Orianne Collins is a jewelry designer, philanthropist and mother of three boys, two with music legend Phil Collins.
She founded OC Jewellery in 2007, creating unique, hand-made pieces made in Switzerland, U.S. and Italy influenced by her heritage and travels around the world, studying various cultures and craftsmanship techniques. Today, OC Jewellery spans 16 collections ranging from luxury pieces to affordable staples, including men’s and children’s lines. She has expanded into OC Home and OC Spa collections, with plans to launch OC Cosmetics in 2021. The lines are available online at oriannecollins.com, her flagship store OC Jewellery & Spa in the city’s renowned Design District and select luxury boutiques.
In 2014, she suffered a neck injury after a martial arts exhibition in Paris against Jesse Glover, Bruce Lee’s first student. After a seemingly straightforward operation, she woke up paralyzed from the neck down due to a medical error. Day-by-day and step-by-step, she fought to regain her ability to walk and three years later, against all odds, climbed one of the highest mountain ranges in Switzerland, the Breithorn, peaking at 13,661 feet.
After her long path to recovery, Collins founded the Never Give Up Foundation in 2019 so others with spinal cord injuries could receive the care and support they need through their early days of life-changing treatments. She has also founded the Little Dreams Foundation in 2000 with Phil with a mission to fulfill the dreams of young talented kids with limited financial means in the worlds of music, sports and art.
Collins has received international recognition for her philanthropic work.
What are your plans, how do you plan to grow this company?
To grow and optimize our ecommerce platform. COVID has pushed every business online. It’s a totally different world now and you absolutely have to be online. I’ve been taking some online courses on ecommerce during quarantine to understand it better because it wasn’t a subject of study when I was in school. I’ve also been developing a skincare line over the past three years that uses the same precious stones from my jewelry pieces and incorporates their benefits into the creams and serums.
We’ve developed different products for every age because every age has different needs in skincare. The line will have seven products including day cream, night cream, body oil and serums. I actually made the oil in my bathroom during quarantine because I wanted one oil that does it all instead of having to use a bunch of different ones. It has 47 ingredients in it and the results are amazing. Your skin is plumped, tight, dewy and rejuvenated.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
When I started out, it was just me and when you don’t have someone to challenge or push you, it can be very hard to rely on yourself to motivate yourself. Another person can also bring a neutral eye to decisions, so I would suggest having a business partner for that. I also can’t stress enough the importance of having a business plan to make sure your idea works and is viable. Get professional help with your plan, so you know the money is lined up.
Perhaps my funniest mistake was I had just got a new puppy and I couldn’t leave him alone at home, so I took him with me to a meeting with a big sponsor for one of my charities. I’m facing this person and I smell this awful smell. He’s looking at me like I did it, and I’m looking at him like HE did it, and we just kept looking back and forth at each other. Then I looked down at the floor and my puppy had made a huge mess on his brand-new carpet. I was mortified and offered to pay for it. The lesson I learned was to get a puppy-sitter next time!
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
We separate ourselves because we create something for everyone’s tastes, with different collections for women, men and children. I pride myself in that we carry something for everyone and we have a piece for every style, every budget, every age. People can set up personal appointments with me and I will design a bespoke piece for them.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
Every day I have to complete my five hour physical therapy, which is challenging and has instilled discipline in me. If I don’t do it, I regress and I don’t want to be back in a wheelchair, so I push myself every day. I try to learn something new every day. As I mentioned, I’m trying to learn different ecommerce platforms to grow my business. From a creative side, I sit with my sketchbook and design and color as much as I can.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
It’s hard to narrow to three, so here are my top six. “First, Break All the Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman; “In Search of Excellence” by Tomas Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.; “The Essays of Warren Buffett;” “Good to Great” by Jim Collins; “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries; and “The Manager’s Handbook.”
If you only had $100 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
I would run a promotion on Instagram. Social media is one of the quickest and cost-effective tools to infiltrate a new market and see results.
How can we get in touch with you?
- Orianne Collins Company – OC Jewellery
- Orianne Collins Foundation – Never Give up Foundation
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