Tell us a little bit about yourself and your brand.
Hi, my name is Kelsey Sorenson I am (almost) 23 years old and I am based out of Allston, MA. I am married to the most amazing guy and I have 2 cute bunnies at my apartment. My brand is based around women's earrings, jewelry, and hair accessories and helping women feel as beautiful as they are!
What inspired you to start your brand or craft?
The pandemic hit right in my last semester of college. I was a dance major at a university in Utah and my life went from being full of crazy hectic rehearsal schedules to sitting at home all day. It was so strange to me, and I knew I needed a hobby! I started learning how to make jewelry out of polymer clay and decided to sell to a couple to friends because the cost of supplies was pretty high. People really loved them, so I decided to make a little side business out of it. Well, fast forward to now- It makes me more money than my dance teaching job and takes up a whole room in my apartment, and I am looking into hiring my first employees.
How did you come up with the name of your company?
My husband has called me "his rose" ever since we started dating at the end of 2017. I love florals and wanted that to be involved in my brand of some way, so I decided calling it Rose and Clay would be a cute nod to my nickname and to my aesthetic.
What does an average day look like?
There is no such thing as an average day for me haha. Since I am still doing 95% of this business on my own I have manyyyy hats to wear and have to cycle through a lot of tasks to get things produced, marketed, and shipped. Some of my favorite tasks to do include designing the jewelry, doing all the photography shoots (product and model photography), sourcing materials and supplies, and communicating with customers!
What’s your favorite part of the job?
I guess I kind of answered that mostly in the answer above. But I love designing the products and I LOVE seeing people wearing them and loving them!
When you’re creating do you have a person in mind?
I hope this doesn't sound super weird or vain, but I create with myself in mind most of the time! When trying to figure out what my brand style and aesthetic was I realized I was just leaning into and refining my own personal style aesthetic. So what helps me through my design process is thinking of something I would absolutely love to wear. When I stick true to what I love, my customers always end up loving it as well.
When was your business founded and how has it evolved over time?
Founded May 1st 2020- It has majorly evolved as I have figured out more of who I am and what I want to create! My personal style has really helped evolve my brand into what it is now!
Are there any challenges that you’ve had to overcome?
Learning how to manage time when there are a million things I could be doing everyday is hard. Also learning how to balance work and play when you are your own boss can be hard- I am still trying to figure that one out. Sometimes I go through periods of: I work constantly and I burn myself out and other times I feel like I am not focused enough and productive enough...
What is one piece of advice you have for a female entrepreneur just starting out?
The sooner you can figure out what your personal brand is and what you want it to be the better. It will help everything else fall into place!
Let us know where we can follow you.
Please follow me along on @roseandclayearrings on Instagram! I love meeting and chatting with you all on there! I also am releasing new collections every 3-4 weeks, so join our instagram community and/or email Rose Bud group to get updates on new product launches!