We were lucky to catch up with Chesson Becker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Chesson, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
The interesting thing about confidence is that, unlike other qualities, it does not show development in your teenage years…it actually falls on a downward slope. For women especially, in a world focused on a perfect body image and model-like countenance, growing up eliminates the confident spirit that our younger selves had. A 2023 study followed confidence levels in young girls: in the fifth grade, a majority of the girls were confident in themselves. Overtime, these percentages decreased and ultimately fell to 50% of girls in the ninth grade feeling pride in themselves. When I feel insecure, whether that be due to my business plan, marketing strategy, an outfit, or a singular picture, I reflect on the twelve year old girl I was when I started my business. Thanks to her confidence and self-esteem, I started Blitz Beads– one of the biggest impacts on my life, today. I have learned to live through her confidence when I am trying something new. Self-esteem is a hard quality to develop, yet by recognizing that you once were a confident young girl, you can realize the potential you have to overcome insecurity.
Citation: Peetz, Caitlynn. “The State of Girls’ Mental Health and Self-Confidence, in Charts.” Education Week: Student Well Being, 9 Nov. 2023, https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-state-of-girls-mental-health-and-self-confidence-in-charts/2023/11.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In 2018, I started my small jewelry business as an outlet to express my creativity and love for fashion. Five years later, I have developed and expanded Blitz Beads to all fifty states, three countries, and fifteen stores across the east coast. At 17, I design and hand make each of my pieces with love and care, ensuring that each customer feels a wave of confidence with each wear. The intersection of eccentricity and quality with each of my products allows it to stand out from other jewelry brands. The reality is that finding reliable jewelry is difficult on a budget; Blitz Beads, however, defies these norms. My entrepreneurial spirit has influenced me to extend my impact further than just sales and style. Blitz Beads gives back to multiple non-profits each year and also works to augment the representation and exposure of young women in business. I recently began my summer internship program for teenage girls to work with me and obtain the knowledge necessary to start their own businesses. Instagram and other social media platforms put up facades that owning a small business is simple, yet solely operating every aspect of Blitz Beads has turned out to be more than difficult. This program will teach skills including marketing, photography, design, commerce, economics, and communication in order to prepare these young women for real business world affairs and interactions.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
For me, the most important quality was time management. Throughout the past five years, I have been a constant balancing act. From the rigorous classes at my high school, being an active member and captain of two varsity sports, and being involved in multiple clubs and other extracurriculars, it’s hard for me to even fathom how I was able to maintain all of it. Learning how to manage my time and set myself up for success was vital to my prosperity. Every Sunday I plan my weeks ahead, ensuring I have time to fulfill each order and complete my assignments. The second most important quality is resilience. Resilience is necessary in times of sales drought and low motivation. Motivation is a constantly fluctuating emotion; one day I am overflowing with creativity, while another I have no desire to do work at all. When weeks go by without motivation, it is hard to keep going. Overtime, I have learned to maintain determination and be resilient with my business. The phrase “you get out what you put in” is my mantra when I am trying to overcome an absence of motivation. The more I try to market my product and work through this obstacle, the more I ultimately get out of it. Whether that be new customers, new launches, or even a new perspective, resilience is the push that keeps my business going.
Self-expression is so significant to owning a business, particularly in the field of design. A mentor once told me, “if you are not selling products you would wear, you will never find your targeted audience.” By expressing myself through my products and through my marketing, I have been able to forge a stronger connection with my audience and understand them on a higher level. Along with self-expression being a foundation of an individual’s business frame, self-expression also adds to the joy of a business owner which is beneficial in the long run. If I did not have a passion for jewelry-making, I would have stopped this years ago!
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Being a teen entrepreneur, my parents played a big role in the growth of my company. Although Blitz Beads is a solely owned, funded, and operated business, the words of encouragement and transfer of wisdom from my parents were major parts in the steps of my journey. When I first began selling my pieces, I was confused on pricing and how to maximize the profit that I should make. My dad, being in finance, helped me create my first pricing spreadsheet, accounting for all of my products’ materials and my time. After I recognized his expertise in this field, I constantly returned back to him for his feedback on pricing, changes in commerce, and marketing strategy. Although I credit my dad for my determination and organization skills, my mom is responsible for my creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. On nights where I felt as if I could not handle the workload, my mom would not hesitate to come help with an optimistic attitude. Her love for art and creative expression is contagious, and I am constantly in awe of her realized aspirations and successes. In preparations for trunk shows, the addition of her view on the display always enhances my set-up and the necklace stacks I put together. I am forever grateful to my parents for teaching me how to start a business, but even more grateful for the constant encouragement and support that I see from them day to day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blitzbeads.com
- Instagram: blitzbeads
