now she's my mentor. And again, I think not being afraid to ask people for help is kind of my other, I would say my superpower, that I'm pretty relentless in that. Hence I came up to you. Jill.

[Jill Manoff]

Yes, now we know each other. And now you're on the Glossy podcast. I have to ask. I'm newly overseeing Modern Retail and they've been writing a lot of stories about speaking of these. Well, it has nothing to do with tariffs, but there's a lot going on with the new administration and yep, gosh, there are a lot of shopping boycotts happening on Amazon and they're doing stories about like the sellers are saying, you know, this is impacting us, this isn't impacting Amazon. We're seeing the same thing. Apparently there's a 40 day boycott to target. Whether or not that has an impact on sales. Who, who's boycotting? I'm actually not sure. But anyway, do you, do you feel the need to make a statement to say like, keep shopping Target and supporting our brand there or anything like that? Like, or is that something you're watching and concerned about?

[Melissa Clayton]

No, because I don't spend as much time. I read a lot of business stuff. I do not. I'm a big believer of the be responsible with the content you consume. So no, I am not watching all of that noise. To me, I think personally Target reached out to me many years ago and they came to me because they saw that we were doing something that meant something to people and they have been nothing but an amazing partner for me. They have not. I've. I've heard stories of big retail and that has not been my experience at all. They have been nothing but supportive of a female founder. They have not tried to squeezed every penny out of us. They have understood our constraints financially and they believe in what we're doing. They believe that we are talking about how, like, why are we here? Like, are. The entire business of tiny tags is about joy is within us. It is about gratitude, it is about connection. It is about why we're here on earth. And Target saw that and they were like, we want to take what you're doing on a bigger scale. So, yeah, so I Can only say great things about Target. I'm a pretty transparent person. Our buyer has been. She's a mom and she has shared her journey of motherhood. Her and I have cried together over, you know, what things that have happened. So I think that's just kind of a media stunt that the media picks up on and things like that catch on and. Yeah.

[Jill Manoff]

So yes, tell me. I'd have another recent event, a different e tail event that. I don't know if you were there, but I was asking everybody the smartest investment they made in the last maybe six months. You talked about recently hiring a cmo. Maybe that's it for you or what? What would you say?

[Melissa Clayton]

I would say hiring a CMO and hiring someone that had experience growing, scaling a business has been great for us. It's been an investment for sure. But I knew that I'm a. I used to be part of entrepreneurs organization and they talk about the scaling of business and going from zero to a million is one set of challenges. One to five is another set and five to 10 is another and then 10 to 20. And I know my skill set and I really wanted someone to come in that could help us get to the next level and kind of knowing I don't need, I don't want need to be the smartest person in the room. So surrounding myself with really smart people I think has been one of the best decisions I have made. And constantly reaching out to the network of women that asking for help. Hey, what did you do? I mean, I have a text chain of like 10 different female founders and I think we are really transparent with money. As a former cpa, that is something I really encourage women founders to do is you have to understand your P L. You have to understand your balance sheet and how important that is if you're going to scale your business business and grow and stay in business. Not even scale. Yes.

[Jill Manoff]

What a benefit to your company that knowledge. Where did you find your cmo? Did you know her prior or him or her prior or did.

[Melissa Clayton]

It is a gentleman and it is. My husband was happy to see another guy join the company and it was all through. I will tell you another story. I was on LinkedIn. I saw that the CMO of Draper James was in Boston and I hit her up. Her name is Sarah Foley. Hit her up and we had a zoom call and then we had lunch and we became friends and she was the one that introduced me to Charlie. So all word of mouth.

[Jill Manoff]

I love that. Okay, last question for you. What is monogrammed on Your necklace that you're wearing today. So cute.

[Melissa Clayton]

Okay, so I have two. I have my boys names, Tyler Train, Tristan, and I have their birth times on the back. And then in my locket, I have C for my last name. And on the back I have the joy of my life. I'm a country music fan. If you know this song by Chris Stapleton, the Joy of my Life, I put that on the back. So I have always hoped that in the hustle and bustle of life, whether you're still, you know, we have moms that were women that will put like a picture of their grandmother in here, that your tiny tags will be something you hold and feel and touch whenever you think something outside of you is matters and can kind of create chaos in your life. And it's. It's kind of like this centering piece of what matters. So that has always been the hope and the dream. So it still is that for me. I always say, like, I'm not just the owner, I'm actually a customer. And I, like, touch my tiny tags throughout the day when I can get, you know, stressed about work. And it's kind of like, okay, take a deep breath and remember what. What really matters in life.

[Jill Manoff]

What's the wildest request or wildest thing you've ever plopped onto your jewelry?

[Melissa Clayton]

We had a woman do something pretty vulgar, and I actually said, I can't engrave that.

[Jill Manoff]

I said, we have standards around here.

[Melissa Clayton]

We have standards. But I think this, the sweetest thing is when husbands or partners will engrave something like, I can't believe I found you, or, you know, my person. And then we read the gift notes and our Slack channels. We're like, you won't believe this gift note. And so my husband's a little old school. Yeah. So I think that the younger men, men are way more expressive and emotional, and I love it.

[Jill Manoff]

So I'm like, boys say stuff like that.

[Melissa Clayton]

I know. I. I literally am like, where are these men?

[Jill Manoff]

It's good to know. It gives me hope. Oh, my gosh, Melissa, this was so fun. Thanks for being my guest today. Thanks for being here.

[Melissa Clayton]

Thank you so much, Jill. This has been great.

[Jill Manoff]

That's all for this episode. Our theme music is by Otis McDonald. Be sure to give us a rating on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening to the Glossy podcast. See you next week.