Today we’d like to introduce you to Jannik Olander.
Jannik, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I moved to LA 10 years ago from Copenhagen. I came to LA with a dream. I wanted to test my entrepreneurial skills in the most competitive market in the world and I came to California to enjoy the outdoor life, the amazing nature, the weather and the American West Coast culture.
I had worked for Ralph Lauren for many years in Europe and with 26 years of age, I was the Youngest person ever to open a Ralph Lauren shop in Copenhagen. Later I opened a Tommy Hilfiger store, Polo jeans. Tommy jeans, Polo Kids, Women’s etc etc. Prior to moving to LA I had sold my business and invested in Real Estate. (At a very bad time which was 2007, so I lost everything while I actually lived in LA and was trying to establish myself and a new business here.
I had no plans whatsoever about what I wanted to do. I started a Publishing for 5 star Hotels. I created a luxury Publication for Shutters on the Beach and Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica. However it was in 2008 when the crisis had started and printed media was the last thing advertisers thought about.
The Magazines were beautiful and the Hotel guests loved them and so did the hotel. But it was extremely hard and I didn’t really like the business. I missed the fashion industry and I missed being creative. I had been working on the magazines for 18 month and I had made NO profit and I was running out of money. It was dark times and I was very concerned and nervous about my future. However, I refused to give up.
On a previous Trip to Goa, India I had met a Shaman. He told me I worried too much about money and that I should focus on my social and creative skills instead. He also introduced me to Gemstones and their spiritual power. I was captured and thought it was amazing. Back in LA I came up with the idea of starting a cool Jewelry brand with a spiritual angle. I wanted to make cool handmade pieces and bought some string and some beads for my last money and then I learned how to make beaded bracelets. I was sitting in my garage day and night for some weeks until my collection was representable. I named my company NIALAYA – the name of the Shaman I had met in India.
I went to see a few stores and they loved it. One of them was Traffic at the beverly Center. That store is one of the most popular stores for the many celebrities and their stylists that lives in LA. Traffic started selling everything I could make and over the next years they sold a LOT of Jewelry. More and more Celebrities started buying it and wearing and they wanted to meet the designer etc etc. And soon Nialaya was the hottest Jewelry name in the business. We were everywhere and we were selling everywhere.
I couldn’t open a Gossip magazine anywhere without seeing someone famous wearing Nialaya.
It was a lot of fun and I met a ton of great and inspiring people and I was finally living the the American Dream. I had a strategy for creating a long term cool fashion Jewelry brand so I started to pull a little away from “only” being a Celebrity Product and really create a Brand. I did a lot of Press and Media all over the world. I was part fo a TV show here in USA on Bravo which has helped to even push our brand further I have been part of a TV show about “First Class business men” In Denmark, and I have done some German TV shows. This has al helped to bring Brand awareness and HYPE about Nialaya and has taken us to where we are today.
We have a very strong Online shop. We sell to over 125 countries every year and we have a solid Distribution network with people that represents Nialaya in various countries, from Mexico to Norway.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A Smooth Sea Never Made A Skillful Sailor and my ride was never smooth but I have learned to stay cool in most situations. There has been tons of up’s and downs since I started as an entrepreneur back in Denmark with 26. It’s always hard to learn to run your own business. Because you can’t learn most of the things in school. There is only one way to learn and that’s the hard way.
Financial challenges, Being sued from jealous competitors, Dishonest staff, friends and customers that doesn’t wan to pay. I have seen it all and I almost feel like nothing surprises me anymore. It’s crazy and sad to see how people can change when money get’s involved.
Despite what people think then I don’t care that much about money and I get tired when some of my friends are trying to entertain me with how much money they earn as employed at their super boring job. I am interested in passionate, fun, creative, driven and ambitious people. People that wants to make a change in the world and not just some boring business guys that wants to brag about their paycheck.
Please tell us about Nialaya Jewelry.
We make handmade spiritual fashion Jewelry. We have a beautiful Flagship store on Melrose Ave (Paul Smith/next to the Pink Wall). Behind the storefront, we have our offices where we handle all online orders and wholesale orders PLUS we make everything here. Every single Nialaya piece is handmade and cleaned with sage.
I design everything and I handle the overall business. I travel often to meet clients and customers and to help my Distributors with events etc in the different countries. We sell a lot in Europe so it’s important that I am there and help build our presence etc.
We sell 75 % Men’s and only 25% of women’s jewelry. We are very strong in the Men’s Jewelry. The Women’s is maybe more competitive as well and there are a lot more brands out there. Nialaya’s Men’s line is just really cool and on its own level. We launch new styles biweekly which means we always have cool, new and interesting designs for our customers to come back too.
It’s basically a very fashionable approach to the Jewelry business… When I started in this business, some of the stores told me I was thinking way too fast. They wanted me to launch styles every 2 years and not even 2 months. 🙂 I can only say a lot has happened since then and most Jewelry brands are busy launching new cool styles and keep up with the modern consumer trends. In 2014 I started a Charity for an Orphanage in Northern Thailand. I went to visit the place with 170 Kids all infected with HIV. It was a very emotional and giving experience.
The kids were so sweet and happy and they loved the gifts I brought. I had filled up a MINI bus with Sports equipment and things like Cola-Cola and candy. I later made a collection where all the funds went to the Orphanage, we donated money to them 3 times. It was an amazing experience I will never forget. I am very proud of that and I am currently working on a secret project and that will be my next Charity. I will do that for the rest of my life. I sincerely believe that we all have to do something if we can. And most people in the western world can do something !!!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Playing soccer 7 days a week. I played semi-professional as a teenager and I thought I was going to be a proff.
Accident and girls came in my way and when I was sent to Boarding school at age 15, I was just too absorbed with a lot of other things than playing soccer.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nialaya.com
- Phone: 3104997162
- Email: jo@nialaya.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nialayajewelry/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NIALAYA/
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