Courageous / Beyond Beading

Beyond Beading

Lauren Holder is looking to continue her entrepreneurial journey which began in Grade 5, by studying accounting and marketing at university next year and creating her own service-based business helping others. The Grade 12 student started her journey as a business owner by making handmade jewellery and through this gleaned where to source jewellery making supplies within Australia and overseas. She now runs a successful component supply business.

“I saw a gap in the market with only a small number of suppliers selling jewellery components at a reasonable price and so began my business, Jewellery Supplies Company,” says Lauren.

One of the keys to her success has been the courage to simply go for it, and when asked what advice she would give to someone considering starting their own business, she says to just ‘give it a shot’.

“You are never going to find out unless you take the first step,” says Lauren. “Being a young business owner hasn’t restricted me. I’ve come into this venture knowing nothing about the industry – except who my target market is and how to reach them.

“I would recommend having a business plan – an idea of where you want to go, what you want to sell, who your target market is and how you are going to reach them – all key components of a successful business.”

For the Launceston Grammar student, reaching her current and new audiences is best achieved through a professional and creative presence.

“Online is how I reach my customers and Instagram is definitely the way to go for a business like mine.

“Instagram’s Stories feature and business tools, where you can keep track of analytics and how your posts are performing, are fantastic ways to understand where your customers come from.

“The hand-made community of makers on this social media platform is also really active and engaged. People spread the word about my business through it and I’ve gained hundreds of followers just from people sharing their orders they have placed with me on their own Stories.”

Despite her age, Lauren has many makers contacting her for advice on their own business situation and on how to go forward when challenges strike.

“A lot of the makers are stay-at-home mums and I’m often encouraging them to keep going and be courageous. Some of them can feel quite isolated working away in their homes and it is important for them to know that there are people out there they can communicate with if they have questions.

“The Instagram community is full of people who look to others for help – we are essentially one big community.”

Through research Lauren discovered that blogging is an excellent way for people to find out about other makers – especially the successful ones.

“That is why I started ‘Meet the Maker’, a blog which highlights creative businesses across the country and provides a snapshot into the business owner’s own journey, as well as advice they would give to start-ups.”

For some final advice, Lauren says it can be scary when you venture into something that is unfamiliar; however, you are not going to know unless you try.