Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryanna Romero.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Since I was a little girl, I had always known that I wanted to work within the fashion industry and be my own boss. I even started a bow making business when I was around ten years old called ‘Bryanna’s Bowtique’ where I would use scraps of clothing, turn them into hair bows, and sell them. It was fun to have wild dreams about being a designer or owning a business, but as I grew older it became a far-fetched goal in my eyes.
I grew up in a small duplex where I shared a room with my brothers. I attended a school district that was primarily wealthier students so when the time came for everyone to go off to their dream university, I felt slightly discouraged. I ended up attending a community college, which was a great decision, and I changed my major about three times before deciding on communications with a concentration in public relations. I felt that this major allowed enough creative outlet within the fashion industry and was a broad field of work so I would have several options. I was able to transfer over to California State University Fullerton within two years and my interest for public relations in fashion sparked even more when I joined an organization called PRSSA. I would sit in on panelists speak about their jobs and one panelist that stuck with me still to this day was the Talent and VIP Relations Manager for an online clothing company called Revolve. Listening to her speak lifted my spirits and I swear my eyes were probably gleaming because I was so intrigued.
At the time, I was working as a social media specialist for a small advertising agency and doing influencing on my social media platforms as a side hobby. A week after listening to her speak, I received an email asking if I can create fashion content for Revolve and that was the moment I realized that I would work towards my goal of being my own boss whether it was being a content creator or eventually starting something within the fashion industry.
My platforms began to grow across Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter due to consistently posting and I was very content with being an influencer as a side hustle. However, once COVID-19 hit I was unfortunately laid off from my job, was left with no source of stable income, and had to attend school online. Since I would commute to school and typically spend my entire day there, I had plenty of time to create more content and brainstorm. I utilized my time wisely and grew my platforms to where I had amazing supporters and people who were interested in my daily life. Luckily I have always been a big saver and had enough money to start something and that’s where the brainstorming began. I did tons of research and realized that starting a jewelry business was something I would be passionate about because I love accessorizing and piecing jewelry with my favorite outfits. Although there were moments of self-doubt, I had support from my followers, friends, and family which pushed me to start. That is when Horizons Jewels was born and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, I am truly living my dreams.
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?
There have definitely been a few bumps in the road, but I would not change anything in the past because I learned from the struggles and found ways to overcome them. Since I am also an influencer and have decided to take that more seriously as a business itself, it is definitely not easy managing two businesses. Along with being an influencer, I started my business while I attending school full-time and was working an internship. Time management was an issue because I was not used to working 24/7. I would overwork myself to the point where I would get 3-5 hours of sleep every single night and my mental health wasn’t at its best. Having no motivation and low energy levels got in the way of me coming up with new ideas and overall enjoying the process. However, just because it’s not easy didn’t make any of my work a burden since I love what I do, my mental health just needed to be prioritized, as it should for everyone.
It took almost the whole year of owning my business to get organized and plan out my days accordingly. This also goes along with struggling to adjust to a new lifestyle. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree from California State University Fullerton this past Spring and although not having to study for tests or do assignments lowered my stress levels, I definitely went through some post-grad depression. I have always loved going to school, being around other people, and learning new things so not being a student anymore felt odd. I eventually got over this funk and realized that this was just a new chapter in my life and that I was ready to move forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Horizons Jewels is an affordable and trendy online-jewelry shop full of pieces that will complete any outfit. The pieces are unique yet timeless and will surely brighten anyone’s day. I take a lot of pride in everything I do within my business like packaging, curating graphics, and designing jewelry pieces. The pieces in most recent collection, Summer Dreams, are mainly hand-made by myself. Something about selling pieces I’ve made from scratch feels a lot more liberating, plus it’s also fun to bring my ideas to life.
Horizons is known for selling high-quality gold jewelry pieces that I choose and hand-make myself. Our pieces are made for everyone and nothing makes me happier than seeing customers post pictures in my pieces. Something that sets me apart from other jewelry brands are the details that go into every campaign and launch I’ve ever had. I have had several people tell me that the amount of effort I put into everything I do for my brand seems like I have been running my business for years. Especially in recent collections where I curate a storyline and set up a photoshoot. For example, my most recent collection, Summer Dreams, was inspired by dreams to travel throughout Europe and the pieces are perfect gems for Summer travels to any destination, as well for an everyday look.
My proudest moment was recently at a one year anniversary event for Horizons that I planned and coordinated by myself. The theme of the event was ‘Bouquet Making & Booze’ where influencers and friends made a beautiful dried/fresh floral bouquet, enjoyed cocktails, and left with full goodie bags. The venue was stunning and I managed everything from hiring someone to set up a balloon garland (@balloonbestiess), set up the table decor (@mariposapicnics), deliver several amazing floral centerpieces (@marlenesflowers), and even had mini cakes made for each guest that attended (@bitesbym.e). Planning that event was probably one of the most difficult tasks I’ve had to manage, but once everything was set up and everyone arrived. I was in awe that I did everything. I remember taking a step back and soaking in everything, all of my hard work and dedication led up to that exact moment and I was so proud.
One thing that I’ve loved about owning Horizons Jewels is attending pop-ups and getting to meet my supporters in person. I have been able to meet so many beautiful people, some that have been following me for several years. My first pop-up was the Shop Small Soiree hosted by Shop Gypsy Queen and I think I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep the night before because I was so nervous. However, I had so many friends, family, and supporters show up for me and it was such an amazing experience. Since then, I have been a vendor at several other small business markets and I am also excited to have a booth at the infamous 626 Night Market in Arcadia, California this August. I love shopping online, but it is definitely a great experience to come out and visit small businesses and get to meet the owners!
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Although I had endless support from my parents and siblings, I was very independent growing up. My parents even described me as a bossy little girl because I always wanted to teach myself how to do things without receiving help. For example, I built an entire vanity with the given instruction manual when I was 13 years old because I simply wanted to do it myself.
YouTube was my best friend growing up and I even started my own channel when I was in middle school. I loved filming and editing videos regardless of the views and subscribers I had. I also utilized YouTube to learn how to do almost everything from braiding hair to editing videos to learning how to start a business. I learned how to start my bow business from YouTube videos that I previously talked about when I was around ten years old called ‘Bryanna’s Bowtique’. Not really knowing what I was doing but I still had the drive to work, I created and designed my own website on big cartel.
Therefore, growing up I always had a drive to be creative. I went through several phases of not knowing what my creative outlet would be. I tried painting, drawing, acting, dancing, but none of those stuck with me like designing jewelry has.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://horizonsjewels.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/horizonsjewels/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HorizonsJewels
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/bryannaromero/
Image Credits:
Mathew Martinez Hairface
