Episode 95 Transcript
Heather (00:02.49)
Iris from Insync Design. Welcome to the show. How are you?
Iris (00:06.942)
Thank you. Yeah, excited. It's my first podcast. I'm very excited.
Heather (00:11.048)
I'm so excited as well. Guys, to give you some back stories. So I've done a little bit of work for in -sync design, which we're going to talk about soon. So you get to know all about the beautiful business and everything about it and what actually she sells. Um, but so I did a little bit of work and from time to time I reach out to my clients and I say, want to come on the show because everyone has such beautiful businesses and amazing stories to tell. And I, you know, like you're one of them. So I'm really happy that you said, yes, I'm coming on. So thank you.
Iris (00:38.59)
Thank you.
Heather (00:40.232)
So we're going to start with your business. And before I talk a little bit about why you started it, what actually do you do? What is in sync design?
Iris (00:48.286)
I design and make contemporary jewellery, as simple as that. It is not the kind of jewellery that you'll find in a jewellery shop. It's more like a very high design, very graphic. And my niche is museum stores. And that niche is actually an organic thing that happened over time without really planning for it. The whole idea of it was actually...
My background is jewellery, but precious jewellery. So I was working with diamonds, gold, pearls. And in 2006, there was a call out by Craft Victoria asking for local artists to make a product for Christmas at the time. When that happened, there was no such a thing as design markets. And they wanted to create a very unique sort of design market with local artists creating products specifically for Christmas.
So at the time I had a toddler at home that was drawing lots of those stick figures, you know, the circle dot dot. And she was obsessed with it. She was drawing hundreds of them and I absolutely loved them. And I framed so many of them on the wall. And then when the call out came and they wanted us to create something specifically for that design market, I thought of her because I was surrounded with it at the time. I was a stay at home mom with a toddler.
Heather (01:47.048)
Ah.
Heather (02:02.216)
Love it.
Iris (02:14.686)
and I wanted to create some kind of a product that was not too expensive and that was very naive in its appearance, very bright, very immediate in a way. So I basically rolled out her IKEA paper roll and her crayons and sat on the floor and started doing some doodles. And I wanted to create a range of brooches, very brightly colored brooches that will sort of...
Heather (02:36.392)
Oh my gosh.
Iris (02:44.254)
bring out that creativity and that naivety within it. And as I said, at the time I was a stay -at mom, I didn't really have any contact with the adults. So I made all these drawings and I gave it to my husband, who is a financial advisor and accountant, to take it to work and ask some adults their opinions of it.
And, um, he took it to work and he came home that night and he goes, I'm really sorry, but no one really liked it. And I was like, really? And he goes, I'm really, I don't think you should invest money in it. I don't think it's a good investment as a financial advisor. And, um, I actually said to him, you know what? I really believe in it. I want to do it. And, and this is me that's coming from, you know, precious jewellery and ready to work with gold and diamond and very high price products.
Heather (03:12.2)
Wow.
Heather (03:28.026)
Yeah.
Iris (03:42.238)
I said, you know, I'm going to do it. I really believe in it. So I've designed, I think it was initially about 20 designs or so, and then narrowed it down to about seven. And we made 70 broaches of high, like brightly colored powder coated broaches and took it to the market. And we sold out. We sold out at that market. And it was like, ah, it was a good one.
Heather (03:54.374)
Okay.
Iris (04:10.782)
And then I thought, you know, I've made quite a bit of money on that weekend. And I thought I'll go back to my normal thing of, you know, making the press's jewellery to a few select very high end galleries. And very soon after I was approached by the NGV wanting a collection for the NGV of those brooches. And I said, sorry, but we sold out. I don't have any. So they actually commissioned us to make collections specifically for them.
Heather (04:21.384)
Right.
Iris (04:40.766)
And then within six months, I was in all the top museums in Australia. So it was like, okay. Yeah. Within six months, I was in like in all the top state museums. So gallery of New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria. And then after less than a year, probably eight to nine months later, we realized that, you know, I can't stay in Australia with it because I've saturated the best galleries. What's next? And then I went and did a trade show in London. That's called Top Draw.
Heather (04:44.872)
six months.
Heather (04:51.144)
Yeah.
Heather (05:04.104)
Yeah.
Iris (05:10.622)
Um, and in sync was scattered by the VNA and their first order was 350 pieces, which was insane. No one ever orders that much. Um, and also another big thing that happened was that in sync was actually scattered for a trend book. So every year, all the big companies actually produce their predictions for the year.
Heather (05:19.784)
Wow. Wow.
Heather (05:37.702)
Uh huh.
Iris (05:37.726)
And they look at trend books and what's coming and whatever. And in sync broaches were actually part of that trend book. So overnight it became like a really sort of positioned in a very prestigious sort of location as the VNA. And then soon after I went to the US, because I thought, you know, that's the next best thing. I went to the US and I started doing trade shows in New York now in New York for 15 years.
And organically, all the museum buyers were the ones that were buying the work. So it was really never planned, but it was just an organic sort of thing that this is who my clients were. And then over time, it sort of really niched into it.
Heather (06:21.498)
Absolutely brilliant. There's a couple of things you said specifically, I wanted to point out. And the first one was that you gave it to your partner to bring to work and to say, what do you, what do people think about it? And I like that you didn't listen because a, I mean, there probably weren't your target market, right?
Iris (06:38.014)
100 % they're not. Accountants are not my target market.
Heather (06:40.296)
Right? And I think that's so important for most people that say, oh, they didn't like it. It's probably because they weren't your market in the first place. I love that you said that. And number two, the predictions book is something that I actually talk to people across all industries about, like to either publish your own or get in one because those prediction industry reports, no matter what industry you're in, are really, really powerful. So I find that really fascinating that you made it into one of those as well.
Iris (07:06.014)
without even planning, it just happened.
Heather (07:08.328)
And it went fast for you, it sounds like. So you had this idea, you went to the markets and then boom, it just took off.
Iris (07:10.654)
really fast. Yeah. And it was also really fast recognizing where my niche is without even planning for it. Because when I launched, I really didn't have in mind who I would be appealing to. It was very much targeting for me. Like it was making pieces that were enhancing what I wear normally. I'm a Melbourne woman and I wear a lot of black and gray.
Heather (07:18.6)
Yeah. Yeah.
Iris (07:35.774)
And I wanted something to really uplift it and make a statement, a creative statement and make it a statement that I'm creative and I'm an artist and you know, and that was just the perfect thing. You know, brooches are very creative, especially those kinds of brooches. And then later on, of course, I expanded into necklaces and earrings and rings, but brooches were the hallmark, the start of.
Heather (07:35.834)
Yep.
Heather (07:59.88)
Perfect. So you had your core product offering and then really focused on that market. And I liked how you fell into it by accident as well. Really interesting. Yeah. I love it. Yeah.
Iris (08:09.278)
And it was never really planned as a business. It was supposed to be just a one -size -fits Christmas make a bit of money and go back to my life, but that never happened. 17 years later, I'm still in it.
Heather (08:18.216)
Oh, you're still in it. Okay. So what is the project that you're working on now that you've had this business for 17 years or close to? What are you working on now that you're excited about for the future?
Iris (08:29.534)
Well, I'm at the moment designing a new product that I don't have within the range yet. It's actually these beautiful leather trays that I'll have my illustrations on them so you keep the jewellery within it. They're beautiful. I'm really excited.
Heather (08:34.982)
Okay.
Heather (08:42.344)
Oh, that is okay. Just personally with my girlfriends and I who have jewellery, having places to put it or to lay out what you're going to wear for the day is huge. So I love, this is a great idea.
Iris (08:56.35)
Yeah, it's for me as well. I'm very excited about it because it gives me a complete creative freedom because when you design and make jewellery, you need to be very conscious of how it works on the body in terms of size, composition, weight, all the rest of it, because it is on your body and it needs to be super comfortable and functional. But when I design a jewellery tray, I can go to town. It doesn't really matter.
Heather (09:00.68)
Yeah.
Iris (09:23.774)
And it's very creative and I'm very excited.
Heather (09:26.824)
Ah, I'm dying to see it. Oh my gosh. Okay, when did they come out?
Iris (09:28.766)
I'm working on it now. I'm hoping in the next few months.
Heather (09:34.28)
Okay, good. So jewellery is such a visual thing as well. So guys, I know you're listening to this and you're like, I really want to see the designs. Good. Cause now what you're going to have to do is pause the podcast, open up your phone and go to the website. So what's the website that they can go to?
Iris (09:50.558)
It's in sync design. So it's www .insyncdesign .com .au.
Heather (09:56.936)
So simple you guys in syncdesign .com .au. You've got to go there and check it out because her designs are stunning and so unique and so different. So yeah, go there now while you're thinking about it and then come back and then hit play again. So just why, you know, why we're on that.
Iris (10:03.102)
Thank you.
Iris (10:09.182)
And not only that, I mean, another major consideration is they're super light and hypoallergenic, because I can't wear costume jewellery. So everything that I make is really, really comfortable and it doesn't create any allergies.
Heather (10:26.664)
So good. So as you're growing this business, this accidental sort of business that you fell into or I won't say fell into, you created it, you wanted it. So obviously, and this show, The Hustle Rebellion is about growing your business smarter, about how do you get through times of overwhelm and stress? How have you personally gotten through the times of intense overwhelm or stress as you've grown this business?
Iris (10:50.17)
Well, there were lots of stages to it. I'd say for the first 12 years or so or 14 years, I worked day and night 24 -7 all the time. It was just basically going through the motions. And look, we were, three of us hand making everything. We were making about 10 ,000 pieces a year by hand.
Heather (10:53.862)
Yes?
Heather (11:15.4)
Oh!
Iris (11:15.582)
sending to 90 museums worldwide. So it's been intense, really intense. So I, for about 12 years, I was working crazy hours. I was sleeping about five hours a night and working seven days a week all the time. But living on adrenaline, loving it. I think I just loved the fact that I just hit all the right notes and I was sticking all the right boxes. I won.
16 international design awards and I've been featured in amazing design books. So that was sort of the adrenaline that kept me going, but I didn't have a very healthy lifestyle to be honest. I really didn't. And then in 2018, I had a stroke. Yes, it was a wake up call and it was like, I just can't keep doing it as much as I love it. And as much as it's ticking all the boxes, it's just not enough. My body was falling apart.
Heather (11:52.976)
Okay.
Yep. Yep.
Heather (12:00.776)
Okay, wow. Yeah.
Iris (12:13.246)
And then, funnily enough, COVID happened after that. And then when COVID happened, it was like, you know what? It's a sign. I really have to change direction. And that's when I decided to stop the wholesale, to stop the travel, to stop all the museums. I kept a handful of them and I went online. And very naively, I thought that online will be like the museums and like wholesale. And God, was I wrong. And that's when you came into the picture. I...
Heather (12:28.552)
Yep. Yeah.
Heather (12:40.648)
Talk to me more about that. What did we do? Yeah, tell me that backstory.
Iris (12:43.998)
I assumed like I've never ever needed to do PR or marketing or anything because I won all these awards. I mean all these fabulous museums and when a person goes to these prestigious museums, they go past the shop, they see a product, they like it, they buy it. I've never ever needed to market it. And then all of a sudden when the pandemic happened and I decided, okay, I'm going to put all my effort into my online shop.
Heather (13:02.48)
Yeah.
Iris (13:10.718)
I've always had an online website, but it was a brochure. I really didn't sell much online. And whenever I sold something online, it was a bonus. It wasn't something that I really focused on. And then very naively, I thought, okay, so I'll just, you know, go online and crickets. There was nothing happening. And it was like, Oh my God. I mean, I don't even know how to deal with it. And then I went on a program. I can't even remember which one wish you were the MC of.
And in your introduction, you were saying that you worked for Tony Robbins and it was like, my eyes were like blinging because I did all of the Tony Robbins courses. I've graduated all of them. And as soon as you said Tony Robbins, I was like, I'm listening. And later on I contacted you and I said, I need help. And then you went on and you helped me with restructuring my website and looking at how to make it more.
Heather (13:44.434)
Yes.
Iris (14:06.99)
shop -like, which it wasn't prior to that. It was very much a brochure and really customizing it. And I would have to say that since then it's had so many iterations and constant updating. But yeah, it's been a journey and I'm constantly learning and I'm constantly evolving within the online marketing.
Heather (14:28.552)
It's great you said iterations because there's no such thing anymore with digital marketing as you know that you build it and it's perfect and it just sits like that for years. So love that you said that. What are some of the things that you've been doing on your website and in your online marketing that you feel are working really well?
Iris (14:37.374)
Yeah. Yeah.
Iris (14:46.494)
Well, I think the thing that works the most is my campaigns, my email campaigns. They generate the most revenue. So the way I structure my social media is that I schedule it a month in advance through later. So then I schedule it for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. So that sort of creates awareness of the brand and of what I'm doing at the time.
Heather (14:53.348)
Yep.
Iris (15:15.838)
But the thing that generates the most traction and interaction is actually the Clavio emails that I'm sending. And I created a very sort of structured campaign that I do once a month. So that's another big change. Prior to the pandemic, I used to create one large collection a year and then exhibit it in Australia, then in New York, then in Amsterdam and do the rounds like that.
And each collection was anywhere between 20 and 30 pieces. And then the buyers will come select their pieces and then reorder from that. But then once I went online, I actually changed it to launching one new piece a month. And that means that I don't need to make as many. And then I'm basically in their inboxes once a month, which is really, really good.
Heather (15:56.296)
Okay.
Iris (16:04.926)
And I now create a lot smaller collection. So prior to that, because I was making for so many museums, we needed to make hundreds of pieces. Whereas now I sell one to one customer. I don't need to make as many. And then I, I've got a really nice thing on the website where when you join the mailing list, you actually become the curator. So every time I create a piece, I create only 20, 10 or 20 of them.
Heather (16:27.976)
Mmm, love it.
Iris (16:33.406)
And I send it to my database. If it sells out, I know it's a good one. And then I edit to the collection. If it doesn't, it goes into sale and I'll never make it again. So there's no wastage. And basically my collectors are the curators. I've got about 8 ,000 active collectors that are constantly sort of on it. And I've got collectors that have 20 and 30 pieces by now.
Heather (16:57.48)
Wow, talk about knowing how to build a community and a tribe. How good are you at that? That's incredible.
Iris (16:58.846)
Yeah. Yeah.
Iris (17:05.246)
But it was all intuitive. It was never really planned. It was very much, you know, talking directly to them and saying, look, this is what I've done. I'm excited about it. And often people ask me, what's your favorite piece? I have to admit that my favorite piece is the last one I've made. Like these ones are one of the last pieces I've made and I love them.
Heather (17:19.536)
Yeah?
Heather (17:25.544)
Beautiful. Do you mind sharing what you actually put in that email? So first of all, you only send out one email a month. Yeah, that's what you're saying.
Iris (17:32.382)
Uh, one launch a month, but there's four emails for that launch. So I, I, the first one is for the VIPs. They get first access because I make only about 10 per design, per design, per color. Then my VIPs get first choice. Then the day after I send it to my collector database. And then the day after it goes onto social media. So it actually launches for one week only.
Heather (17:34.31)
One lunch.
Perfect.
Heather (17:48.934)
Yep.
Heather (18:00.008)
Got it. Okay. You've done something brilliant here, which I love. So you've really truly relied on your community or listening to them. You're getting them absolutely involved in the journey of your creations, but also you have inbuilt marketing scarcity and urgency because every single month you're actually doing a launch. So it's like, get in now. Yeah, you are. That's smart.
Iris (18:17.598)
I am. Then by the end of the year, I actually look back and I see how many I sold in each launch. And if they were selling really well, then I'll reintroduce them the year after. So they're not available after that week at all. And then I'll remake them to relaunch the year after.
Heather (18:31.848)
Yeah, yeah.
Heather (18:36.904)
which makes sense as to why you have these collectors in your community as well, because they know that they might not ever get access to them again.
Iris (18:45.79)
That's right. That's right.
Heather (18:47.272)
What do you do in the VIP email to get them excited? What's different from your VIP email than from your general emails that you send out to the database?
Iris (18:54.366)
I'm basically letting them know that it's available now, no one else knows about it. They get private access for 24 hours and after 24 hours it goes to the rest of the collectors.
Heather (19:00.646)
Got it.
Heather (19:04.2)
Very, very, very smart, Ares. I love it very much. Wow. Very impressed. Okay. Talking about social media, you are very smart with that too. So you're really leveraging your time here and being smart with your marketing. So you have your later tool and you schedule that out every month. What types of posts are you doing on social media?
Iris (19:22.398)
Um, it changes. So when I do a launch for that whole week, I do posts about that piece. So it will be on the model. It will be on me. It will be a video. It will be making it, whatever it is for the whole week. And then the rest of the month, it will be a lot of, um, shared images from my customers wearing my pieces that send me images. So I will reshare their images.
Heather (19:35.816)
Good. Yep.
Iris (19:48.35)
And it will be sometimes mean making, sometimes it will be, what else? I can't even remember. It'll be just things that I get from my community or things that are happening in the studio.
Heather (19:58.632)
hehe
Heather (20:04.69)
Have you, when you first started doing video, were you scared about doing video or did it come natural to you? Okay, good.
Iris (20:09.854)
I'm terrible at it. I still feel really uncomfortable in front of the video and I know I should be doing more than what I'm doing. Most of my posts are actually images rather than videos because I feel like it's a lot more creative and artistic and I can sort of love playing with Canva, love Canva. So it just gives me that creative outlet and I enjoy doing it.
Heather (20:23.142)
Mm -hmm.
Iris (20:37.342)
I do have to admit that videos steal a very soul point.
Heather (20:41.896)
I always like to ask that question when appropriate in my conversations with people because yes, the video is, is just so incredible, but also you have a tremendous amount of success without it. And I will without all the time. And I think that's important to recognize twofold here. Number one is play to your strengths. So you've not let it stop you by, you know, I have to do video. You just can't find them doing images more. That's cool. That's who I am.
I think that's important because so many people get hung up on, oh gosh, I have to do video, I have to do video, and therefore they don't do anything.
Iris (21:15.166)
No, I think I really enjoy sharing images. I think I'm very visual and I really enjoy doing that. And I love sharing images that inspire me. Um, so that's a very easy one for me. And for a very long time, I used to share a lot of artwork that inspired me, but then I was advised not to, I was advised to focus on what I'm doing in the studio and my customers. So I've changed that. Um, but yeah, video is a sore point and I know I need to do more of it.
Heather (21:18.726)
Yeah.
Heather (21:38.96)
Yep.
Iris (21:45.086)
and I'm not.
Heather (21:46.216)
I'm going to challenge you to try just to test and measure against what you are doing. Or like one of my other friends slash clients. Uh, she's like, I hate video. I hate video. I'm like, join the club. Most of us hate video, but she's like,
Iris (21:50.878)
Thank you.
Iris (21:59.07)
I actually found a trick to it. I have to tell you, I really feel uncomfortable in front of the camera. And also I'm quite a perfectionist in terms of how it looks. So for me to focus on the technicality of the camera and the video and the sound and talking and thinking about what to talk about, I just found it too overwhelming. So what I've done, I've actually hired a professional videographer that comes into the studio and we do a few launches in one go. She...
Heather (22:25.734)
Nice.
Iris (22:26.844)
shoots everything and then she shoots it back to me as a raw and then I put it into Canva and I designed it and I play with it.
Heather (22:33.064)
Perfect, thank you for sharing that. I'm always like fishing for tips for what people, other business owners can share with other business owners.
Iris (22:38.398)
Yeah, I found that to be a lot more comfortable for me to deal with because then I just sit with her and chat while I'm in the studio and she asks me questions and I answer. It's like a conversation we're having now and I don't feel like I need to worry about the technicality.
Heather (22:56.776)
No, you do not. Another thing too that I've seen people do really well that don't like video is they just film, they're in their own creative way. They film their product, they film what they're doing and their face is actually not on the video. So they film it just clips and then they do a voiceover and edit that in as well.
Iris (23:14.174)
Yeah, that's possible. I mean, another thing that I've done is on my homepage, there's actually a clip of me working that the same photographer took. So yeah, it's showing like a glimpse into my studio.
Heather (23:15.656)
It's kind of fun.
Heather (23:21.224)
Perfect. Yeah.
Heather (23:26.92)
Perfect. Now I want to talk a little bit around success and business growth because like you know, you were just all over the world in so many museums and then your health maybe suffered from it, maybe not, who knows, right? But you had this really intense lifestyle. There's a lot of people out there that think that that is success and that's what they should strive for. So I'm curious now with the lifestyle that you have now because you've simplified things and you have this, the...
smaller range that you promote every single month. Is this something that you feel is where you want to stay? Do you want to grow from here? I'm just curious now of your definition of success and growth. What do you want coming up?
Iris (24:09.31)
Okay, the definition of success has definitely changed. If you would have asked me prior to 2018 is winning more awards. That was my goal. Like just picking another award every year. And then now my goal is completely different. Now it's lifestyle. So I don't make as much money, but my profit margin is higher and I've got a life.
Heather (24:18.47)
You're a dick.
Heather (24:33.352)
Ah.
Iris (24:35.198)
and I do yoga every morning and I don't work on weekends and I actually have a life which is so nice.
Heather (24:44.2)
And that's, I'm guessing where you want to keep it in the future.
Iris (24:47.358)
Absolutely. Yeah.
Heather (24:49.032)
So then what strings do you pull for success for you now? Like what are the little leverages or little tweaks that you make to know that I'm on the right path?
Iris (24:59.87)
Um, well, I measure it in, there's two things. One in terms of, if you'd ask me what, how do I define success now, it would be my five star reviews. Like this is really what fuels me and all my reviews are five stars. I have a handful of four stars and I was horrified when I got them, like really horrified. And then my girlfriend said to me, Reese, some people don't give five. And it's like, why?
And she goes, it's just, they don't. Yeah. And it's like, but why? The review was still beautiful, but they wouldn't give you the five and that really hurt. So, yeah. So I have to admit, I think that is what fuels me is reading those reviews and they constantly at the moment I've got about 800 or so five star reviews and they keep growing. And I think that.
Heather (25:29.48)
I just don't.
Iris (25:53.55)
really makes it so worthwhile every time I read it. And the reviews are consistent. They're all brilliant. And they're all saying the same thing, that every time a woman wears my piece, she gets multiple compliments and people stop her in the street and start conversation about it. And I find that my jewellery appeals to creatives that are normally my age. So they're like 30 and up.
And I find that women my age normally get complimented for their achievements, for their brains, for what they contribute, but not often for their look. Whereas every time you wear my pieces, people stop you in the street and a lot of times it's males that notice and they go, oh my God, what is that? Where did you get it? And that's how, and that's the comments that I get constantly. And that's why on my website, I actually say it's jewellery that...
Um, get to lots of compliments and stats conversation because that is what I hear from my clients.
Heather (26:52.84)
I remember our conversations before 2021 when you were telling me that, and I absolutely loved that you get those compliments. And I love that you're actually looking for success now through your reviews. And that is, that is a testament to you and your community and what you're doing in your industry and just how you think about business. So I love it. And as we start to wrap up, I would like you to share with our listeners, if you have any words of wisdom or advice for anyone.
that is feeling burnt out that is struggling right now in their business to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Do you have any advice for them?
Iris (27:31.454)
Yeah. Step back, step back and breathe. Really. You need to, the only way you can actually see it clearly see the big picture is when you step back, when you're so entrenched inside of it, it's just overwhelming and you can't see the big picture and understand the why and understand what is it that makes you wake up in the morning and get excited. So for me, it was forced upon me with a stroke, but I think just generally in life.
When things just get too much, you need to stop, step back, reassess and then look again.
Heather (28:07.336)
Beautifully said. And as we start to wrap up now, I know everyone's going to say, okay, I want these compliments walking down the street as well. I'm, I'm in. So guys, you have to go to in sink design .com .au and sign up for the email list. Yeah. That's where you get all the emails.
Iris (28:13.406)
you
Iris (28:20.156)
Thank you.
Iris (28:23.902)
That's right. And you'll actually see on the website on the homepage, it actually explains that you become the curator.
Heather (28:30.92)
Guys, if you have any interest in jewellery, which let's face it, face it, it's probably a lot of you listening. And if you have any interest in just beautiful art and design, you've got to check it out. You've got to go check it out. So, gosh, thank you so much for being here and giving me the backstory. And I got to learn so much about you and I love your philosophy and what you stand for now. So thank you for sharing.
