Hi, it's great that you'd like to write a piece for our blog post! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Avya and I live with my boyfriend and our cat in Tilburg. In my daily life, I work as a User Experience Designer for a large insurance company. It's a creative profession, but primarily digital.
What a fun job! And you also sell polymer clay earrings. How did that come about?
I have a head of curls, and you simply can't see small earrings. I always wore large earrings, but never anything I could wear all day because of painful ears. And I could keep shopping because I like to match my outfits. Then I came across an earring company on Instagram where I ordered something. When I received them, I thought, I think I can do this myself. And now I can keep matching my outfits endlessly 😜 .
During COVID, we had to work from home, which saved me an hour and a half of travel each way every day. I started crafting, and people started showing interest. Then I thought, I could make 1,000 earrings for myself, but it's much more fun to make other women happy with them too. This way, I can be creative and do something without a screen.
What a wonderful story! Did you encounter any pitfalls along the way?
There are certainly pitfalls; you're certainly not the only one making clay earrings, and it's crucial to continue to differentiate yourself and deliver a high-quality product. It's still a handmade product, so something can always break, but what I find important is to always provide good service. That often leads people to buy from you instead of someone else. They're not just buying your product; they're also buying from you as a person.
Is your business your main or second profession?
My earring business is my second job, but it doesn't feel like it. I put a tremendous amount of time and love into it and really try to handle it as professionally as possible. Besides that, I just really enjoy being an entrepreneur, so I'm always trying new things. For example, photoshoots, markets, or finding new types of clients.
And now I'm curious how much you sell per month. Would you mind sharing that? And perhaps you could also tell me a bit about your "customer."
I sell about 30 to 40 pairs of earrings a month, many to returning customers, which is incredibly rewarding. You're really building a customer base. My clientele is diverse; they're mostly women over 50 who are very into fashion and matching earrings with outfits, but also younger women looking for something for a special occasion like a wedding.
I am very happy with Sieradenstraatje, they have a lot of choice and because they also make custom cutters, they offer me the opportunity to be unique in the market with things
Thanks so much for your inspiring story, Avya! Do you have any other helpful tips for us?
My tip is to really enjoy what you do. And don't be discouraged if your sales drop off. That's part of it; those who quit won't make it anyway! So enjoy yourself and keep trying new things. Don't just copy, but use your own creativity. That's what keeps it fun.
Website: Savy Jewellery
Instagram: Savy Jewellery