Key Points
- Jane Salazar used her savings from her full-time teaching job and poured in $5,000 in capital to start her jewellery brand.
- The affirmation and wearable reminders of self-love became her “brand essence,” and connects to a community of people who prioritise self-care.
- Salazar started her business as a side hustle in 2018 and had a breakthrough with her statement pieces during the following year, which made her go full-time as an entrepreneur.
Listen to the podcast
Dating guro, full-time na sa paggawa ng alahas na may mensaheng tungkol sa self-care
SBS Filipino
10:41
Former teacher-turned-jewellery maker Jane Salazar knows that she can benefit from being part of this industry.
Creative streak started early
In her childhood, Salazar was fond of making accessories from belts, hair ties to headbands. She has never outgrown that creative streak. So much so, that that when she was working as a full-time teacher, she decided to set up a side hustle.
She saved $5,000 from her salary and opened Esah&Co. – her jewellery brand.
The capital covered the website and purchase of better equipment such as camera and lighting.
When it comes to training in jewellery-making, Salazar considers herself self-taught.
She has been resourceful in learning how to make accessories through YouTube.
Initially, her products included sterling silver hoops, charms, and necklaces. But her self-healing journey during the pandemic, gave her a breakthrough.
She launched the affirmation collection to help her get past the self-doubt.
Self-healing journey gave birth to her affirmation collection
“I noticed that I wasn't giving myself the love and then when I launched it (the affirmation collection) I didn't realise how much other people would resonate with it.
"I start getting all of these messages on Instagram and Facebook, saying that they resonate with the affirmation and they didn't realise how much they were not really taking care of themselves.
"And when I found that a lot of the people in the community feel the same way, it turned more into a community brand - rather than just a jewellery brand."
To date, that online community has 17,800 followers on Instagram.
Advice to those who are keen on starting their own business
1. Find something that you love doing and monetise it – with the help of the internet and social platforms, try to earn from it.
2. Think of your brand essence – the affirmation collection easily became a ‘point of difference’ from all the other jewelry brands out there. Find where you can stand out.
3. Start your business alongside your day job – you need a stable income coming through because there is a lot of capital needed, depending on what product you want to invest in.
4. Build a community around your product or service- research around your target market and try to understand how you can connect with them. This will make is easier for your brand to grow.
5. Understand you data and numbers – learn from the your product’s performance and track where demand is high.
6. Invest at least maybe 10% to 20% of your profit back into the business – this is a way for you to keep improving your business.
7. Forget self-doubt - Salazar says, “Always think of how far you’ve come in your journey and think that there’s someone out there who cares for you and loves you.”
