Local Jewelry Maker Searches for Interns as Business Grows

Grand Rapids artist Lisa J. Lehmann’s business is on fire. Thanks could be attributed to a heavy dose of social media marketing, a consumer trend towards buying local, a community increasingly supporting artists and a new business coach that helps her balance the ethos of being of an artist with the daily rigors of running a business. From her home studio, Lehmann uses traditional metal-smithing techniques, combining metals & semi-precious stones to create her wearable designs. Relying primarily on social media for marketing, business has been steadily growing for the last 18 months, bringing her to the point where she “hit the glass ceiling” and knew she had taken the business as far as she could being a “lone wolf entrepreneur.” With an ambitious goal of “becoming a household name in jewelry,” Lehmann attended an artist conference in Asheville, NC. There, she became “absolutely awestruck” and inspired by other creative women and business owners. Subsequently, she made the decision to hire a business coach and is now invigorated by the advice to focus on her “genius work,” which is creating jewelry, and to get help from others to handle day-to-day operations. Moving forward, Lehmann is in the process of interviewing interns to add to her team. She is also making plans to open a working studio with retail hours to support her growing local customer base.  You can follow Lehmann on Twitter (@thebeadgirl) and you can visit her website to learn more about her studio or purchase her products. Source:  Lisa Lehmann, artist, owner Studio Jewel Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor.