Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in jewelry but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Julia Heinonen, owner of Chroma Nostaa Designs, located in New Westminster, BC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Chroma Nostaa Designs creates unique and handcrafted wearable art designed to uplift. Chroma means “colour” in Greek, and Nostaa means “uplift” in Finnish and reflects the designer’s goals and unique cultural heritage. Our customers are anyone that loves unique, lightweight, and colourful jewelry. All the pieces made at Chroma Nostaa designs are created with high-quality hypoallergenic materials to ensure each piece is comfortable and a joy to wear all day.

Tell us about yourself

I am a classically trained Organic Chemist turned artist! I have a passion for people and have used this to fuel degrees in Psychology and Medicinal Chemistry. In graduate school, I made chemical inhibitors aimed at becoming therapeutics for neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. After university, I worked in biotechnology for close to 10 years but greatly missed working with my hands and creating things to help and uplift others. I also longed for more time for my family and two young daughters. This is how Chroma Nostaa Designs was born, smack dab in the middle of the global pandemic!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Truly, it’s been the connections I have built with many of my loyal and kind customers, along with the ability to be self-sufficient while supporting my family in all the ways I would like to!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Sometimes it can be lonely working solo, especially if you are extroverted like I am. I have found it incredibly important to build community with other artists and entrepreneurs in my area and be intentional about scheduling time throughout the week to connect with them, bounce around ideas or just grab a coffee for a break.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Focus on your “why” and make it specific so others can easily connect to your vision, too.
  2. Focus on action. What can you do each day to bring you closer to making your vision come alive?
  3. Focus on connecting with your audience and understanding what they need or what problem you are solving for them.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you are looking to start your own business or creative dream, understand that there will be many ups and downs, like anything else in life. When things get challenging, I always circle back to my “why” and ask myself, “what’s the next best action that I can take to move me forward?”. I hope this encourages someone today!

Also, I must give a big thank you to my family for all of their loving support in this entrepreneurial journey, especially Bryan, Luseia, and Chloe.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ChromaNostaaDesigns
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chromanostaadesigns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chroma.nostaa.designs/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.