Timothy Long Jr, aka Tim Da Jeweler. The self-made luxury jeweler and designer has paved the way for himself to become one of the hottest custom jewelers in the game. Tim gets real candid in an interview hoping to inspire others to follow their dreams.
“I was working full time for an insurance agency and it nearly killed me inside to go to work every day, while I would dream of doing something I actually loved” he explained. This dream became a reality in 2015 when he started designing and selling earrings on eBay as a new hobby. With his designs and sales picking up great traction, the light bulb went off and a new passion was formed. Shortly after the rise of TSV Jewelers, Tim was able to experiment more with his creative design process, crafting earrings, rings and specializing in custom pendants.
TSV Jewelers became a great success and led Tim to leave his full time job and become his very own full time boss. Tim tells us, “the grind to get where I am now wasn’t easy at all. It took hours of determination and research.”
In fact, It did, the jewelry industry has only a few big named jewelers. Most became jewelers taking over the family business, while others interned under jewelers and branched off to become their own. Taking on an industry that most people need help to get started, Tim decided to educate himself and become one of the very few self-made jewelers. Fortunately for Tim, he was able to capitalize from TSV Jewelers and become Tim Da Jeweler. He explains, “it was important to put a face to my brand so that customers can get a feel for who I am and gain trust while we do business.” In addition to putting a face to the brand, Tim opened an appointment-only showroom, serving each client a one on one personal, luxury experience.
This has proved to be nothing short than beneficial as the jewelry industry has been flooded with scammers and pages that steal pictures to pass off as their own. Tim decided to put a stamp on his business and prove that he is here to stay and hopefully one day he can become a household name. “I like to stay ten steps ahead, that way if I ever slip up it’s not as hard to get up and keep going.” He’s correct about that, young and hungry Tim utilizes his huge social media platform with over 70 thousand followers to stay connected with his peers and all of the hottest new trends.
What is Tim Da jeweler all about?
Tim Da jeweler is a custom jewelry designer from the Bay Area California heavily influenced by hip hop culture and art I use both to add a unique and versatile style to my jewelry creation.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I got interested in jewelry when I was working for an insurance agency in search of a new career path. During this time, I purchased a pair of earrings online and it clicked that I could see myself selling this same item that I just purchased. Once I decided that I had an interest in jewelry I did countless hours of research online and found suppliers to make jewelry and began to brand my company. I would later then begin my first business TSV jewelers. An online jewelry retailer catering jewelry in the United States and internationally. As time progressed, I began to make my own jewelry designs and sell them under my brand which caught a significant amount of traction online. I then decided that it was time to put a face to my brand and also focus more on designing which is when my name Tim Da Jeweler came about and I opened up a showroom for clients to meet with me in person to discuss and design their jewelry needs.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
The top 3 skills I would say are needed to be a successful entrepreneur in my opinion is having ambition. I feel it’s important for an entrepreneur to have the mindset to wake up every morning and know that there’s a job that needs to be done without someone else telling them it is.
Time management is another skill that needed when being an entrepreneur if you can get quality work done in a quick fashion it can go along way because an entrepreneur’s biggest opponent is time.
Also, a skill that is needed is to work smarter and not harder. Once an entrepreneur has mastered this he or she can get many things done in a significant amount of time which will lead to making more money in the end.
How do you plan to grow this company?
My future business plan is to incorporate more art in my custom work to gain the eyes of more customers and showcase my art skills to the world on a greater scale. Another future plan is to produce more video content for my customers to show all the exciting things that I experience being in the jewelry industry. I feel the more content I release it will get me closer to my customers /followers and will grow into business relationships and more sales.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
I separate myself from my competitors by always staying 10 steps ahead. I am a constant serial thinker and come up with ideas on a daily to improve my business. With this mindset, I do not look at competition as seriously as my competitors look at me.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
My top 3 mistakes when starting my business was trying to grow too fast and making moves that I should be making later on down the road. Underestimating the amount of work that goes into running a business.
Another mistake was not recording data such as sales, trends, and other important data that can help with not making the same mistakes twice.
What has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
I like to use Social media for marketing, so I’ve been doing a lot of video content to grab the eyes of viewers. In today’s time, social media is king and everyone is constantly on their phones so it’s important that my company produces content to keep the everyday viewer engaged.
Another form I use is offering customers great products at discounted prices. I am a firm believer that jewelry sells itself when being seen. So, the more customers I have with my jewelry on it is just more promotion for me when they are showing off top quality work to their friends and family.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge as a business owner was learning the financial side of the business and looking at numbers to improve. this took some time, but I’ve learned to do extensive research to overcome this challenge.
Another challenge in my business was learning the market and trends of customers. in today’s time, one jewelry style can be hot for a while and can be out of style soon after. jewelry styles can go out of style just like clothing styles.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
In my opinion, I feel like with a business 80% of the time you get the same results that you put in. With that being said if you work smart and hard you should see success, and if there is a lack of drive the business will begin to tank. With my ambition being at an all-time high failing is not an option so there are countless hours spent on working and developing. I wish I knew how much time really goes into being an entrepreneur because on TV they make it look so easy.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
The top three online tools I use to grow my company are.
YouTube, Instagram ads and google ads.
I use YouTube as a research tool and Instagram and google ads for marketing.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
If I had the chance to start my career over, I think I would have stayed in school longer and took some business classes.
I started working right out of high school going from job to job I picked up some skills along the way, but I had to learn things the harder way based on trial and error.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
if I had $1000 to start a business, I would research constantly research my business market and make goals for the future while investing the $1000 in proportions of where my business needs the money most.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is by Will smith “if you were absent during my struggle don’t expect to be present during my success” this quote I felt deep enough to tattoo on my forearm.
What is your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
My best piece of advice to aspiring new entrepreneurs would be to stay consistent with your business take the ups with the downs. be smart calculated and stay determined to succeed.
How can we get in touch with you?
The best way to reach me is by email or Instagram @Timdajeweler those are the two platforms I am on throughout the day and check most frequently. Also on Twitter: @timdajeweler.
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