INTERVIEW: Payson Cooper of Payson Jewelry
1. What is Payson Jewelry and when did you start the company?
Payson & Co., LLC is a jewelry company that was started at the very end of 2005. I was still working a full-time job then, and did not really become active in the business until September of 2006. Within the company there are two lines of jewelry, which are offered on different websites. The first is an artisan line, the Payson Jewelry Collection, which showcases handmade, unique and custom pieces that I design and create. The second line, uses words and symbols to inspire and uplift the wearer and anyone who sees the jewelry – it’s called the Transformational Jewelry Collection.
2. What inspired you to start your business?
My love for making jewelry and my ‘need’ to do something to fulfill my heart and soul. I was working as a computer consultant, and while there were many aspects of my job that I enjoyed, including the people, I really felt like a small piece of my soul was dieing each day I continued to work there. Finally, I decided to leave and take a chance on my own business – it took a while, even after I left, because I was really afraid to embrace my passion as my ‘daily’ business.
3. What makes your products different?
All of the jewelry in my lines is designed by me and is made here in New York City. All of my work is handmade, either by me or by people with whom I work. I am dedicated to quality and customer service, and really love working with clients to create custom pieces that express exactly what they are looking for, and giving them a wonderful experience in the process. My jewelry is also eco-friendly, with the sterling silver recycled content as high as 92%, and the gold at78%. We are committed to environmentally friendly business practices in every way possible.
4. What resources have you found most helpful in running your business?
Having a social/business network is absolutely invaluable. I am part of several organizations, including Savor the Success and Ladies Who Launch, which help me to remain social and to network with other female entrepreneurs. As I work on my own, it is easy to become somewhat isolated, and it’s very helpful and supportive to have these groups as part of my circle. I also spend time each day on a variety of online social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, for the same reasons. Additionally, having these networks allows me to reach out with questions and get referrals when I need help with some aspect of my business.
5. What advice would you give other entrepreneurs?
If you find you have problems with being overwhelmed by the variety of projects and tasks you are required to take on running a business I suggest organizing and prioritizing with simple ‘to do’ lists. There is great satisfaction is creating a short list of ‘must do’ items and then crossing them off as they are completed.
Also, it is important to take time every day to do something for yourself (like take a walk, go to the gym, have coffee with a friend) – something that you will find inspiring and will change your focus completely. It’s important to take care of all the facets of your life and remember that while your business is extremely important, there are other, equally important parts, that will help to keep you balanced, passionate and excited about working. If you only spend your time working on and in your business, you’ll burn out and begin to have negative feelings about it. The other suggestion would be to outsource any task you don’t enjoy as soon as possible. If you don’t like book-keeping, get someone to do it – the cost is not huge and freeing yourself from a task you consider unpleasant can have an incredible impact on your state of mind, which then impacts everything else.
6. What is your biggest success as an entrepreneur?
For me, it’s enjoying everything I’m doing. I have so many hats that I wear, it’s wonderful to find a way to enjoy each different task and project that is part of my job as a business owner. For a long time I forced myself to do things I didn’t enjoy, now I give myself the time to come into a place where I will be able to enjoy it (or even want to do it – instead of forcing myself when it doesn’t feel right), or I’ve removed it from my tasks and outsourced it. Knowing that 90% of what I do each day is going to be fun makes it easy to get up and get started early every day with lots of energy and excitement.
7. What’s next for Payson Jewelry?
Coming up in the early part of 2009 several pieces of jewelry from Payson & Co., LLC will be included in a movie, called Cold Souls, which was just selected for the Sundance Film Festival. It’s very exciting to know that my work will be on the big screen, and in a movie that is getting such amazing reviews. I also recently engaged the services of a professional PR agent. It’s time for Payson & Co. to begin to grow in new ways, and mastering the area of PR is not something I’m can focus on right now – I want to be able to give my attention to my clients and my jewelry. Giving the majority of the PR responsitiblites to a specialist will help the company to grow and allow me to do what I love most – interact with and provide exceptional service and design work for my clients.
