Inspiring Small Businesses: Sophia Alexander Jewellery

In our ‘Inspiring small businesses’ series, we share and celebrate great stories from small business owners who started and run their own business. By bringing you closer to these inspiring businesses we hope that you find motivation, tips, and ideas for building yours. For our next interview, we spoke to Lucille Whiting, Founder of Sophia Alexander Gold Fingerprint Jewellery a luxury British jewellery brand.

Sophia Alexander was founded in 2006 by jewellery designer, artist, sculptor and mother of five, Lucille Whiting. Working together with a team of highly skilled craftsmen, she creates modern family heirlooms and luxury personalised jewellery using customers own unique fingerprint, handprint, footprint, and beloved pet print impressions.

Each truly personal piece of jewellery is handmade in Suffolk, using 9ct gold, 18ct gold, ethically mined fairtrade gold and tarnish-resistant silver. Gifts can be personalised further by adding hand-engraved names or by setting responsibly sourced gemstones and diamonds.

For over 14 years, Sophia Alexander has provided a highly personalised service to clients worldwide from England to East Africa and Australia.

What's the story behind your business?

I originally started casting baby hands and feet in polished bronze back in 2006 after my first son was born. After struggling with both a chronic autoimmune condition and fertility issues, and then having a serious road traffic accident when I was 8 months pregnant, I was already hesitant about returning to work after maternity leave.

When I did return, I found that my job description had changed.  Although I was able to work flexibly part-time, I no longer had any of my previous responsibilities, so I started to seriously look at my options. I’d always been creative, and I had previous wax and ceramic sculpture training and experience, so baby hand and foot casting seemed like the perfect solution. I loved my baby casting work.  Creating family keepsakes and working closely with customers was wonderful, but although it was relatively successful, it had a very local reach. 

I’m situated 20 miles outside any major town and as my reputation grew, it became obvious that most of my customers were travelling a really long way to get to me.  Some as far away as Central London. Clients had also started asking for fingerprint jewellery.  After a little experimentation, I totally fell in love with working in precious metal.

I absolutely adore what I do, and I take so much pride in every piece that I make for every customer.  Every piece tells a story, so no rush jobs and definitely no shortcuts. It’s an honour to be trusted to make such personal gifts.

What is the most difficult aspect of running your own business?

I run my business alongside caring for my five children and having a life-long chronic health condition. Five children including one with serious additional medical needs, who requires permanent home-schooling is a lot to manage, but I’ve always loved being busy and productive.  I work closely with an amazing precious metal casting house, an engraver and a diamond setter.  All highly skilled and talented traditional craftspeople, but I still make every single piece of jewellery, by hand, by myself.  I liaise with every customer and add every fingerprint and handprint.

The responsibility for each commission – That’s me, myself and I. Then there are the other parts of running a small business that people don’t think about.  The social media management, the marketing, the website building and upkeep, the accounts.  The list is goes on.

I’m a huge believer in good time management.  The only way I’m able to juggle everything is to plan, plan and plan some more.  I meticulously schedule everything and everyone, to avoid overwhelm and difficult health flares. It’s a fine balance, but I’d say it’s challenging as opposed to difficult.

What is the best thing about running your own business?

I have a condition called Ulcerative Interstitial Cystitis.  It’s an invisible illness that can cause severe limitations.  It’s painful, incurable, debilitating and over 60% of patients find they are unable to work full time.  Many can’t work at all. Owning a small business has been a lifeline. I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve been able to build a company and a brand that I’m passionate about, that also works so well around my rather complicated existence. 

I can pace myself while caring for my family and providing the very best service to every client I take on.  I often operate a waiting list of people who are happy to wait for their personalised jewellery and gifts. It’s still astonishing to think that my work is valued and appreciated in that way. Turning something I love into a career is a dream.  I meet so many amazing people (albeit online), both in the UK and halfway around the world.  I’m able to talk to people in Italy, America, Dubai.  Everything about it is wonderful.

In my case, slow, steady perseverance has paid off.  It’s amazing to look at it now and think “Wow, I did that”. And I’m not done yet.

How has your business been affected by coronavirus and how have you adapted?

Rather unfortunately, I contracted coronavirus at the end of April, testing positive on the 30th after a week of sickness. I had totally isolated at home with the children since the schools closed.  I hadn’t visited one shop, so we’re still not entirely sure where it came from.  We were just very, very unlucky.

One possibility is that my youngest son was taken into hospital by ambulance over Easter with anaphylactic shock.  The paramedics and hospital staff were wonderful, but logically, a hospital probably isn’t the best place to end up in the middle of a pandemic. Over the next 2 weeks, things took a turn for the worse and finally my family doctor called an ambulance. I went into hospital to receive I.V fluids and anti-sickness medication, but fortunately was discharged quickly. All five children were sick too, but two were much worse than the others with temperatures of over 40.  They felt sick, had headaches, and felt like they couldn’t breathe.  It just went on and on. Covid-19 isn’t like anything you’ve ever experienced.  If you have it, you know.  It’s definitely nothing like flu and none of us bounced back quickly.

Then after 4 weeks of Coronavirus symptoms, I developed shingles.  Either my immune system had just had enough, or it has a bad sense of humour. We are incredibly lucky, and it could have been so much worse, but it’s obviously taken a toll on Sophia Alexander Jewellery.  After Christmas and Mother’s Day, May is usually one of the busiest times of the year for the company in the run up to Father’s Day.  Then of course, there are the wedding ring orders, just in time for June weddings.

Once I was able to stand, I spent a week replying to all the customers who had made enquiries for fingerprint bar pendants, fingerprint rings, silver keyrings and handprint cufflinks.  It’s been a heartbreaking process. No one running a small independent business ever wants to disappear from the face of the planet for 2 months, but it really couldn’t be helped. I’m so thankful to the NHS for looking after us and to everyone who helped us.  My doctor, the village volunteers and our wonderful neighbours.

Fortunately, several customers have decided to wait for me to get better, but for now, I’m focusing on our recovery.  Slowing down, getting well and being grateful that we’re all going to be ok.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own business?

Honestly, if I was going to give one piece of advice to someone starting a business today, it would be “Stop comparing yourself to everyone else and give yourself a break”. When you have a chronic illness, it can be especially hard to watch the world moving on and progressing without you.  It can be easy to feel left behind.

That feeling, although more prevalent, isn’t unique to the chronic illness community. There are a million reasons why you might feel that way as a fledgling business owner. Maybe you haven’t got the money ‘yet’ or the skills ‘yet’. Maybe it all feel so impossibly out of reach. Maybe you’re desperate for training or resources and someone’s told you that if you really want it, you’ll find the money, or the time, or the childcare, or a way? 

Just like that.

Then there’s social media with ALL those people who are crushing it with their six-figure businesses, who naturally have every part of their life sorted. They’re all progressing with their work and their companies so much faster right?

Here’s the thing. Online visibility and using social media are crucial, but they can also make you vulnerable. You’re being shown snapshots of what people want you to see.  You’re also being exposed to a lot of ‘experts and gurus’ who have a rather tenuous grasp on reality. Don’t get overwhelmed. You really don’t have to do ‘all the things, all the time, all at once’.  Concentrate on making a little progress every day, even if it’s just one thing, or you have just 10 minutes. It’s inevitable that life will get in the way every now and then.  Control what you can and try not to stress about the rest.  Do things in your own time because you will get there in the end.

“Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” ― Molière

To find out more about Sophie Alexandre Jewellery visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.