We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Delcie Mian. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Delcie below.
Delcie, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I keep my creativity alive by engaging in creative hobbies that are completely separate from my business and making money. For me, this is playing the piano or drawing with my favorite fine-tipped pens or baking something new (always with a few tweaks from the recipe!). Having creative outlets that are purely for my enjoyment bring refreshment and clear my mind.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I make 14k gold filled jewelry, in minimalist designs. I have three main goals for my brand. The first goal is to create high-quality jewelry that lasts. Second, I want every design to be versatile, with an everyday elegance (I hate buying items for myself that I am only able to wear once!). Finally, I want the people wearing the jewelry I create to feel absolutely beautiful.
Some of my proudest moments since starting this jewelry line in 2017 have been hearing the stories of how my jewelry played a part in special memories. I have made custom pieces for weddings and birthdays, had orders placed for bridal parties, and have become some people’s go-to shop for gift giving. It’s been so much fun, and it still amazes me I get to do this for work!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that have been most impactful for my journey in running a small business have been persistence, resisting perfectionism, and an attitude of “let’s just try it.”
In the early days of creating partnerships with brick and mortar stores to carry my line, I would sometimes visit the physical store half a dozen times before I was able to speak with the owner or manager to show samples. It could be a frustrating process at times, but being persistent was always worth it.
One of the biggest pitfalls I see in people starting a new business is to wait until everything is perfect – the perfect website, product photos, branding, advertising plant, etc. – before they’ve even proved the concept of their business! I initially invested about $150 to start my business, and discovered at my first holiday maker’s market that people actually liked my jewelry enough to buy it! My first website was very basic, and it took quite awhile to get professional product photos taken. I would encourage people to bootstrap as long as possible, or at least until you know you’ve got a customer base.
Having a mentality of just trying things to see what works and what doesn’t is very underrated. Some designs I’ve released fall flat, and I eventually take them off the site. Other designs have unexpectedly been popular for years, and I never would have known what people really loved if I didn’t keep trying (sometimes failing) and seeing what works.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I can attribute a lot of my creative and entrepreneurial drive to my parents. They are both graphic designers and ran their own agency from home for a good portion of my childhood. I saw them work together in their own strengths (Dad in the big picture, Mom in the meticulous detail) to complete the job. They cultivated a creative environment at home by having art supplies available and encouraging me and my siblings to try new mediums, but never forcing it on us. I was notorious for spending all the money I had at Micheal’s craft store, constantly on the hunt to make something new. My parents have always seen the value of creativity and artistry, and instilling that in me is something I am very thankful for.
Contact Info:
- Website: handcraftedbydelcie.com
- Instagram: @handcraftedbydelcie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handcraftedbydelcie/
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Kovasckitz Brothers
