Amity Gleason, Amity Alexandra Jewelry Design

[00:00:00] Sanjay Parekh: Welcome to the Side Hustle to Small Business podcast, powered by Hiscox. I'm your host, Sanjay Parekh. Throughout my career, I've had side hustles, some of which have turned into real businesses. But first and foremost, I'm a serial technology entrepreneur. In the creator space, we hear plenty of advice on how to hustle harder and why you can sleep when you're dead.

[00:00:21] On this show, we ask new questions in hopes of getting new answers. Questions like, How can small businesses work smarter? How do you achieve balance between work and family? How can we redefine success in our businesses so that we don't burn out after year three? Every week, I sit down with business founders at various stages of their side hustle to small business journey.

[00:00:42] These entrepreneurs are pushing the envelope while keeping their values. Keep listening for conversation, context, and camaraderie.

[00:00:55] Today's guest is Amity Gleason, a former attorney turned jewelry maker. Amity also hosts the podcast, The Gothic Heart, where she works to embrace the unique, celebrate the unconventional, and explore the depths of life and love through a gothic lens. Amity, welcome to the show.

[00:01:13] Amity Gleason: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so glad to be here.

[00:01:16] Sanjay Parekh: I'm excited to have you on because I don't think we've ever had a lawyer turned something else, especially not jewelry maker on this podcast. So, I think we're going to get into some interesting side discussions here. But before we get into all of that, give us a little bit about your background and what got you to where you are today.

[00:01:33] Amity Gleason: Yes, absolutely. Growing up, really my whole life, I've been into the alternative, the unconventional, the spooky, the macabre, but in a nice sense. And I was never able, and I had a fun sense of style, and I grew up went and, you know, went to school, did a lot of careers, was in cosmetics, was a criminal defense attorney for many years, had some children, ended up going into operations and all of that time, especially as a courtroom attorney, I was in a suit or pearls or things like that.

[00:02:09] That is not my style. Again, I understand it's not the place for everything. And when I had my Halloween wedding, when I got engaged 13 years ago, what I was looking for was not around in jewelry. And so, I've always sewn so I could make custom and sort of now it's, I wasn't able to find what I wanted. I have since created jewelry that still has that style.

[00:02:33] But it wouldn’t be acceptable in the courtroom. It's almost like a sudden hidden element. And I'm there for all of the people that do have different styles or want something custom. It's accessible. It's available. And it won't break the bank as it would have many years ago when I was first looking for that.

[00:02:50] So here we are. That's how it came about.

[00:02:53] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. So interesting. So, have you ever had thoughts about going back into law or is this like, burn the boats, all in? I don't ever want to be in a courtroom again.

[00:03:06] Amity Gleason: Right now, that is how I feel. I loved it at the time. I did. It was so great for my life then in LA.

[00:03:13] But now I've got three children, and this gives me a lot more flexibility. I also have parents that I'm now had to move out here and taking care of. So, the flexibility with this, plus the creativity that comes with it, it's such a fun, creative thing. When you're finding that really unique design that no one's ever going to have that. You don't quite feel at least in criminal defense.

[00:03:36] Maybe you come up with a really unique argument, but it's not the same feeling.

[00:03:41] Sanjay Parekh: Right. Yeah. Hey, do you feel like having a legal background like you have has helped you at all in building this business? Like, you know, you don't need to send contracts out to anybody to review because you can review them.

[00:03:53] Amity Gleason: I can do them. Well, so actually it helps a lot. Not just that. I had also worked in corporate bankruptcy as an attorney. So, I learned a lot about like communications and crisis communications and I was in operations for years. All of those are 100 percent applicable to running your own business, being an entrepreneur.

[00:04:11] They may not be applicable to the actual jewelry making part, but to everything else and people skills and sales and just all the hats that we wear as an entrepreneur.

[00:04:21] Sanjay Parekh: Right. Okay. Let's talk about that. So, is this the first time you've ever been an entrepreneur or are there, have there been entrepreneurs in the family?

[00:04:28] Like where does that fit in for you?

[00:04:30] Amity Gleason: Sure, I would technically, I guess, call myself an entrepreneur as an attorney. I was Amity Hartman slash Amity Gleason, attorney at law. That is a very different kind of business than this. So, this is my foray. My mother owned her own company all her life, a strategy company with the food and drug administration, ‘cause she had been at the food and drug administration.

[00:04:52] So she would work with companies to strategize how to get their drugs approved. So very science, not what I did, but at least I got to see, I mean, you know, what it was like and her lifestyle.

[00:05:05] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. That's awesome. So, did you ever work in the, in your mom's business at all? Like growing up, did you ever have the opportunity to see that?

[00:05:13] Amity Gleason: I mean, yes, I did filing, lots of filing, you know, those kinds of things or helping, you know, stuff envelopes. Cause that's what we did back then. There was no email, you know, things like that, but never in the true sense of, the science or any of that stuff behind it, right?

[00:05:30] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. I heard just a little bit of like kids these days have never learned how to stuff envelopes.

[00:05:35] Definitely gonna be a thing at some point. Okay, so you decided, you know, you're having your wedding, or your engagement and you're like, okay, I can't get jewelry the way I want it. How long after that is it that you decide like, okay, I'm going to go in and start a jewelry business?

[00:05:53] Amity Gleason: Well, it was actually about when I had my first child almost 10 years ago, and I had to cut off my ring ‘cause it got stuck.

[00:06:03] And I was like, I can't fix this. I was, and I've been toying around. I said, this is the time to actually go in and start learning, learn how to do jewelry making, learn everything about it, gain contacts, gain mentors. And I actually did that on the side for so many years. ‘Cause I was in corporate operations working, you know, burning the candle at both ends.

[00:06:22] And it was the time when, you know, things were coming out with my parents, a lot of extra needs from my kids. And I was like, what am I waiting for? Now is the time. And so just went full in on actually doing it instead of keeping it as a side thing and quit the corporate job and went full in here. And exciting things to come as I'm even doing a relaunch come this October with a whole brand new, exciting thing.

[00:06:49] It's been great.

[00:06:50] Sanjay Parekh: So, you went all in, you didn't even try to do it the side hustle route?

[00:06:55] Amity Gleason: Barely.

[00:06:56] Sanjay Parekh: That's super.

[00:06:57] Amity Gleason: Barely.

[00:06:57] Sanjay Parekh: Okay. So, a little bit just to get you going, but then you burned the boats and went all in. So I'm fascinated by the jewelry business here because it doesn't seem like, you know, for somebody like me.

[00:07:11] I start businesses and I'm just typing on a computer all day long. Right? Like it's just typing code, doing that kind of stuff. It seems like easy and straightforward. This is a very physical manual thing. And there's some skills that you have to know how to do. So how did you figure that out for yourself?

[00:07:27] And were you making the beginning pieces? Are you still making pieces now? Like how has that progression happened for you?

[00:07:34] Amity Gleason: Still doing it. So, you'd be surprised how much is actually on the computer versus anything else. The times of, I mean, there are still jewelers who will fabricate scratch from like a giant clump of metal, right?

[00:07:46] But in this day and age, or at least the process that I use, we design, you know, we can mock up or sketch a ring and then we're going to put it in a CAD program. So, you're getting a 3D full on virtual model of it, and then we actually can print a prototype to try on and see what see if you like it or before I go to production, and then that will actually make the mold that it's cast it out of the metal.

[00:08:10] So everything is done. So, all of that is still computer. We haven't even touched anything having to do with the jewelry. It's cast it in the gold. Then it's time we can set the stones, do the polishing, things like that. But a giant chunk of it is done with the computer ahead of time.

[00:08:26] Sanjay Parekh: Oh, wow. That is super fast.

[00:08:27] I would have not guessed that to do a custom piece. So, so you're using like a 3D printer, like everybody else, just doing a 3D print in plastic. Is that how it goes?

[00:08:37] Amity Gleason: Well, for the prototype and resin for people to wait to try on when the actual casting process comes, you actually have to print a cast in a castable wax, and then you will make the mold out of that.

[00:08:50] Regular resin will not work. It has to be like a castable type resin. It's a wax resin, and then you can make the mold out of that. And then that's it. Do the casting for the gold or silver, if you're using silver and you'll have at least the bones of your piece at that point, whether you need to add stones or if it doesn't have stones, I mean, just polish and clean up.

[00:09:10] So there are other ways of making jewelry. This is just the way that we do it here. And that's the way we can get the really unique designs, without the manual labor of maybe sitting there and hand engraving every single little curve or decoration. It's already casted into it.

[00:09:29] Sanjay Parekh: Right. So are you doing that?

[00:09:31] So, you're doing the 3D print part of it. Like how much of it do you do and how much do you get somebody from the outside to, to complete for you?

[00:09:39] Amity Gleason: So, casting I send out. I do not want. I have my studio in my house and with the three kids casting. I mean, that is a lot of fire, a lot of business insurance.

[00:09:49] You know what I mean? So, so that is actually casting is what's sent out. And that is, unless you're a bench jeweler who's really interested in casting. Usually the process that most people go with is sending out for casting. I guess it really just depends. I mean, a larger place, I'm, you know, still a single entrepreneur.

[00:10:12] A larger place, like down the road. When we've got, you know, more people on board. I could totally see bringing casting in because it will speed up the process, save money and save turnaround time. So absolutely. But as of right now, still sending the casting out.

[00:10:28] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah, I was wondering about that part because it definitely sounded like it was a high temperature deal there. And being out of your house, like that's maybe not the right mix of stuff yet. So, when you were starting this business, when you decided to kind of get going, was there anything that made you nervous? And how did you overcome that for yourself?

[00:10:51] Amity Gleason: Sure. The biggest thing that made me nervous, and I guess still does is finding clients, finding customers.

[00:10:57] And when I first started, I made a similar mistake to a lot of people. It was sort of, I can do anything, which you can. I will help the masses, whatever you want, I can make it. And ‘cause you want any client you can get, you're worried you're not going to get them. Since then, and part of my relaunch that I'm going to be doing is more niching down to help those that with the more alternative designs, the darker stones, the more Halloween or witchy inspired or things like that.

[00:11:25] And really because there's enough of the plain white diamonds and white moissanites and jewelry stores out there, right? So really niching down so I can be more authentic and do more of the jobs that I like, that I really enjoy. So that will always be a concern, right?

[00:11:45] But since I've started and went to being more authentic and doing these types of designs with a coffin cut stone or you know, dark black and red or something a lot more people have been feeling like we were talking about more of that authenticity, more of that relatableness, or that's what I assume since I felt more like that as I went that way.

[00:12:07] And so I've actually been getting more by, by making what I offer a little bit smaller.

[00:12:15] Sanjay Parekh: Right. Yeah. It’s very counterintuitive. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs have this challenge because they think like, oh, I need to have the biggest market possible so that I can sell the most. And it's like, you're not going to get a hundred percent of the market.

[00:12:29] So if you can figure out how to get a greater percentage of a smaller market, that's probably a good thing.

[00:12:38] So you haven't been now practicing law for how many years? It's been 10 years-ish. Roughly? 

[00:12:44] Amity Gleason: Yep. Roughly.

[00:12:45] Sanjay Parekh: Do you miss it?

[00:12:45] Amity Gleason: I don’t know if miss is the right word, but definitely when I'm watching TV or something. I was just recently watching something that had just come out, you know, but of course it has a trial and all of these things, and I'm always like, but that's not right. You know, that stuff still comes up for sure. So, I don't know if that counts as missing it. I don't know

[00:13:07] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. That's a funny thing because I experience the same thing when I watch shows like and I know it's meant to be a comedy, but like Silicon Valley and shows like that, shows that are about the things that you know, you watch them with such a critical eye. And be like that's not how it's done in real life.

[00:13:27] Like, I don't know why you're doing it that way. That's just not right. So that's funny that's still with you at this point. You don't scream at the TV or anything, do you? When they're doing like, no, don't do that.

[00:13:39] Amity Gleason: A little bit. My kids are always like, why are you doing that? It's just a movie.

[00:13:47] Sanjay Parekh: That's funny. I love it.

[00:13:50] Adam Walker: Support for this podcast comes from Hiscox, committed to helping small businesses protect their dreams since 1901. Quotes and information on customized insurance for specific risks are available at Hiscox.com. Hiscox, business insurance experts.

[00:14:11] Sanjay Parekh: Okay, let's talk about and you kind of mentioned this a little bit work life balance. You know, now having kids and parents and all this stuff, how has work life balance changed for you now that you're an entrepreneur versus when you were an attorney?

[00:14:28] Amity Gleason: Sure. I would think I was thinking originally it would get much better when it was of course the opposite when you're trying to start up because you're doing all of the things.

[00:14:37] But what I really did was first accept work life harmony because it doesn't necessarily always a balance. So sometimes I have more time on one and then the other. And while it's not necessarily balanced, it means that. You know, the next week, maybe I have more on the other or whatever is workable then.

[00:14:56] So I've definitely made peace with that. And secondly, when I went and launched this, I sort of made a list of what I wanted to optimize for, like I am doing this, so I have more free time for my family. I can't, you know, there's four or five things on the list of what I was really aiming for.

[00:15:13] And so, when I was even trying to make a decision on, you know, if I need to send my kid to another school or whether we're going to, you know, do this activity or if we have time for this, I really truly will look back at that list and be like, if I say yes, or if I say no, does it help me get towards these goals that I really had?

[00:15:31] And that's literally how I've been managing my work life balance. I'll see it, or harmony, I'll see it right up there that I wanted more time with my kids. So, if it's something that's going to cause me, you know, with a client to, you know, wake up early or drive really far, or whatever it might be, am I optimizing that or am I losing half the day on a weekend day when I could be with my kids?

[00:15:49] Something like that. So, if I just use that list and what I'm optimizing for or what my goals are in order to make those kinds of decisions. It's been a lot easier than me trying to make them on my own.

[00:16:00] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah, that's a great point. That's a great idea. Let's talk about you know, you've touched upon this too, like the reason why you started this was you didn't see yourself reflected in the jewelry choices that you had there.

[00:16:14] So how important is it to you to reflect your kind of personal identity and kind of not wishes, but likes in the brand that you've built?

[00:16:27] Amity Gleason: Yes, it is incredibly important, and it can't all be about my likes, right? Because it's going to be a brand. I mean, it's all going to have something I like, but it can't just be like, oh, I like this. I like this. And that's my new collection.

[00:16:39] So, it does sort of need to have a flow and everything. And it's definitely there. My hugest thing, and I, you know, I have it all over everything, is that my mission is so that nobody has to compromise their personal style, like I had to do in the past.

[00:16:57] There are ways we can get around it, no matter what the limitations are. I don't want anyone having to compromise their personal style. You feel different when you get to wear something or feel something that's, even if it's just something you know about. Or it might be hidden or to express yourself then when you're not then when you don't get to, so I don't want to take that feeling away from anyone. And while there's millions of jewelers out there with their glass cases and their 300 rings that are the same as the other ones and the other ones people nowadays, right?

[00:17:33] We like everything customized, our customized, you know, tumblers, our customized phones, our customized computer skins, right? This is definitely that time. If they, you know, people didn't want things customized back in the day that we can actually, and it's successful. We can actually do something and how meaningful, especially if it's a bridal piece or a wedding piece, since you're going to wear it for the rest of your life.

[00:17:55] Why did you spend, you know, months or years planning this gorgeous wedding for one day and then just buy off the rack a ring that you're going to wear every day for the rest of your life? I'd love to put your grandmother's diamonds into it or whatever you might have or a piece of your story. You know, inlay some of your pet's hair, if that's something, I mean, whatever it might be, put some meaning behind things.

[00:18:18] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah, that's so interesting, kind of the point you make there, because you know, during the industrial revolution and stuff and like, and Henry Ford and making cars, it's like, yeah, you can have any color you want as long as it's black. Right? It was like, you had no choice and we've made this huge swing now to where it's like you can have the one of one, right?

[00:18:37] Like the thing that you have, there is no other like it because you were the one that designed it. And it's so interesting that you make this point because I think we've now gotten to the point where we have technology and tools that allow us to do that. Whereas before this would be probably, it would be possible, but it would be just so expensive.

[00:18:57] Amity Gleason: So expensive.

[00:18:58] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. So what are those pieces in the jewelry business that you feel like has really helped drive down the cost of doing these things? Now, obviously 3D printing, we touched on that before. That's one. Are there other things that have helped drive down that cost or are there other things coming that are going to help drive down the cost?

[00:19:17] Amity Gleason: Well, so there's two things. So one things has already been driving down the cost that it's sort of caused a giant disruption in the jewelry industry is lab diamonds. So, lab diamonds have been around for a while, but really rising in popularity in the last, you know, five years or so.

[00:19:34] And the natural diamond market is just going down in the tubes, right? So, all those jewelers that have been relying on natural diamonds as the source of their sales, a diamond is forever. Can't rely on that anymore. Diamonds, not forever. We got lab diamonds now that are the exact same thing. And more, you know, you can make more of them, right?

[00:19:53] So it's sort of what happened when pearls back before the 1920s were ridiculously expensive. Then we cultured pearls and then they were available to everyone. So that's what's happening with lab diamonds right now. So that has definitely made a giant help with pricing. And you can still have, you know, the big stone if you want.

[00:20:11] So that's always been really nice. So, the lab diamonds, not everybody would agree. Not everybody would agree. And secondly, weirdly enough, AI is making a huge change for the jewelry industry too, because there is a lot more information available at the fingertips for solo people versus the large brands that have, you know, maybe a 50-person department or 50 person company because they need to specialize in a marketing department, a videography, a design, a this.

[00:20:40] AI can help us do so much of that strategy. Not everything, but a giant chunk of it there where in the next 5-10 years we could be competing at that level with the giant companies without going the same route that they had to go.

[00:20:56] Sanjay Parekh: Huh. That's interesting. One question on the lab grown diamonds and stones in general. Does this open up opportunities to do different shapes and things like that, that you couldn't get naturally?

[00:21:12] Amity Gleason: Yes, it absolutely does because their quality so much better, especially with emeralds. And some people love emeralds because they are highly included, but you can get, but they have like lots of little specks and things in them. But with lab emeralds or lab stones, you don't get those specks. So, you can see really clearly through it and certain cuts, maybe an emerald cut you couldn't always use when it's super highly included because it won't shine.

[00:21:37] And now you can use a lot more of those cuts or just in general, because you're spending less money on the stone, maybe you have extra money to pay for a fancy cut from a gem cutter or something. Maybe I've, my newest collection will have a lot of coffin cuts, which you do not see out there because they are very hard to find.

[00:21:57] And I don't know that it would have been price accessible necessarily before all these lab stones came. Because that's a new way for them to make money because they're not making money as much money on the stones as they were.

[00:22:08] Sanjay Parekh: Right. Right. So fascinating. Okay. Let's talk about something that's actually, I think a very common thing with probably our listeners as well as a lot of our guests. Balancing work and being an entrepreneur with being a parent, like, how do you think about these things?

[00:22:26] Because as entrepreneurs, like work can consume 110 percent of everything, right? And so, and honestly, so can being a parent, like that can consume everything too. So how do you think about that and how do you balance or keep in harmony those things for yourself?

[00:22:46] Amity Gleason: Yes, it is. It is very hard. I agree with everything you just said there.

[00:22:51] I'd absolutely try to always think about optimizing, right? With the list that I talked about, but also in general, I used to always think, well, what, at least when I was in operations or in my corporate jobs, what would my kids say? And then you'd be like, well, well, mommy's never home at bedtime.

[00:23:05] And so that really hit me, right? I don't want my kids growing up, saying mommy's never home around bedtime, right? I don't want to always be coming home and sleep. So thinking about things like that really helped like switch my mindset of the, cause I am a 24/7 type worker and all in type thing. So what I do now, actually, luckily, my kids are all grade school age now.

[00:23:25] So there is school. Don't get me started about summer. Okay. But school has started, okay? So, during the day, I absolutely can have a regular work day. And then if there are activities or things, I also, this won't necessarily help everyone, but I happen to be a night person. I'm very much a night person. So, after they go to bed, I actually can get a lot of things done too, without compromising any time with them versus, okay, if you're a morning person, maybe you do it before they get up.

[00:23:50] I don't know, but definitely having them be school age has helped. The one thing is though, if we're having like an electronics cleanse or they're not, you know, playing on computers or things for the day or whatever, well, how come you're on the computer, mommy? Well, I'm more, you know I'm doing work, you know, that's a hard one to explain.

[00:24:09] So they're really keep me in check.

[00:24:10] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. It doesn't seem like it goes far of being like, the thing that I'm doing is making sure you have a roof over your head. Like, I don't know. It just doesn't seem to land when you do that. So, I've got to ask you, you worked in your mom's business filing and stuffing envelopes.

[00:24:26] Have you had the kids work in your business at all?

[00:24:29] Amity Gleason: Oh, I wish, man. I wish. My oldest is nine. She does want to help all the time, but she just wants to do it. like edit videos and do like YouTube stuff, which she does. My oldest does help. My, my twins are seven. They have not expressed an interest, although they do love to see the finished pieces.

[00:24:47] Ooh, that was so pretty. Right. Yeah, but, yes. When they are ready or when the time comes, yes. I can't wait to show them that. I think it went a huge way for me. You know, learning responsibility or what's involved or the, or how that even becomes a part. Like I had some background knowledge as an attorney or as seeing that, or my grandmother was a CPA, her own, and I would help her do the tax filings each year, like with on the type, on the typewriter, putting the X's in the right boxes.

[00:25:19] ‘Cause she didn't use the typewriter, things like that. Like, yeah. So I learned that sort of behavior expectation to have of myself. So definitely want to make sure my kids get that too.

[00:25:30] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. And good that you have a plan. I don't know if they know about the plan yet, but they're going to be helping one day too.

[00:25:39] What about boundaries? Let's talk about boundaries of, and how you set them between. All of these things. And like, is there, like you said, kids are in school now, so now you've got the day to work, but is there like a hard boundary of like, look, when the kids come home, there's no more work after that.

[00:25:57] And how do you think about that stuff for yourself to keep you kind of sane and happy? And good with everything.

[00:26:05] Amity Gleason: Boundaries are tough for me. I'm going to, I'm going to admit it.

[00:26:09] Sanjay Parekh: I’ve just figured that after you said the 24/7 thing and I was like, wait , I’m the same way. And there you go.

[00:26:16] Amity Gleason: It's hard for me not to say yes to something. And then I can overcommit myself or I'm trying to do, you know, five different things with my kids at once. You know, one wants me to get this, you know, so boundaries are hard, are definitely hard for me. And especially with having my parents move out here, I've had to get boundaries.

[00:26:34] So I don't have a hard and fast rule that I stop when they get home, but my hard and fast, I don't know if it's a hard and fast, like, ‘cause there are, you know, emergencies or something that might happen. But it tries to be that if my kids are open to playing or they want to play with me I will.

[00:26:56] ‘Cause that's not going to be happening forever. So, if they want to play a game or they're bored, like if they're not, doing homework or not, you know playing their Nintendo or something, whatever it is. And they're open to play. Yes. I want to be available to that. I want to do that. I want to be available.

[00:27:10] And I 100 percent try to keep the weekends available because then my husband and I are available with the kids too. So that's what I try to do. It works for the most part except when it's bridal show seasons because then the shows are on the weekend. So, but then I can, I just make it up in other ways.

[00:27:28] That's that harmony, right? So it's not all the time. It's, you know, maybe four weekends in the spring or five and same in the fall or one day.

[00:27:36] Sanjay Parekh: Interesting. Interesting. Okay. Last couple of questions here. If you could go back in time and do something differently, what would that be and why?

[00:27:46] Amity Gleason: Oh, I probably start this way earlier.

[00:27:50] The amount of enjoyment and just being able to inflect my personality or my style into things that I know other people have and being able to give people things that they weren't otherwise able to get is incredible. And I was not being 100 percent authentic to myself in my previous careers all the way up until this point.

[00:28:13] And just, I think there was room for it earlier. And I think I just wish I was already five or 10 years in.

[00:28:22] Sanjay Parekh: That's a great answer. I think, you know, most of us that start at some point are like, oh, I should have done this a lot sooner. So, okay. Along those same lines what would you tell somebody who's thinking about taking the leap and going in on a side hustle or going full time like you did?

[00:28:42] What advice would you give to them?

[00:28:45] Amity Gleason: I'd say go. My advice will always be go 100 percent if you can. And if you cannot, you've got to get that entrepreneur mindset. If you're only sticking half of a toe in or half of a foot or whatever, it's not going to be successful. That's not the mindset.

[00:29:01] That's not a ‘when I can.’ Right? It's not going to grow to what you want. If you're trying to grow something and we do something epic 100 percent and find those mentors in the industry, find a business mentor, find those people that do it better than you already and learn, do everything you can. And until I did that, I was not where I wanted to be in this business.

[00:29:25] I really, you go to the people that do it better than you, especially in business. I kept sticking with jewelry and jewelry. And you know, as we sort of alluded to, the jewelry world is changing and I wasn't getting answers for ways that I wanted to drive things. So, to business mentors, right.

[00:29:43] And I can apply the jewelry part to it has been a very business changing for me. So ,100 percent agree. Find those people. and change your mindset to it has to succeed. There is no other choice. I will succeed. And I'm going to do what it takes, not do my best. No, you're going to do what is actually required.

[00:30:05] Sanjay Parekh: Yeah. That is great advice. Amity, this has been fantastic. Where can our listeners find and connect with you online?

[00:30:14] Amity Gleason: Sure. It's Amity Alexandra Jewelry. Everywhere. So www.amityalexandrajewelry.com, @amityalexandrajewelry on every social media, The Gothic Heart, my podcast, where we talk a lot about either accepting yourself, how others may see you making a career that incorporates your interests.

[00:30:33] All of that can still be found on any streaming service, but also. At my website, you'll be able to find everything.

[00:30:40] Sanjay Parekh: So awesome. Thanks so much for being on today.

[00:30:43] Amity Gleason: Yes. Thank you for having me. I love that you asked so many jewelry related questions. I don't get to talk about jewelry that much. It's usually the business behind it. So it's fun.

[00:30:52] Sanjay Parekh: It's super fascinating. I love it.

Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Side Hustle to Small Business podcast, powered by Hiscox. To learn more about how Hiscox can help protect your small business through intelligent insurance solutions, visit Hiscox.com. And to hear more Side Hustle to Small Business stories, or share your own story, please visit Hiscox.com/side-hustle-to-small-business. I'm your host, Sanjay Parekh. You can find out more about me at my website, SanjayParekh.com.