Blog

Just. Happy. As we head into our 15th month of business and this crazy new adventure of JW, the one thing I have learned is...enjoy every day. It’s not about the end result, its about the moments and minutes and...

This week I had to write a ‘bio’ to put my name in the running for a speaking opportunity. I love speaking in front of people – I love the energy and the smiles you see while addressing a crowd, and I...

FINALLY, it’s summer. If you know me, you’ve probably heard me say that this winter was a little challenging – weather was HORRIBLE, and it made starting a business a little lonely. Today, the sun is shining and winter feels...

I AM HIGH. My husband got me high. My kids got me high. And then I got high with a stranger. BUT ... it’s all business I swear. It has been a pretty cold and grey winter. I know my...

“There is a confidence that comes with freedom. Whether you need encouragement to take the steps to freedom, or have a newfound freedom you want to celebrate – the butterfly inspires us with her gentle movement and complete independence. You...

The last two weeks have been wild, and we had an AWESOME February. What made us cry and tear our hair out and drink wine to forget? What was amazing and kept us going? Read on... We went to Florida,...

The FOREVER pendant was designed to give a touchstone to the power of home, finding your way and to being centered. Clearly the Jane Winchester line is optimistic, but we all know that there are times in life when we...

This is the first in a series of blogs on how each of our pendants came to be. It makes so much sense that LOVE came first, but you may not know me so I’ll tell you why… WOW, I...

We launched our jewelry business December 6th. It was an incredible event. We had over 100 of our friends, family and potential buyers. We had some social media influencers. We had some retail store buyers. The guest list was strong,...

A company logo can be the first impression a customer receives from your brand. YES, the product (the JW jewelry) should always be front and center – but the product will change with the seasons…the logo will be a constant. It’s a first impression and a consistent representation of your brand. As detailed in Designing […]

Since the inception of Jane Winchester, the primary concept has been to create beautiful jewelry – but that’s not all. As you know now through the blog, I want to: Transparently tell the story of the business development – with the hope that it will inspire others AND provide resources for those who have a […]

I will add to this list over time but wanted to publish our resources-to-date for those interested in starting a company (or if you wonder how it all goes down). Here are the steps we took to get started and some of the vendors we chose to work with: You need to make it legal: […]

As I wrote in Volume 1, writing the business plan was something I was kinda dreading…WHY?  I think it all comes down to trying to fit into a ‘normal’ business plan format that was dry and all numbers. Starting with the Core Values loosened me up and gave me some confidence (read about that here […]

There is a bohemian look of glittery, dangly, LAYERED gold jewelry that emulates the ultimate in laid-back sophistication. As a kid I can remember my mother getting ready for cocktail parties, her ‘look’ was always something like this…a loose French braid, and layers of silk - deep purple wide leg silk pants and a lavender […]

Where to start...well first off: we are pretty obsessed with the moon here at Jane Winchester. Our logo is a crescent moon and a compass star so we use it as a symbol to identify our brand. That’s dedication. The moon, a crescent, and a crescent with a star are symbols that have been used […]

I left my corporate job for a few reasons… FLEXIBILITY. During 11 years at Lilly Pulitzer I made so many choices that put the company first and not my family. I couldn’t make those trade-offs anymore. BURN OUT.  The fashion industry is fast paced and requires a high level of collaboration; it can be all […]

Lots of color. Lots of movement. Lots of style!  For a few years my father lived in India when the weather was too depressing in New Hampshire. He studied gardens, did yoga - and bought me jewelry :). When I went to India in 2012 I shopped between every factory visit and came home with […]

I named the blog ‘I always wake up smiling’ because it’s true. As a kid my Dad would wake me up for school, and he said, I always woke up smiling. Being ‘happy’ is something that comes naturally to me, and I am very aware that it does not come naturally to all. I also […]

Designing a LOGO. This is right in my wheelhouse; I worked on branding at Lilly Pulitzer and loved it. Starting from scratch with no ‘old’ marks or fonts is such a luxury. Really fun stuff. I knew a few things: I had to write out a full RFP (request for proposal) and that it should […]

TOP PRIORITY. I know that I need to write a business plan from scratch for Jane Winchester. It’s not for investors, it’s not to show the bank…it’s a guidepost for me to make sure we have a thoughtful and reasonable plan. I am quitting the dream job, we need to do some of the homework […]

I come from an incredible American family. My great great great great grandfather Oliver invented the Winchester repeating rifle – known as ‘the gun that won the west’. As the story goes, Oliver invented the first gun that could fire continuously and the ‘Winchester’ was the most innovative gun of it’s time. There were good […]