It is never easy to start up a business, let alone in an industry which already has some very big names like Cartier to address the needs of A-list customers.
But Theresa Bruno was more than willing to take up the challenge and is now the proud owner of her own jewelry line called Jordan Alexander, which has been in business for around 10 years and is considered one of the most reputed jewelry lines in the world.
In fact, many famous people have worn jewelry designed by Bruno, including Michelle Obama, Julia Roberts, and even the legendary Oprah Winfrey, and having such rich and famous customers is an honor for any brand wishing to establish itself as a provider of high-quality goods and services.
But the journey up to this point has definitely not been easy for Bruno and offers us some great lessons in the importance of perseverance.
Starting In A Recession
Whenever an economy is in a recessionary period, like the US economy was in after the 2008 financial crises, investors park their money in savings accounts instead of investing them anywhere.
All those who have a dream of starting up their own business put a pause on their plan and wait for the economy to get better before moving ahead with the launch of their own brand. But Bruno did not wait out the recession. Instead, she launched her jewelry line anyway.
Bruno’s business was not aiming to become like other jewelry brands. Instead, Bruno wanted to have elegant-yet-classic designs which helped her pieces stand out among other, more famous jewelry brands.
Also, she wanted her business to contribute to uplifting society, and she did this by developing a partnership with A21 and similar groups. Although most of her jewelry is expensive, she also launched a spin-off brand called Andrew Harper, or Ah!, which has jewelry at a much cheaper price compared to the mainline.
A Unique Style
Every businessperson has a very unique style of making decisions, and good businesspersons are those who make wise decisions keeping in mind the needs of their customers.
Bruno understood that her expensive jewelry needed to offer an experience even during the buying process, and so, when opening up a retail space in Houston, she instead opted to get a space and convert it into a customer-centric experience whereby people could come and communicate exactly what they wanted and purchased accordingly.
Another lesson which helps Bruno deal with challenges is this: no matter how difficult life may become, she must keep moving forward and inspire people in one way or another with her craft.
She learned this when she suffered from an injury and could no longer play the piano, something she had done ever since the age of 8, but upon her teacher’s request, she continued teaching others how to play it and maintained her interest in playing. Her teacher kept her involved in the learning process even though she could not play, and that showed her how she could make the best out of every situation.