Andrew Stuart

We are a craft jewellery business specialising in precision hand-cut coloured gemstones. We are based in Co Mayo, Ireland.
Our business is in the early growth stage.

I was looking for a new carrier direction. So I became a gemologist and wanted to do something creative and have my own business. As a self-taught jeweller and Gem cutter, my philosophy is beauty through precision. Precision-cutting my gemstones ensures I have axes to the most beautiful gemstones available.

What I have learnt whilst on Crafting Business 

Sometimes it is hard to know what you don’t know. As a craftsperson, I focus a lot of my time and energy on creating and designing my jewellery and gemstones. This often involves a lot of learning but learning about the business side of things is equally important and was the main area where there was a knowledge gap. The Crafting Business program gave me knowledge and tools from creating a business plan to working out how to accurately calculate how to be profitable and product planning before designing and creating a piece.

Overall I now have a clear picture of where my business is and a road map of how to get to where I need to be profitable and how to scale and grow into a successful brand.

Share the top 5 tips that you have personally learnt on this journey

1. The importance of a business plan; A business without a plan is like a ship without a captain. No matter how amazing the ship,
without a captain, it is very unlikely to take you where you want to go.

2. Getting access to funding; This can be an incredible help in the early growth stages of the business, giving you time to develop and
reducing financial pressure.

3. Product planning; Having the right product at the right price for you and your customer. It does not work if it is only right for one of the two.

4. Identifying your customer; Knowing who is your ideal customer will influence so many of your decisions in a positive way.

5. How to be profitable; Without being profitable, you can not become a self-sustaining business or pay yourself a wage.

Image credits: Stuart Gems