Making Something From Nothing: Jessica Snapp of Buen Camino Jewelry On How To Go From Idea To Launch

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

It’s okay that you’re “not ready” yet to launch your business, just do it! Your business is going to change and evolve so much, and you’ll learn and adjust as you go. Stop waiting for everything to be perfect to launch your business.

As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Snapp.

Jessica Snapp is a California based jewelry designer specializing in silver, stones, and enamel. She works full time as a teacher and is growing her small business in the evenings and on weekends. Originally from New York, Jessica has a deep passion for travel and adventure, as shown in her collections. Jessica’s jewelry is made using only ethically sourced stones, mostly recycled silver, and believes that creating a quality piece that will last forever is crucial. Her belief is that jewelry collects stories and should be passed down as an heirloom with a memory.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

I grew up in upstate New York with three brothers. Growing up in a small town felt like a very safe and secure little bubble. I appreciated it when I was younger, but knew I wanted to travel when I got older and move around a lot as an adult. I was always an artistic child. My hobbies and interests were always something where I could express myself creatively like playing piano, watercoloring, crochet, beading. Having creative outlets as a child really helped shape the person I am today.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

There’s a poem by Mother Teresa that I actually have hanging up in my studio. It’s called “Anyway” and is all about how things might fall apart or not come together the way you want them, but to “do it anyway.” I remind myself of this poem whenever I get overwhelmed or stressed out and think, what’s the point? It’s about how people and life can sometimes disappoint you, but you should still choose to do good things anyway. A few stanzas are:

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

“What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.”

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I love the book “The Creative Habit” by Twyla Tharpe. I’ve listened to it on audiotape a few times as I work in my studio. I find it very inspiring and she shares advice on how she and other artists live an inspired, creative life. I find I implement something new into my routine every time I listen to it. It takes time to really create a habit, so I’m patient with myself but I try my best!

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?

The jewelry business is a very saturated market. I had to think about the ways my business would be different. Because I work with mostly enamel, I’ve niched down quite a bit, but I had to think of ways where my business would stand out from the huge sea of other enamelists and silversmiths. How will my work do something different or tell a different story from other jewelry designers? Take your idea and start thinking about strategy. Who is your ideal customer and how will you reach them?

Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?

In my industry, it’s hard to really be totally original. It’s almost a sure thing that it’s been created before. The difference between someone else having the idea and your idea is what you personally put into it! I create my own personal twists to my work so that the style stands out from the crowd. This is important, especially if you are in a very competitive market.

For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.

For me as a jewelry designer, I start with a sketch. From there, I take my time to prototype and try out different ways of creating the item. I find this step so important to really go slowly to ensure I’m using the best techniques and materials for that particular piece of jewelry. Once I’ve completed that part, I consider whether or not it will be a one of a kind piece, small batch, or for production. If it’s for mass production, I have to consider certain elements for whether it can be cast for multiples. I have to decide what I am capable of doing with the piece and what I can outsource if I go that direction.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. It’s okay that you’re “not ready” yet to launch your business, just do it! Your business is going to change and evolve so much, and you’ll learn and adjust as you go. Stop waiting for everything to be perfect to launch your business.
2. Create systems and structures so you can work smarter not harder. As a person with a full time job, some side jobs, planning a wedding, and running a business, there’s no way I could do everything I need to do with all of this going on if I didn’t do some trial and error to figure out what works! For example, I’m a morning person. I wake up at 5am everyday because I have energy and my mind feels sharp and rested. This is the perfect time to work in my studio. At the end of the day when I’m tired, I curl up on the couch, tea in hand, pajamas on, and do anything on the laptop that needs to get done for my business. I’ll edit photos, respond to emails, write blogs… anything that can be done in a comfy position!
3. Outsource what you can. It may seem counterintuitive to spend money you don’t quite have yet, but if you start to delegate parts of the business to people that have more talent in that area (bookkeeping and photos for me!), then you’ll actually be propelling your business forward faster. This goes along with what I said early about working smarter not harder!
4. Take the time to really develop your brand. This includes having a clear “ideal customer avatar.” You’re not marketing to everyone; really take the time when you’re first starting out to figure out who you’re speaking to. You’ll go much further than if you’re talking to just anyone who likes jewelry, for example. Niching down and developing your brand is one of the most important steps which many people tend to skip at first.
5. Invest in yourself at the beginning. Learn from the professionals who are at the place where you want to go. And be annoying! Ask them loads of questions, pick their brains so you can learn everything you need to know. Find programs or mentors who can help you build your business and help set you up for success.

Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

I always recommend doing your research. Seek out the help of professionals and industry experts. Also, be sure you’re sticking to a reasonable timeline. When I first started, my timeline was way too idealistic and things felt rushed. Then I would give myself a more appropriate amount of time and I’d be so much more successful.

There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

I believe in the power of working with people who know more than you. You have so much to gain from working with people with experience, that for me and what I’ve learned in my own business, don’t be afraid to seek help in the beginning.

What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?

That really depends on where you hope to scale your business. I’m not planning on scaling my business to multiple 7 figures. For me, my definition of success is to be making enough to live a comfortable life with a steady stream of income coming from the business. So for me, bootstrapping was the way to go. It’s possible that might change in five years and I want to become a household name. Then I would need to totally shift my business plan to scale to that level and venture capital would be the best option.

Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I have a collection called “Jewels that Give Back.” I plan to continue adding to this collection, and spreading the messages of the organizations that they help!

You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

As a person who has to juggle a lot, I can’t stress enough the importance of caring for mental health. I think this is all too common in our constantly on the go American culture, and people don’t rest until they eventually crash and burn. I think a movement for people to take their mental health more seriously and have job regulations in place to ensure a better quality of life would be amazing for our society! Giving people adequate time off, mandatory maternity and paternity leave, mental health days treated the same as sick days, liveable wages… These are some pretty huge changes but what a difference this would make in the lives of Americans if we could do this!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I would probably cry tears of joy to have even just a moment of Gary Vaynerchuk! He is my business hero and such an inspiring leader in the entrepreneurial world. He has a wealth of knowledge and is very generous sharing what he knows and his views through his social media and podcast! I also really admire Jasmine Star who sings his praises regularly! Much like Gary, she shares her knowledge and insights constantly and I have really grown as an entrepreneur from both of them.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.