Learn How Katia Rudnick Built a Jewelry Brand With Meaning & Purpose

This is iDesignLab, a podcast where creativity and curiosity meet style and design. Curator of interiors, furnishings, and lifestyles. Hosted by Tiffany Woolley, an interior designer and a style enthusiast, along with her serial entrepreneur husband Scott. iDesignLab is your ultimate design podcast where we explore the rich and vibrant world of design and its constant evolution in style and trends. Today on iDesignLab we're joined by Katia Rudnick, founder and CEO of Katia Designs. From growing up in Soviet Russia to building a purpose-driven jewelry brand in South Florida, Katia creates pieces that blend natural elements, empowering mantras, and mindfulness. Her jewelry isn't just worn, it's felt. Today we'll explore her journey of creativity, confidence, and turning inspiration into a thriving brand. Welcome to the iDesignLab podcast. Today in our studio we have Katia from Katia to Designs here, who is going to explain to us her journey into the United States, but also into her designs, which is jewelry, which if you can't see, they're beautiful sparkly pieces around your neck. I'm sure they have to do with your designs. So welcome. Thank you. And not only do we want to hear and highlight obviously Katia designs, but we want to know the backstory. So explain to our audience where Katia Designs started from. You know, it's funny because sometimes I look back and I feel like I've lived so many lives. And not often actually when I have this conversation, we go all the way back. But I think it does have so much to do. As most of us, I think our childhood, that foundation influences our life. But your childhood started in Russia. Yeah. It's so fascinating to me. To me that's just so fascinating. So tell us a little about that. Where in Russia did you grow up? I grew up in Moscow. Back when it was a communist country, and I immigrated to United States. In 1989, when all the changes were happening. So when the wall came down and just things are so I really got to experience how it was there for the previous 70 to 80 years. And I think that anyone my age or older that came from Russia have been have that tough foundation. Because you had to be to live in that. So did you come with your family or by yourself? I did. I immigrated with my family because we were Jewish. So we had some family here in United States that sponsored this. Wow. And I came here when I was 15, almost 16. Such an impressionable time. Yeah, that's a tough time. Yes. And we came with not much. And how does a family even have that conversation? How do your parents come? I now think about it because I'm the age sort of like where my mom, because I came with my parents and my grandparents. They came with us. They were 70 years old. My mom was in her 40s and I'm thinking how does, like, that's crazy. It's like me moving to a country that I don't speak the language. So you didn't speak English when you came? No. Wow. And like so for all of us it was, you know, complete culture shock. And it was quite an experience. And we lived in an apartment all together. Where did you settle? Where did you come? Boston. And to Boston? Yeah. So it's funny, I went to college in Boston. Yeah, which one? BU. Yeah, my husband went there. And there was a great Russian community there. There's definitely, I mean, Russians are everywhere. Yeah, especially in the world you go. You find your people. And I think of what has happened, you know, from that time to now. And yeah, so definitely some core beliefs and foundation that I was raised with has a lot to do with the way I am today. At this point I'm very Americanized, you know? I mean, I barely speak any Russian. Really? I only speak to my mom a little bit, you know, but I speak English. My kids don't speak Russian. But I think in English. You do. You dream in English? Yeah, like I count in Russian, you know, but I think in English. And it's an interesting thing that is happening in my head. But yeah, like I'm very Americanized, but at the same time those 15, 16 years that I spent there has a strong impression. That definitely made me into a person that I am today. At 16, was it tough to learn English? It was. I came. I went to Brookline High School. In Brookline, yeah. In Brookline. And there was a little Russian community there, you know, students. And, you know, right now sometimes I giggle thinking to myself, taking, because I was basically just dropped into taking English classes and I'm like, you know, I don't even just jump in. I don't even know how. But you know, you do. But it's also writing and reading. Everything, yeah. I mean, I took a year's salary. It was English as a second language. But I was talking to someone actually recently and they were talking about a critical thinking class. And I'm like, I remember taking that where I barely spoke English. Like how was I even supposed to figure that out? Right. So, yeah, that was an interesting experience. And then, you know, it took me a couple of years to start feeling more comfortable. And because I was surrounded by a big Russian community, the accents stuck around because I was speaking actually Russian where someone that is dropped in in the area, like if there was no Russians spoken, I know people that came in the same time as me, same age, they have zero accent. Yeah. But mine is interesting. Mine stuck. Yeah. I kind of like that. Yeah, I guess so, you know. It was a little upsetting, but I've learned to appreciate it and love it at this point. And so, I met my husband when I was in Boston, as I mentioned here, when it was to be you. And we settled down there and we have three beautiful daughters and we moved to Florida 20 years or 21 years ago. What brought you to Florida? What do you think? Business or? The weather. Well, those two, those two actually. We used to have a chain of medical spots in Boston and New York and we would come here every possible break vacation and we were like, what are we doing there? There's many of people that move here from northeast and one of those times we were like, you know, okay, we're just going to do it. So we opened up a store, actually a few stores here. Okay. And back then, I was really assisting my husband. It was more of his dream running that business. And I was using my artistic creativity to build our locations, to help out and sort of curate the vision. Does he still do that? No, no, not anymore. And we did that for quite a few years. And then when I was about 45 years old, you know, because I was searching, I wanted to do something that you felt. It's like mine and felt good to me. How old were your three girls at that point? So my youngest, my older kids, my twin girls, they were about 20. And my little one was about 13, I guess. We have twin girls. Okay. How old? 16. You've got a couple more years. Yeah. Hang in there. It's gonna be all right. So you're two oldest are around 20 and you're now thinking about doing something different. So yeah, so I'm basically where my kids are sort of like already, you know, the place where I can. They're probably driving. I can, yeah, they're driving, they're doing the thing, you know, school. Your time is becoming more available. Definitely have shifted, you know. And I wanted to do something. I didn't have the clarity of what I wanted to do. And one day I was in yoga class and I was in upside down dog and this woman between my legs was wearing this really cool medallion bracelet. And it just, it was like an aha moment for you. I was just looking at the whole class, you know, it took my time because it looked so cool. And the thing is I was never into jewelry, never really into fashion, but my like I was kind of doing my thing, but I was, Julie was never my thing. But that thing, that, that vision was just like so strong. And I came up to her after the class and I was like, this is really cool. Tell me, yeah. What is, what did you get this, you know? And she gave me the name of the company. I looked it up right at the class. I couldn't find it. And then I was like, I wonder if I can make it because I was always been very good with my hands. I like creating things. And so that day I just went on Google and I looked up classes in this area. Yeah. I mean, for the jewelry right. And the Boca Art Museum. Yes. Popped up. Because they have a lot of class for adults and kids. Right. And there was a class for jewelry making. And I just drove there. On a whim. Just like that. With your husband and your kids. I just, I just wanted to have it. You're not a jewelry wearer. No. You've never run a business. No. Not in my, no. Not in my own, no. No. So did you think you kind of start creating jewelry or? So this is what it interested. This is how sometimes, and I'll tell you for the story. And you have to be so open, I feel like, to be able to receive that information, which clearly you were. And that was something that after I explained to you how this all came about, I think that's exactly what makes this the most important part of this whole experience. Right. You know? Because I was just following. I was receiving and I was just following without any overthinking. There was no like, oh, how am I going to, so I drove to that school. I walked in and I was like, this just feels right. So good. This feels right. And then those, it was this medium that I've never seen before. Still a lot of people don't know about it. It's called metal clay, where metal comes in a clay form. Okay. So you, you're basically, it's like play-doh. Yeah. So you form it into whatever you want. You put it in a kiln and then it turns into solid metal and it comes in bronze, copper, silver, gold, whatever you want to work with. And I was like, wow, this is magic. You know, it was like kidding me. Yeah. It was like, wow. And it just looks organic and cool. And I walked out of there. I was just like, my heart was beating faster. And it was almost like I got infected by something that I, it was, it overtook me. And I signed up. It was eight classes, one, one class a week. But meanwhile, So it was just like during the day or when like your kids are in school or. Yeah. I just, I just like any free moment that I had was, you were like focused on that. That was like my focus was just like, I watched, I started watching YouTube videos on how to I bought all the books, whatever information I could get. Was there a vision that you were thinking like coming in the future that you were planning for? The vision, the vision of putting the medallion of her was sort of like my. Your end goal. A kind of foundation of where I was going. And then the vision was, I wanted to put messages because I was 45 year old woman and a lot of women that age. Are refining. You know, and looking and searching to be fulfilled because kids are kind of grown up. You're, you know, you're so many changes were going through our changes as women. I was like, it was, it was a combination of that. And the fact that you knew like I need to do that. I felt, I felt that was, I was being called for something. And then the, what happened simultaneously is I was going through my spiritual journey awakening, the changes. So I started to meditate. I started to read books. I started to look for things that would help me feeling better. And I leaned towards gratitude, being more mindful of what I need to pay attention to think about. And all that practice that I was doing for that, I wanted to put into the messages on those pieces that I was creating. So in the beginning it was like, again, So were you sketching them? Are you writing them down? Like what was your process when you weren't like per se in the class? Like what were you in the class? I was only, you know, one hour a week. Were you collecting all this information? It was just like, it was a downpour of inspiration. Like it could be again, the video that I was listening to, it could be a book that I saw. It could be someone that would say something. And I was like, okay, you know, the like any type of message, you could be anything is possible. I'm like, I want to put that on. And then I started making stamps. And I was starting to create pieces in the beginning. I was very inspired by nature, shelves, leaves. And then I would put that message on the back. And I was playing and I started making playing with beads, putting it on different. So where would you go to like get inspired even by these mediums like a shell or the beach or yeah. So you really reflect it to nature. I would go outside, you know, I would go to the beach with my husband. I would look for pretty shelves, which you know, living here is pretty easy to do. And then you would make a mold of it. Okay. And then I would make that pendant, put basically create that outside. And then on the other side, I would put the message. So that was and you know, if you scroll all the way down to the beginning of my Instagram, which was seven years ago, which will take a while because I've been posting every day. You have a pretty strong Instagram. We got like over 80,000. I have amazing followers. Yeah. That's a whole other area. We need to dive in too. That's a whole different go shortly. But I want to hear it's a and yeah. So I started community that comes with this community has been a blessing. And so I started making different. It was so fulfilling for me to do this. We're doing this at the kitchen table. Did you transfer the room in the house garage? Okay. I just started the kitchen table, but eventually like, but kills, you know, and then you're at the table mess everywhere. I'm a messy creator. Did any of the kids want to like, you know, not so much or like everybody's kind of let you do your thing. Yeah. What your husband thinking of all this in the beginning, he was like, okay, yeah, called it a hobby for a while. Okay. You know, what point did you say to yourself, I want to start selling this and start creating a business? The way, the way, you know, the, the, the concept came to me almost the first week, the logo and the name came to me the first week of this. Then I started making this a few months into it. I decided to do, to start doing a little pop-ups around here, which was very intimidating to me back then. Well, and I would think even just having enough to be able to present like, you know, creating an inventory had to be a process. I was making like, because any free moment I had that I was doing that. So I built up already to begin with. And that's a nice inventory of. Yeah. Nice inventory. And then I had my first pop-up in Delray. You said you were intimidated by it. Why? What? Because I've never done anything like that. Okay. And I didn't know if people would like it. Like I loved it, but I didn't know if I can, you know, so there was a first pop-up in, in a garage in Delray. It was an Atlantic Avenue, this little gallery, and they had like vendors, you know, a few vendors. And I put up my table, tablecloth, decorator. I was going to say curate your whole little aesthetic. And I sold three pieces that first day. And I was like. That'd make you feel good. Okay. All right. And then I just started doing them as many as I could. And how did you decide like your price point or how to even like put a value on something that you, you know, have such a connection to? I, you know, it's interesting that you asked me that, you know, because I have been working with brass and bronze, which is not a fine metal, but the time that it took me to create it. Is the value, you know? So that was originally how it has been priced. As the business grew and the whole business model changed, that price somewhat maintained because of the cost of the running and operation and the team and marketing and all that stuff. So, and I started doing that. And then this is what's interesting. What happened also a few months into this process, I was playing around one day creating necklaces and I had a magnetic clasp and I was playing with a necklace and I was like, wait a second, let's give you an example of that. I was like, I put a magnetic clasp on it. That's so cool. And then I was like, you know what, if I put the magnetic clasp over here, then the necklace design will change. So I was like, I've never seen that before. I was like, that's interesting. That is interesting. And I ran to the next room to tell my husband. I was like, I think this is freaking cool. He was not impressed. I'm not impressed at all. I'm like, this is a eureka moment. This is like, this is really cool. And then so I incorporated it into my designs and when I started selling it, women were like, wow. Yeah. They were like, this is amazing. Yeah. Because you're getting more. So much more. More used in our way. Have you found this? Anyone else done something like that? Is there? Well, what happened was I was like, I wonder if I can patent this. So the patenting process can be very interesting. And dancing and lawyer and everything. You know, it can be lengthy, very expensive and not guaranteed results. But I was like, I think I want to do this. And so we went to a patent lawyer and first you have to go through a search process to see if, which is like, can you imagine? Exhaustive. Yeah. Like, you know, and we did that. And then we applied and the lawyer was like, listen, there's no guarantees. We can do this process two times or three times because they might come back. And we got approved the first time that we applied. So I own the patent on this design. So it literally is. It is literally my design. So that is the next step into a business. That was the next step to the business. Yeah. That's huge. You know, so it was intellectual property. It makes value just in that. Yeah. Yeah. So when I, you know, when someone asks me what makes our jewelry and what makes our brand unique, I always go to these three points. One is how it makes you feel our tagline. It's not just jewelry. It's a feeling. Yeah. So it always starts with a message. Like this pendant over here says believe. Okay. So this one says breathe. I have on your website, you have categories. I wrote some of them down. Care, gratitude, peace, self love. Things that people are. Your jewelry fits into these different. It basically what are you searching for? Where are you? What are you feeling? What do you need that day? A little balance. Where's the imbalance? Like we all, you know, some days I need all as well. And some days I need to remember who the F you are. Right. The reassurance. It depends, you know, which, what, what type of space you're in. And that's very personal. So you find peace that speaks to your heart. So the message is the foundation of this brand. How it makes you feel. Number two, magnetic glass, patent design, where you can wear one piece many different ways. You can really triple it. You can bring the pendant and bottom on the top. And number three, the fun and the layering look. Right. Because women will get tons of compliments because it's very unique and different. And putting those three together, I feel like I'm not really in competition with other brands. You know, we have our own niche. I, I like this is who we are and this is what we do. And I think being authentic about this. And it's ageless too. I mean, you're not pigeonholing into an age limit. I mean, I would think that this really speaks to anybody. It will speak to anyone because of the messages and the messages that I put on the jewelry are customers are 40 plus women. Okay. Because, but I would even think in the youth today, you know, with teenagers and just going through, you know, times, it's such a cool thing for a parent to give a child or a friendship. So it is, it is absolutely, it is absolutely, but not as much as it's going to mean to a woman who's gone through some shit. Yeah. So when you say messages, all of your pieces have some sort of word or statement or saying that makes you think about yourself or your life and where you are that day. Yeah. So there's an impact of just, you know, besides just wearing it. It's not just reminding yourself of, that's right. It's not just a pretty accessory. It has a purpose. So like a, you know, bracelet might say, today I choose joy or I own my piece or it could be something keep going or you're doing, I think great. Like there's, you know, there's a, it's, it's the messages that helped me. Yeah. So does every piece have some sort of saying or? Most of the pieces. Yeah. Most of the pieces have them. Some pieces that might not are the layering. So the concept starts with the medallion of the inspiration. That's how I like to go about it, you know, and then what happens is when someone in the whimsy kind of, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's funny because our customers often say, like, I have to unfollow you because my husband's going to write up and, you know, because it's it's a, it's an addiction. You've known to be a little bit addictive because you get one piece and it feels good and it's easy and you put it on a second and that message makes you feel a certain way. And then you see another video of mine where I show you how you can layer it with this necklace or this necklace. And then the customer like, okay, I think I need to have that. And then what ends up having happening is they are building a collection, right? Which is wonderful. And, and they, they, yeah. So it's, it's not just like a pretty necklace that I'll wear with whatever it's, there's a mission behind it. And then they start collecting more and more and more because everything is layerable. You can change whatever you, you can create different looks with messages or colors. Well, I can say in color has message and meaning. So stones, you know, so there's a lot to it. And, and then, yeah, I often get pictures of customers jewelry stands or collections. And they could open up a catty design store if they wanted to. So most of your sales on your website or in stores, because I see you selling a lot of stores, a lot of locations. We, we, the way we build this business is straight to consumer through mostly Facebook, Instagram, which is such an amazing way. So for people listening and watching to this podcast, what is that website so they can it. Cattydesigns.com is our website. If you go to Instagram or Facebook, it's Catty Designs. You can find us on tic-tac or on pretty much any platform. And we do have, I think close to 200 boutiques that carry our line. Most of them in the United States. So how does all that evolve? I mean, this is legitimately a business. I mean, you said you have a team. Yeah. Where is that? So you go to shows, you go to jewelry show, like the magic show in Vegas or? We actually went this year to magic show. We have not done a lot of shows. Because we're still kind of developing our whole sale because again, most of our sales have been directly to the consumer. And we have grown tremendously from the day when I was in my garage, you know, we sold over $25 million of jewelry. Unbelievable. God bless. It's been, it's been an incredible experience. We're now stepping into the retail and I'm very, very excited about it. Now you have to have different pricing. You need the three tier pricing. We, we, you know, and we do right now, you know, we have our prices really range from I would say $40 to $150. So we have quite a range. It's considered to be a fashion jewelry. Yet our product less. We have an incredible quality to our product, which I'm very, very particular about. Where are you manufacturing now? We overseas, we assemble it here in Boca Raton in our studio. We're located in a plaza where melting pot is. Oh yeah. Yeah. We have a studio there. And yeah, we've built an internal team. You know, we have people that work internally and also of remotely like my brand manager my right hand is in Texas. You know, we have people that manage our media. So it's, it's, it's, does that work well for you having someone in Texas and you're here in South Florida? She actually started with me when I was still in a garage. Okay. So she knows, she can, you know, she knows this brand and set out, you know, we build it together. And we have an incredible team, you know, and Christina, who's RPR that put together, you know, she's local, but she's remote also, you know, she's not in actually in our store. So it's a, it's a combination. But yeah, you know, what happened was started in a garage and then we decided to, I was doing local pop ups, right? And I could see how the customers were responding. It allowed me to develop sort of the, what is going to be like creativity. It's, yeah, there was a foundation that, and then my husband, who's my partner and he's, you know, business genius, he's like, you know what we, you can't do this on your own. We should. Time to take it out. Did he jump in with you? I think he did jump in and, you know, we worked together. What a beautiful validation though of your tenacity. Dream. He, you know, he saw the potential. Yeah. You know, he's like, okay, I think, I think we need to, you know, we need to, you know, start improving this model and building the infrastructure and foundation. Obviously, it did not happen overnight. You know, we hired. Still seven years. What a vision. It's, it's been, it's been cool. Yeah. We hired a couple of people in our garage first and then we're like, I would grew the space and then got into the first studio and then moved to another studio as we grew. And there's, you know, when you have a business, it's continuous constant change. You have to, you know, also the life of entrepreneur. Right. There's, there's so many changes and variations all the time. Easy to enroll with. You have to adjust. You have to be on the top of things. You have to be creative. But all those things have been fun because I love what I do. You learn so much too, I'm sure. And that's what keeps it so, you know, you said you learned from a mistake one of your most popular finishes. I mean, I can't even imagine through those process. Yeah. So without it, it's interesting the way that happened. And that's when I was working my hand and right. And now, and it, the, the, there were very shiny the pen is, but when I was putting the messages on the messages and the details didn't stand out as much. So when I accidentally dropped one of my penets in this oxidation solution, and I was, and I was playing with everything I was doing. I was banging the head. I mean, that garage was, you know, and then it turned almost like black. And when I polished it, all the beautiful details stood out, you know, and I was, and I loved, I loved that. I, that look, it was almost like, you know, I often describe our jewelry that it's earthy glam. Like it's like, it reminds me of coins that you would find on the island somewhere, you know, when you find the treasure. Right. It's like, it's shiny, but it has like, it has some, it has some ruggedness. Yeah. Like it has personality. It's a lot. It's, so, so, and now I've maintained, I love the oxidized look, you know, I like, I feel like it gives the character to the pieces. So I've maintained that. Yeah. That was an interesting. So how do you keep the creative process going for yourself? Are you still doing the hands on, or do you still keep a corner of the garage that keeps you like, you know, all your spare time? Or do you feel like you've morphed more into the, the face and the, you know, the business side? I would say everything. All of it. You know, all of it because I still design it. And it's still very, I probably not the most traditional jewelry company way. I'm very, which, how would I say that? I like, I get inspired just the way I was in the beginning and I follow that. So sometimes I'll just be like, ah, good idea. And I'll sketch that. So you will. And I'll like, okay, let's make it, you know, like, so it's, it's, it, I have a hard time planning sometimes because I'm very creative mind. You can't always plan. No, I'm still. And you have to keep your brain open to that. So like currently right now, how many pieces unique or different pieces are you selling? You know, we probably have maybe close like around 350 to 400, you know, and what happens is different, different, different skews, different, different products. You have rings, your bracelet, I mean, rings, bracelet. And then what happens is most of our pieces are limited edition. So once it sells out, it's gone. So there's some few core pieces, but most of them ones, they're gone, they're gone. And that's another reason why our customers will buy it. Because they might not, it might not be available tomorrow. So the consumer knows that that's a limited quantity. Once they get to know us more and more, if they, if they decide to invest some of their time because there's a lot of education in my marketing, I, you know, as I show people and teach them, and once they get into it, then they know they're like, they see when I post something and I'll say, you know, very small collection, they know to jump. So how often are you making new pieces on a monthly basis, a yearly basis? Is it? Yeah, every, you know, every, every month, once a quarter, like, do you release like fashion houses? We have, we have typically two new collections a month. Wow. You know. So when you say a collection, how many? A collection, a collection might be a necklace, earrings, bracelet and a ring. Or it might be a collection of the same necklace in few different colors. So there's different type of collections. Like, for example, next week, we have a release of this necklace and the necklace, it has matching earrings and a ring. The earrings say dream. The necklace says believe and this ring says achieve. Okay. So it's a story. You tell. You don't have to buy three. Right. But you, because they, each one of them will represent the feeling. Yet if you like matching things and you level three, you can too. Right. So that's going to be a collection. So two or three collections a month. So that adds up in a yearly basis. Yeah. Thirty. How far out are you planning them? A few months in the dance. So do you have, does your team keep you like accountable a little bit? Let you be creative. Right. I mean, that is for me too. Like they're all trying to keep me. You know, yeah. I mean, I, I've learned to become more organized. They've learned to deal with my. Wim. And sometimes creative, you know, chaotic approach is finding the middle ground because, you know, I also do all the sort of the, the marketing, you know, it's, it's the founders brand. So I'm in the videos and the posts that I do. That's amazing. So balancing all that together is definitely makes it. How do you balance your time between all that? Because there's the creative side of having to continually create new. You know, having a right team and having enough right people to help you is, is the way you do it, you know, that, that get me that know how to work with me where we compliment each other. Um, it's, it really comes down to that. And grateful probably to be part of this. I mean, your story is really like what our podcast is I design. I mean, you've, in every aspect of design, you're from designing a business to designing jewelry, to designing marketing. Yeah. I mean, yeah. And the growth behind it all. And the growth behind it. And, and, and also what you've pointed out, you know, uh, at the beginning of our conversation, like when I look back at that day in yoga class, if I just ignore that because I had to do stuff because I had to run errands. Or, or because I would doubt myself and be like, no, that would just be that. Doesn't that make you like take your breath away? Do you ever think where you might be today? If you had be somewhere, you know, this is great. You know, yeah. Like the adventure that you're on. But, but, but all of us are like that, you know, because there's, it's not like there's a wrong path. Right. We just need to align with that path and go. But, but, you know, that little whisper that came in and I decided to follow it. That day. Yeah. And then this incredible path that it took me on. Um, I always think about that and I'm a lot more careful and mindful. See, you know, because I continue. I mean, the, that spiritual journey is continuing. Every day experiencing all this manifested physical experience. Yes. But it, it comes from continuous everyday awareness of what am I thinking? How my head is stressed. Yeah. How am I, how do I want to go about things? It goes hand in hand. You know, how do we, what do we pay attention to? The same as what I put into my jewelry. You know, it's almost like my jewelry is helping me just like is it, I wanted to help others. Others, you know, I go to the, to the, like yesterday I was wearing a necklace that says resilient AF because I've been, and I've been wearing it for the last few days because you needed me. I needed it. You know, whatever I was dealing with, you know, and I was sharing it on a story yesterday. I'm like, you know, we all have stuff to do with every single one of us, whether it's health, either it's family, finances, jobs, whatever it is. The weather, just a random circumstance. You know, it's more than just a jewelry line. Yeah. There's a message. Yeah. Just a message for you. And, and I love that you've been able to build such a team. How did you go about like even just like bringing that first person in? Um, my husband, Andy is definitely huge help in that. You know, he is, he, when it comes to operation, I wouldn't be able to do it without him, you know, in the person because, so he is very good at hiring, recruiting, building, putting together a system. And the combination of us two together doing the success is, is, is, yeah, but yeah, just, you know, finding the right people, um, allowing, um, training time. Sometimes people, you know, move to other positions. You just kind of roll with it. As you know, in business, that's, you know, that's, that's, that's how it is. So as, you know, the brand is evolving and obviously you are the face, the founder, the creator and social media is a huge part of that, I'm sure. Yeah. Do you align yourself with brand ambassador? I mean, are you even considering that route? Is that part of the future? We, you know, we, we work with the few influencers. There's really a couple that I like to work with because as you can see in the last, especially a year, there's been so much change in the social platform. It's crazy, you know, and I'm not even talking about AI. That's, I mean, that's a whole other thing. That's a whole other thing, you know. So what I find, and there's so much, it's, it's, it's, it's filled with so much and it's overwhelming too, you know, and again, like, can you compete with others? It's, it's crazy. And also part of the reason why we are stepping into the retail space is because it's now, the, the Facebook matter in general and other platforms are so much more challenging than they were a couple of years ago, you know. The cost of acquisition is very different than the way it was before. Yeah. Yeah. You know, because of a lot of different reasons. So, and for me, the most important thing is brand exposure. Because 50% of our sales come from repeat customers. Of course. So once people come in, our product speaks for itself. They love the product. They're most likely are going to become a repeat customers. They're going to come back and buy more. But to get that first person in the door, which means they have to learn about us. How do you do that now? You know? Yeah. You have to, like, no, if you don't, if you, if they don't see you, they won't know you. Right. How do you get in front of their face? The cost of marketing on those platforms. I know. Is very different than it was a few years ago. So I didn't realize that part. Well, yeah, of course. Because it's not that, you know, how do you, how do you learn, how does brand become more famous? Either that or some, maybe a celebrity influencer, you know. That's kind of how I see it. Sharing it with their following. So yeah. And was that helpful in the beginning for you? The influencer route? Yeah. And it still is. Okay. I have a couple of, you know, I have one strong influencer that I have worked with for many years. And I think the reason that we continue working together is because she built a very organic Raw. She's like a real deal kind of woman. And that's how major is. Right. And she, the way she taught, she, her customer, her followers trust her. And so it's not just an empty here is a pretty necklace. So like you can feel it. You know, you can feel how your product is being presented. And for mine, it's really important that whoever presenting it is presenting it similar as I do. Yeah. You know, and express it how it really is. So if it's an influencer that is pitching 10 different products a day, how do you stand out? Correct. No. Because they're selling, you know, gummies, anything, you know, anything and everything. Yeah. Exactly. You know what I mean? Yes. And there's so much. I know. Which is like such a whole nother process. That's a cool. Yeah. So we're living through interesting times. It's true. Do you advertise? A lot. So that's how we do. On social or do you do print or? We don't do print. We do social. Events or? Basically, mostly it's been, you know, matter. Instagram has been our main driver. Isn't that just amazing really at the same time? Yeah. I mean. And so I'm looking forward to this kiosk. Actually working design. That's obviously the next phase. You're going to do kiosk. The kiosk, yeah. You know, we've been thinking about opening a store. We've been talking about it last year. But I'm really, and there was a little bit of an overwhelming thought for me because it's like a big deal. And then there was the opportunity came with Simon Mall in Bogota Center where they offered us a spot in North Strong Wing. Okay. You're telling? And yeah. So we are April 1st is where we start. So it's a little crazy right now. You're hiring new people. We have to empower them and meeting with a designer. We're building the kiosk. You know, so I was going to say, what does that process even look like? Interesting. Because you're like, where do you start? Right. You know. And is it a kiosk like a cart or is it a kiosk like a counter? It's a kiosk like 10 by 10 kiosk. So it was like, you know, first you start looking for inspirations and it still has to come from you. Just like my jewelry. I can't just hire someone make it. Like it has to be something that feels right to me. I'm not a space designer or, you know, it was, but I do like, I do know what I like or don't like. Is it a kiosk that you're in the middle of it and count is surrounding? Yeah. So people can try on and look and you have mirror and like all of that. Yeah. Yeah. And I, so I've been kind of going back and forth and I'm like so excited about what it's starting to look like. We're pretty much there. Okay. Yeah. It's like, I'm like happier than I thought. So you're having to design your kiosk. Yeah. The colors, the what it looks like. And then you've got to buy or get a POS system. Cash register. Yeah. Yeah. Everything, you know, and that design has to be approved by the mall. Right. Because it has to be aesthetically, uh, a fit into the standards. You can't just do whatever. So it's been really, really interesting. Yeah. And I'm excited because that is going to so many times people message me and they're like, do you have a physical store? Yeah. I said, we don't have a store. We have a studio. You can't pick up your order there if you're local, but it's not a place where you can come and try things on only online. This is going to be our first official location where people will be able to come in. Feel in touch and try things on. And so will, when you like roll out the kiosk, I mean, will you have like an event associated with that? I'm sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I again, it's like a lot happening. Did you see yourself working it? In there? Yeah. I'm going to have to. In the beginning. In the beginning. Yeah. To figure it out. You know. All right. The biggest thing, and I think because I've been in the retail business. Yeah. And having lots of grocery stores, Yeah. the grocery stores is the personality behind the person that's there to engage the consumer. Yes. Is that engagement? It's everything. Yeah. It's everything. That's like you said, about 50% repeat customers. Yeah. The right engagement. The right engagement is everything. Yeah. Have any of your girls shown an interest in jumping on board with you? A little bit. Yeah. A little bit here and there, you know, and. Are they still living here? I have one twin daughter that lives in New York. Okay. She's been there for five years. One lives here. Was actually working with me right now. Oh, wonderful. And then youngest daughter is in college and FSU. And who knows where the paths are going to go. Obviously it'd be really cool. Right. To continue. If they come, you know, and make it a family business. But it's not something you want to be forced in, you know. No. It's. It's good. And I'd rather almost them get an experience out there and then come in. Something that from that, you know, in the beginning of our conversation that I feel like I want to get out because it's like, it's so crazy to me that you came from, you know, the communist background where like all feeling almost is kind of, they don't want you to talk about it. And your creativity is pretty much forced or stuck in a box. Yeah. And like how your life came full circle and where your creativity and your drive and your American dream is really 40 years old. Right. And that is again, you know, this country is so amazing. So amazing. Because an opportunity like who would think about this and where else can you do this? I know. But you can tell listening to you, you're not going to work every day. You're going on an adventure every day. You're enjoying what you're doing. I'm enjoying what I'm doing. Obviously as a business owner, which is, which is it's, it's, it's work because there's daily. But, but, but I think if you're not loving, if you're not passionate about what you do, then it's not fun. Yeah. Yeah. You have to love what you do. I think your success is going to continue to grow and grow and grow because of that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for saying that. Well, definitely. And I just feel like, you know, any challenges you do come across, you use those as things to propel you just to continue that growth. Well, just all of her sayings on jewelry are motivating every day. Yeah. You know, the challenges are going to happen. Yes. It's, it's, it's, it's do we, do we give the problem attention or do we give the solution attention? Love that. Absolutely. So, and that is really, that's the mindset that will make the difference in your life experience. Correct. You know, it's, it's, it's. And we all need daily reminders. Daily reminders. How do we want to look at things? Yes. Right. There's a way, and Darius said, change the way you look at things and the things you look at change. Right. Oh, wow. That's, that's it. That's it. It's so simple. Why do we complicate it so much? Right. You can be miserable or you can be grateful and happy and blessed. I know. Why do we complicate it so much? In the same situation. I know. Why do we complicate it so much? Right. We do it. We sure do. We're good at that. We're so good at it. We're like, you know what, I just want to concentrate on that problem. And then everything is just, you know, and until we get here in the head, we're like, okay, you know what, I think it's enough. I need to make a change. Yes. It's just, it's, it's, we're humans. That's how we also. The human experience. Grow and expand because it's, it's a necessary part of it. So you mentioned yoga was obviously a pivotal point in all of that. Is that something that you continue to, you know, rely on or? Yes. I mean, exercising for me has been major part. Yoga, I practice it still once or twice a week. And it's also, I actually was saying in my recent post how working out is a, is a, is, is, is another form of meditation because when you're working out hard, you can't think about stuff that you shouldn't be thinking about, which is obvious. This is the most, that's the most important thing about meditation is how do you turn your monkey brain off? You know? So the, so when I, I, I love lifting weights, you know, I often throw in some videos about that. Because for me, lifting heavy weights, I've done some bodybuilding competitions, did some crossfit and yoga and all of that has been tremendous. Like when you add that to everything else, I think it's, it's, it's a magical touch that can be so helpful that a lot of people don't even realize because when you're physically strong, you're mentally, you're mentally even stronger. Yeah. So if you're meditating, you're turning your brain off, you're allowing yourself to receive what you need to receive. And the same time you're maintaining your temple. Yeah. I like that. So yoga, yes, lifting heavy weights. Yes. Even on the days when you don't want to. So have you taken on it? I mean, obviously you're an influencer for your brand and your lifestyle, which is the brand. Do you dabble in the influencing as well? Or is that something? A little bit and I'm open to it, you know? I think like sometimes I will make a post and I'll call it things I like that has nothing to do with my product, but I'll, you know, it might be a shirt or it might be a lipstick that I love that I've been using for years. Right. And I'll post it and my customers love it. You know? Yeah, I'm sure. Sometimes they, and they ask, they ask us, where did you get this, where did you get that? Because they kind of, they like my whole relaxed look, you know? And by the way, we also do, we have a smaller pair of line, which you remind me of. We are early, maybe three years ago, I bought a shirt that I really liked. There was a white button down shirt and I started using it in a lot of my videos because it provided such a clean canvas for my jewelry. And I was making so many videos with it and people would ask me, where did you buy it? Where did you buy it? And in the beginning I was like, I bought it in this company and I was constantly sending the link to this company. And then I was telling my husband, like, everyone was asking, he's like, we need to create our own, you know, let's do it. Sure, canvas. And so that's how the gar shirt was born. In the garage. From this, so we found a vendor, went through the whole process back and forth, testing it out, finding the right fabric, finding the right cut. And we have, I know, and scarves, I love wearing scarves. So it's actually funny because our gar shirts are always in the number three most sold items. We're jewelry company. But the shirts, that the gar shirts. That makes sense because it's part of the vibe. It's part of the vibe. Yeah. So our shirts and the scarves, a lot of customers, they kind of love that whole thing because that's how I do it. I don't leave the house without one of my scarves. Like I put it in my bed. Right. It's like my. It's like a blanket. Your security light. It's my security light. We call them just breathe also. Like you, the way I sell it is that scarf is a beautiful accessory, but you hold on to it when you need to get grounded during the day. Yes. The same as the gar shirt. You feel like a goddess when you wear it. So there's similar approach as the jewelry to. So would I, you know, are there more apparel or other wellness items that can come into this brand? Absolutely. You're, you're very picky. You're evolving, but selective. Selective. Very. Yeah. Yeah. I don't just like. And will those be available at the kiosk as well? Probably not in the beginning. Okay. You know, but maybe, you know, we'll have to prove this first store and then. Work out all your kinks. Work out the kinks. Yeah. And then I think once it's proven, then we'll go from there. You'll just keep going. Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us on the eye design lab today. Repeat your websites of people. Website is cattydesigns.com and Instagram, tiktok, Facebook, also. Oh, yeah. Catty designs. Yeah. You can Google. We have over 10,000 five star reviews. Our reviews are like love letters. Oh, yeah. That's wonderful. Yeah. We have, so you can Google our reviews. You can see our verified buyers reviews on our website. We're a real deal. Wow. What a beautiful testament too. Thank you. Thanks for joining us. Being aware. Thank you guys. Me, this really enjoyed it. Thank you. Thank you for tuning in to the Eye Design Lab podcast. Have a great day.