The Winding Path to Success

Claire Smith ran her handmade jewelry business from her home in Moffat, Scotland. All of her pieces are handcrafted painstakingly from recycled silver jewelry. “It’s hand-carved, hand sanded, hand polished. When I say handmade, I mean it.” Claire is very proud of her work and some of the proceeds go to support MQ, a mental health charity. “My pieces are designed to spread happiness, positivity, and empowerment with £1 from every sale donated.”

The Start of Something Great

It took a bit of a rough start for Claire to get to where she is now with her business. Originally trained as a copywriter, after she gave birth to her first child she didn’t want to return to that line of work. “The numbers didn’t stack up and long term, my husband and I knew that we weren’t going to stay in the area we lived in forever.”

Indeed, in 2019 Claire and her husband gathered up everything they owned, their 3-year old and 2-month old, and moved from Milton Keynes in England to Moffat, Scotland. “We fell in love with Scotland over 15 years ago and vowed we’d eventually move here.”

Her husband was starting a new job and Claire was busy setting up a new nursery for her children. But she didn’t just sit idly by. Claire was working on the plans for a new business venture. “I sat patiently in the background just waiting for my time. Fit to burst with ideas, my business was just waiting to be born.” With space for a studio in her new home, she was ready to make it happen.

A Winding Path

“I've always been creative and loved making anything with my hands,” Claire recalls. “Creating takes me to a place nothing else does. I switch off, zone out, and feel truly peaceful. I think it's what a lot of people experience when exercising, unfortunately, I never got those endorphins!”

When Claire’s maternity leave ended, she started trying out every craft imaginable. She wanted to bring her creativity into focus and for that, she needed to find the right outlet. “Felting, arm knitting, sewing, you name it, I've probably tried it. But it wasn't until I took a jewelry-making course that I felt truly addicted. This was it. I had created pieces in silver. They were good, they were wearable, and I was so proud of myself. I was hooked.”

Honing the Craft

Claire had never made anything with silver before and certainly had no experience with a blowtorch and the other required tools for handcrafting silver jewelry. “After taking a day course, I took an evening one too. Pregnant with my second child, people were a little bemused at the lady working around her bump whilst learning to solder, but I believe there's never really a good time to do anything. I worked hard and soaked up all the knowledge I could.”

She established a tiny studio for herself in the family’s dining room. She had a desk for working, and she did all of her soldering outside in an unheated shed. “I knew I had talent but I also needed purpose. Something that would drive me to create, when I'd had no sleep at all. That took some thinking.”

Claire recalls that she never wanted to make diamond rings or other generic jewelry. “It was important to me that every piece of jewelry was designed with something in mind. To spread happiness, have meaning to the individual and above all else make people smile. This is my purpose and what keeps me driving forward. Once I started sharing this with people, I knew it would be a success.”

And it’s starting to pay off, just like Claire knew it would. “A few months in, the emails I was receiving from customers made everything worthwhile. I have people who have bought my jewelry to celebrate divorces, a mastectomy and reconstructions, fertility journeys, and places that people will never be able to visit again.” 

Overcoming Obstacles

Claire was a career copywriter, so she knew nothing about owning or running a business. “When it came to business, I felt lost for a while. Accounts are daunting and spending money is terrifying.” Overcoming her own self-doubts about what she was capable of was the biggest obstacle in Claire’s way. She would hesitate to invest any money she made back into her business. “Recently, I have seen all my investments pay off and this has given me courage in my conviction. My instinct is usually right when it comes to making a decision, but unfortunately, I have historically questioned it.”

Getting people to take her seriously as a crafts person and businessperson has been a challenge for Claire as well. “Sometimes I get a, ‘isn't that nice’ type reaction or ‘that must keep you busy.’ If you are currently experiencing this too, I urge you to carry on regardless.”

Advice for Other Handcrafters

Claire has found out that she spends almost 60% of her working time promoting her products; actually making her jewelry is a much smaller proportion of the amount of time she spends on her business.

“This has been a massive eye-opener for me. I would highly recommend getting training on all of it. This year I invested in a PR course and learned how to make all the different potential opportunities work for me. That, combined with a lot more time invested in my business due to the pandemic, increased my sales by over 300%.”

Claire also suggests that building a support network is crucial to success, such as online business groups and other networks. “Find one you resonate with and get involved. Don't be put off by membership fees. You can find a lot of things for free, but some of the best advice you have to pay for.”

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