Wait. Was that CHRISTMAS. Is 2022 about to come to an end? Trigger Warning 😉I’m going to talk about New Year RESOLUTIONS.
It feels as though the last month has been a blur…I am sure so many of you feel the same way. Our holidays were FILLED with joy. All the kids home and a very full house. Our quiet home became a train station with people coming and going, tables for wrapping presents, shoes piled at the door, making dinner for 12 and cleaning cleaning cleaning 😐 I tried to live in the moment but it was a bit overwhelming!
On December 26th we flew to Miami for a little escape. The company closes from December 24-January 2nd and we need that time to regroup. You have heard me talk a lot about building a company and the grit it takes and WOW 2022 was such a massive year for us. I think it’s important to take a moment to chill out!
One thing that we pride ourselves on at Jane Win is truly connecting with people. We have our core collection of coins, and we build fun chains and charms around them – launching new product almost every week. That takes a A LOT of creativity, and we want every piece to hold genuine meaning – so it takes a lot of thought. When I pop on Instagram or Emily makes an email to talk about something new, we really LOVE that piece – and we are putting ourselves out there – opening up! While I love chatting on Instagram stories and visiting events, it also feels good to unplug for a bit…and that is when I have my best ideas.
This week in the sun has given me a little time to look back, but more importantly, it has given me time to think FORWARD. I am not really one for hard and fast resolution, but here some things I want to keep in mind to help guide me and the company in 2023.
Top of the list? Authentic connections. Being genuine. Always straight-forward. Here at Jane Win we are OURSELVES…and that is the best way to stand out in the world (and a crowded market of jewelry!). I always say I wear my heart on my sleeve and this led me to…LOVE RULES. During our holiday rush of wrapping, I just noticed day-in and day-out: the gifts that people give from Jane Win are purely from a place of love. No one is ‘checking this off the list’. They are buying for themselves or for others because they adore the piece and they adore the person. This is why I started the company. I think it’s important to pause and note that people who care, who show their love – they are our people. When people are not that way, sassing our customers service team (ahem which is usually me or Emily answering those emails!), it stands out – like really really. Bad behavior stands out. Isn’t that great? You would think from the news the world is going to hell in a handbasket, but not Jane Win! People are lovely and they usually only act up when they are too excited to contain themselves! A small plea from a woman who runs a small business, please be nice to customer service and remember there are people on the other end of those emails! This year I am going to focus on being very comfortable in my skin, be very genuine, and always straight forward – remembering always that LOVE RULES.
Second? Be fair, be open to change. This got me thinking about pricing. Do you know when I started Jane Win the original coins were all $328? And my friend Vanessa pulled me aside and told me it was a “tad high”. So we adjusted to $278…that was in 2017! And then later we added the chunkier drawn link chain to our core coins and that was a bit more at $298…but under $300 – which I felt was important. Since then – wow has the cost of gold gone up. Actually, the cost of everything has gone up. And the QUALITY of what we do is so important to me. That is layered on with the current environment around us – I mean have you all bought an Ulla Johnson dress lately 😐 – the prices around us are going up. Right now, we are not making any changes but it’s on my mind – is Jane Win at the right price point?!? This year you will see us launch more expensive product, more fine jewelry – more special pieces in 10k and 14k gold with stones. This will be balanced with ALWAYS having items in the $250-300 range. Really fair pricing for special pieces.
And last but not least, how to grow – but stay special. The key to us being able to launch new pieces weekly – to continue to innovate - is running a profitable business. So many businesses are pushing so hard on topline sales they don’t make money. And for us, we need to be profitable to keep going. We work tirelessly on every piece so it feels really really special – to be priced in a way that makes sense – and that takes a lot of energy and creativity (that luckily we have in spades). As we grow, I want to be sure that creativity and the way we connect through jewelry is always a number one priority. You have to say that out loud, not get caught up, wide-eyed, trying to push the brand forward…it’s going to be a year of focusing on the little special things, and growing because people are drawn to what we do.
Wait, one more, and this is purely personal. I have always tried really hard to sweat the big stuff, forget the little things that don’t matter. Celebrate the wins, move on quickly from the mess-ups. When I get really busy, and I am sure many of you can relate, I can lose sight of this. So in 2023, I am going to try really hard to be centered and present, enjoying all the good and not focusing on the negative. Who’s with me 😉
AND JUST FOR FUN, here’s my dream closet of everything I packed (or would love to pack) for a trip to Miami. I went for warmer colors and a bit more black since it’s almost January – a darker version of resortwear 💋
CHEERS. I’m off to the beach. Sending you tons of love for a bubbly new year! xx Janie
