Year One in Review

11/12/2018 — By Jacqueline Burke

This week is not only Global Entrepreneurship Week but it also marks the close of Tini Lux's first year in business. I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the year as a new entrepreneur, my successes, my challenges, and my lessons learned.

Successes:

I launched Tini Lux as a direct to consumer, digitally native vertical brand using Shopify as the platform
The first collection included 12 styles of statement earrings plus the starter studs all in yellow gold
We have now expanded to 45 styles of biocompatible earrings, with more studs, hoops, and rose gold and silver tones
I attended the JA New York Spring Show which was an amazing opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs in the jewelry business and I also had the original collection picked up by 2 boutiques
This year we had customers in four different countries (US, Australia, Denmark, and Canada), 33 states in the US, and Washington DC. My goal for next year is to reach all 50 states!
We started dedicating a portion of proceeds from individual months to charities that we believe in, starting the the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in October
We made the switch to eco-friendly, recyclable packaging

Challenges:

In addition to running Tini Lux, I also work full time as an engineer and I moved twice and planned/had a wedding this year, so finding the time to do everything was definitely a challenge! I have watched a lot less TV (which is a good thing) but also done a lot less exercising (not so good). I am hoping that this coming year will bring more balance
My full time job is engineering, and if there was venn diagram of the skills I need to be a good engineer and the skills I need to launch and run an e-commerce jewelry site there would be just a sliver of overlap. I have had to learn marketing, advertising, SEO, branding, PR, manufacturing, packaging, inventory management, and more with no background whatsoever. I definitely still have a long way to go, but I am in a much better place than I was last year

Lesson's Learned:

SEO and content marketing are a marathon not a sprint
Be authentic, don't try to copy someone else's style, branding, or voice
You will never be everything to everyone, some people will love your product and some people will dislike it so just do what feels right to you
Ask for help when you need it
No zero days - do something every day that furthers your business or your personal growth

Favorite Entrepreneurial Resources:

Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz
Podcast: Second Life with Hillary Kerr
Podcast: Work Party with Jaclyn Johnson
Book: Invent It, Sell It, Bank It by Laurie Grenier (I can't say enough good things about this book. It is probably one of the only business books that is not filled with cliches but actually gives you actionable, step by step instructions on how to launch a product/business)

I am so excited to what year two will bring and I hope that you all will follow along! If you have any questions about Tini Lux, entrepreneurship, or starting a business please email me at info@tinilux.com. I would love to hear from you! Thank you to all of our loyal and supportive customers!

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