MEET DANIELLE ROBICHAUD JEWELRY
FOUNDED BY
DANIELLE ROBICHAUD
LOCATION: Massachusetts
@daniellerobichaudjewelry
THE INTERVIEW
Written by Boston Women’s Market
Boston Women’s Market: Can you tell us a bit about what lead you to the launch your business? What are you aHa! moment?
Danielle: I have been an artist my entire life, but that all changed once I had my children. Once they were old enough to fall asleep on their own and start school, I decided to dig out my old tools and materials and set up a devoted studio space to making jewelry again. Social media greatly helped me casually share the work I was making and family and friends showed enough interest that I started selling some pieces here and there. Then I did a small farmer's market and loved it and it branched out from there. The support I received was definitely my push to give it a shot.
BWM: How have you continued to manage the growth of the company, while also finding time and ways to invest in yourself?
Danielle: For me, it is about balancing the Mom/work life the best that I can, and that takes a lot of self-sacrifice. Due to the pandemic, we chose to have our children home for remote learning for the entire school year. So, I have had to sacrifice my full time studio work for helping the kids with school and then have been working part time nights instead. I fit in small bits of some bookkeeping or social media stuff when there are some moments available in the day, or sketch some ideas out or do some research. I have lost some sleep, for sure, but both family and work life are very important to me and I also know it is only a temporary format of my business.
Social media greatly helped me casually share the work I was making and family and friends showed enough interest that I started selling some pieces here and there.
BWM: Our Members are often just beginning to grow their business, and many are interested in learning from other successful businesswomen. What key pieces of insight have you learned from launching your business?
Danielle: I have learned so far that you absolutely must love what you do and be confident! I believe that reaching out to people or asking questions is super important, and supporting each other where and when you can is key. I have a close friend here in my town who is also on this journey, so it has been great to be able to do markets with her and support her in person or on social media! Also, joining social media groups with like-minded members (like BWM!) is a great place to start to find that support and camaraderie and to give you a place to feel safe to ask questions.
BWM: With the business acumen you have now, what's one piece of advice you wish you could tell yourself five years ago?
Danielle: I would tell myself to learn to just let things go, and to push onward. I would also tell myself to use my gut instincts in my decision making for all aspects of my business--not just for the good stuff where the results would have positive results. You will get disappointed along the way with some things, but you have to just power on and move onto the next thing.
BWM: We think the stories of failure are just as important as the stories of success. Can you talk about a time that you failed in an entrepreneurial venture or objective? How did you face and overcome this failure? What was the lesson learned?
Danielle: I tend to set goals for myself that are very difficult for me to attain. I get very excited about an idea and sometimes those ideas just aren't realistically feasible at the time. I had this big big plan to jump in and create a line of jewelry without really knowing the "how-tos". I am more of a one-of-a-kind maker, and because I didn't really know what was involved in creating an actual "line", I got majorly stressed out and ended up scrapping most of what I started which was very painful. I became doubtful of my process and lost confidence because I didn't really know what I was doing. It was a completely different way of creating for me and it got completely overwhelming. It took a while for me to dig myself out of that hole. When I finally did, I realized that it is something that will require more planning, research and thought, but definitely something I should visit when trying a new business model in the future of my business.
BWM: Do you have a favorite go-to business tool or resource you can recommend to our members?
Danielle: I have to say that social media has been a great business tool for me! I didn't have an Instagram account or Pinterest account prior to my business (or Facebook business page) and those have provided me with analytics, exposure and business in the form of orders through my Etsy page. It's been amazing to see how they all tie together and see where my traffic is coming from.
JEWELRY WE LOVE
CHRYSANTHEMUM DANGLES
One of Danielle’s best sellers, these beauties are handmade using brass which has been hand stamped with chrysanthemum flowers and lines to represent stems. They have also been "painted" using the flames from a torch to create a rainbow of color. Due to their stampings and flame achieved coloring, no two pairs are alike!
LOOKING TO SHOP DANIELLE”S JEWLERY IN-PERSON?
You can find her in-person at the Boston Women’s Market at Time Out on Sunday, March 10th from 12-5PM.