Meet Alice Hernandez | Handmade Jewelry Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alice Hernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alice, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor to success in anything in my opinion is consistency. For my business consistency meant doing something every day to further my business and gain brand exposure. Even if it meant changing something in my current structure or perfecting processes. Consistently working on making my processes better to develop my brand is the key to success for me, and still is to this day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a creator at heart, I love my DIY lifestyle, and I knew when I started my business I wanted it to be something I could create myself. In a saturated handmade jewelry market, I decided to start creating my own handmade jewelry, specializing in bracelets from semiprecious stones. It wasn’t my first product choice, but my second, and when it took off I knew I was on the right path. I chose semiprecious stones for their meanings and their ability to bring positivity to the wearer. Each stone I use has meaning to it and I love to create stacks filled with good vibes. I started selling my products on Esty, and the first year was pretty rough. SEO was a huge challenge for me. I decided to start doing research and learn as much as I could to improve my visibility on Etsy. As a creative this area was the most difficult for me, but consistency in research and trying different keywords and such really helped me to learn more about my audience and who my target customer was. Cost was huge challenge for me as well. the first year was a huge learning experience, and I’m working on reducing my cost and I’m seeing better results in the second year. The most important factor in getting to where you want to be is not letting anything get in your way. If something you try doesn’t work, research why it didn’t work, then try something else. You just have to keep going. One of my favorite quotes is “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan…but never the goal.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I mostly like staying in my area, so I would say definitely visit a few of our local breweries, The Tank Brewing Co. & Lincoln’s Beard. To eat my favorite little hidden spot is 107 Taste for some amazing Ramen, or Roasters & Toasters Deli for a delicious brunch spot. I love visiting gardens, so I would definitely take them to Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, the PAMM, Biscayne Blvd for some cool thrift shops and Upper Buena Vista/Wynwood to hang out.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When starting my business my family’s support was very important to me. As I am also a mom and wife, I wanted to make sure that I had their support in launching my handmade business. This time around when I started my business I didn’t want to give up or quit, no matter what, and if I wanted to be successful I needed everyone to be on board. We all work as a team, my husband takes care of our little one while I do markets and community events. My mom is a long distance support for me as she is also managing her own handmade business. My mother-in-law gets the word out to anyone and everyone on my business as well as supporting me at home and cheering me on. Whatever your story, you need people behind you supporting you and cheering you on from the sidelines.

Website: www.happygirlapparel.etsy.com

Instagram: @happy.girl_shop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happygirlapparel