Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED MAKING JEWELRY?
A: My mom introduced me to a woman when I was 15 who taught me how to bead and make simple bracelets and necklaces. I dabbled in it for a while but put the craft away until after college. When I moved to LA at 21, a treasured necklace broke, and when I went back to the store to ask them to help me restring it or provide a refund, they turned me down. I resourcefully took matters into my own hands and purchased the tools I needed to do it myself, quickly falling in love with making jewelry again. When I moved to San Diego at 24, I enrolled in a silversmithing class to learn how to cut rocks, set stones, and solder silver. I loved it! But it was an expensive hobby. When I got pregnant with my first child, I put silversmithing aside and began sourcing components like chains, beads, charms, pearls, and findings, starting to hand-make jewelry that way. In 2019, I created the brand name and tried to start selling some pieces to offset the growing costs of my expensive hobby. However, it wasn’t until 2022 that I fully committed myself to the brand, and in 2023, I decided to quit my corporate job, take a leap of faith, and try to make this brand a real thing. And here we are today, gratefully living my dream and creating beautiful pieces for adornment.
Q: WHAT’S BEEN THE HARDEST PART OF LAUNCHING THE BRAND?
A: I think the answer for any entrepreneur is having the faith in oneself to continue to put one foot in front of the other. In the beginning, there is so much doubt, imposter syndrome, and questions of whether we can make it. It’s hard to have the faith and self-discipline to keep going, especially when the negative self-talk starts to happen. I’m a big believer in mindset and creating your reality. I do a lot of mindfulness work through journaling, meditation, exercise, and playing in the quantum field. This has greatly helped me realize I can do this and has attracted beautiful people and opportunities for ZtL.
Also, I started at zero. Zero experience, zero followers, zero idea of how to build a brand. It can be really easy for me to compare myself to others who have a large established personal following or years of experience in the industry and see how quickly they have risen to star status, quickly earning a six-figure revenue within the first six months after launch. But there is something to be said about the slow and steady grind to the top. Something to be said about really understanding the ins and outs of the business, how to grind without reward, and do it for the love and the passion. I read a quote recently that said, “the first five years are not about making money, they are about becoming good at what you do.” That really struck a chord with me because, let me tell you, so far, it hasn’t been about the money. I’ve been loving the ride, the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and the amazing opportunities that come out of nowhere. I’m learning so much, and every morning I’m excited to jump into my to-do list, create, and build.
In the words of Drake, “We started from the bottom, now we here.”
Q: HOW DO YOU STAY ORGANIZED WITH EVERYTHING YOU’RE JUGGLING? HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME?
A: It’s true, I have a lot on my plate. And I don’t foresee the load or responsibilities becoming any lighter. But I am extremely fortunate to have an incredible partner who shares the household and childcare responsibilities equally. Without him, I don’t think I could manage three kids, a house, and a business. And I think it’s important to be transparent; we also have a wonderful caretaker who has been with us since my daughter was six months old. We are so fortunate and blessed to have her – she takes a huge load off our plate and helps out a ton. My daughter is starting Kindergarten, and my son goes to daycare, so I have 9-3 to work. Life will change for a bit as we welcome this new baby, and I will have to find a new groove and routine, but I know we can manage everything once we start to find the flow.
In the last four months, I’ve greatly slowed down. I stopped attending events, began declining social invitations, and have just tried to savor my last pregnancy. I decided to put all my focus and attention on this new baby, my family, and my work. Removing anything else that was a time or energy drain and really dedicating myself to the brand has been amazing! I’ve gained so much clarity and I’ve been able to accomplish a lot behind the scenes in the last four months by cocooning up and focusing on my family, myself, and the brand. I will likely continue to stay home and reign in the focus until the end of the year.
I’m also an Aries and naturally very disciplined and goal-oriented. Once I’ve set my sights on something and decided on what I need to do, I get tunnel vision and become consumed by the tasks. I also do not suffer from FOMO, so I don’t have a problem sitting out on events and social gatherings to help me get closer to my goals. I have such limited time in the day that I have to manage my calendar and energy levels very closely. Prioritizing myself, my kids, and ZtL is all I really have the capacity for right now. As the kids get older and need me less, I hope to be able to crawl out of the bat cave more often, but for now, my focus is very myopic and mostly spent on family and the brand.
Q: WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST?
A: Personally, I am very excited to meet my daughter. She’s due in the middle of August, and I can’t wait to hold a tiny baby again. Although the newborn stage can be tiring and hard to navigate, it’s likely my last baby, so I’m really trying to savor the moments. For ZtL, we have some exciting partnerships we will be announcing soon, and I’m really looking forward to the Winter 24 and Spring 25 collections. I feel like I’m starting to get in the design groove and really find my design style...hint... it’s BIG.
Thank you so much for your continued support, and please let me know if you want me to answer any other questions! They can be about motherhood, building a brand, styling, spirituality, anything. I’m here to support women and the community we’re building, so please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Con Amore,
Anna
