Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Moser.
Hi Chelsea, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After graduating from FIDM Los Angeles in 2012 with a degree in Merchandise Product Development, it was very difficult to find my first job. After months of searching, I was placed by a recruiter in an entry-level full-time position as a Design Assistant. I was very apprehensive as my degree was in apparel & the position was for a jewelry brand. However, I was desperate for anything at this point and I accepted the job.
Let’s just say my life forever changed and I never looked back at the apparel industry since. Over the past eight years, I’ve worked for various jewelry brands and learned the in’s and out’s of the business. However, I never found a company where I felt truly fulfilled with my career. I wanted the perfect position that balances the left & right brain. Where I can be creative yet methodical as I knew this is what I needed in order to be successful in this industry. After searching & searching and no luck, I decided to create the job myself. In 2016, I started my own business consulting brands on anything from design, production & overhead. We would start by dissecting their business down to the core and going through every single detail one by one. Anything from designs, scaling production, reducing overhead costs, maximizing profits, etc.
No two companies are the same, but what I find to be similar is there is always money to be saved, which means profit to be found. In just the past four years, between all of the companies I’ve worked with, I’ve saved over half a million dollars (and counting!) in production overhead alone. I’ve built so many working relationships around the globe which have become the foundation for the brands I consult as well as the key player in the launch of my own self-funded jewelry brand, Billie Simone Jewelry. Billie Simone Jewelry is a passion project of mine where I bring fine jewelry to the mass market by making it extremely affordable. When you purchase from my brand, you know the pieces are of the highest quality, incredibly durable and the best value.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been anything but smooth! Living in a place as expensive as Los Angeles while trying to chase your dreams is a challenge within itself. As cliche as it may sound, it has taught me how to grow up quickly, work for what I want and not take no for an answer. And honestly, it all boils down to your priorities. If you want it bad enough, you will prioritize it. Like maybe I want to go out for dinner with my friends, but then maybe I decide I’d rather save the money and use it to develop a new design you know. Your wants and needs become very clear very fast. Also, finding a work-life balance will forever be a challenge but everyday, you learn and get better. Entrepreneurs are always a work in progress in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Billie Simone Jewelry was created as a passion project in 2018. The company has two missions. First, to truly bring fine jewelry to an affordable market. We don’t believe in the 5x or 10x market you see throughout fine jewelry industry. These pieces are affordable to the mass market and will also last a lifetime. Second, we are here to inspire the next generation. Fine Jewelry is such an expensive industry and without outside funding, it can be so difficult to just get your company started. With BSJ, I want to inspire others and show them that it is possible to do it on your own.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Oh gosh. Such a loaded question honestly! Haha… I would say start by making a master list of your priorities. This list should be a combination of personal and professional priorities in order of importance because when you’re setting out to build your own business, the two are merging together to become a lifestyle. You need to know where your priorities sit as a whole. Once you’ve done that, you can start breaking down your list into more depth and building guidelines for yourself to find a plan on how to balance everything without going crazy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.billiesimonejewelry.com
- Instagram: @billiesimonejewelry
Image Credits
Gina Sheldon
