Parents in Business featuring Mosaico
Career

Parents in Business featuring Mosaico

This week on my Parents in Business series I’m delighted to feature Paula who created Mosaico; a bespoke jewellery brand selling stunning jewellery including necklaces and bracelets. The business was born by Paula and her business partner; Jenny, and has gone from strength to strength since launching from getting repeat orders to being included in a local magazine, which just keeps on validating their progress. 

Paula fully understands the role of running of your own business including the long hours and the juggle, yet also appreciates just how important it is to keep learning, to accept your mistakes, and also to have a passion for products and research. So if you’re looking for an inspiring read and some gorgeous jewellery then read on…..

Tell me a little bit about you, your background, and your business?

My name is Paula, I am the founder of Mosaico Jewellery. I was born in Brazil on a beautiful island called Florianopolis. I have a brother and a sister and so many aunties, uncles and cousins that you can lose count. Although it is a big family, we all grew up visiting each other and playing during many family barbecues at the weekend. Growing up on an island was great. I love nature and the beach.

Jewellery has really been my love since I was a child. I used to hang clothes labels on my ears when I was a child, to pretend they were big long earrings. When I was a teenager I was given my first pair of dangly earrings, it was amazing! I moved to the UK back in 2005 after graduating in Graphic Design. Years ago, I had the idea to sell semi-precious gemstone jewellery online. I conducted some market research and it just sounded great! Jenny, my friend and business partner, has known me for years. She was even my bridesmaid at my wedding. One day over a glass of wine, I asked her if she wanted to be part of the business. Luckily for me, she said yes and we are now very excited to have together, such a gorgeous product and brand.

Mosaico sells semi-precious gemstone jewellery, with a modern and sleek spin to each design which are inspired by our mixed heritages (Brazilian, South African and British). We pick the stones together, and we tend to go for gemstones with a difference (in shape, colours or markings). We want the pieces to be special and to showcase the natural stones at their best. We exchange ideas for the business constantly and are particularly picky about the quality of the finish of each one of our pieces. I contribute to the creative process but ultimately, Jenny puts most of the designs together, and I make the business tick. We complement each other beautifully.

Parents in Business featuring Mosaico

What were your motivations for setting up your business?

I had the idea for the company for many years, but had always been busy building my career and then starting a family. I got to a point that my job was causing a great strain on me emotionally and physically, and I was no longer enjoying the work, the long hours away from my son and flexible work was apparently not an option. I have never been afraid of making big changes and facing new challenges, but after having children and while they are young, you might feel a bit less brave.
 
So after I quit my job, I enjoyed the opportunity that I had just had my second son and did a post-graduation in Digital Marketing. I felt that somehow gave me a bit of a boost in confidence. I think that sometimes you can find yourself in some sort of inertia and lacking maybe the confidence to go ahead to pursue your dreams. Any change is scary as it comes with a great share of uncertainty. I kind of knew that it would be challenging, but I just felt that it would be better to try than keeping myself wondering the famous “what if…”. On top of that, I had done my research, I knew it was a great idea, and I really wanted to be able to be closer to my kids. Needless to mention that I also truly love jewellery!

 

I built everything from scratch, from the brand identity, website to all the structure and logistics behind the scenes. Jenny has been great as we bounce ideas from each other really well. At home, the support of my husband has been crucial. I graduated in 2017 and by April 2018 we were online and testing the concept. We started advertising the brand later in the year. Mosaico was born from a lot of determination and many sleepless nights, but ultimately, our determination and love for the product and our brand.

Parents in Business featuring Mosaico

How do you balance the business around your family and childcare?

 
That is probably the hardest part of my job. Having a new business is quite demanding and it is hard to switch off sometimes.  My home office is next to the kitchen and has no door(!), meaning frequent interruptions from my kids. Fortunately my husband now works from home as well, so we are able to share the school runs, and between the two of us we manage to give them enough attention. I often work late into the night after bedtime as then the house is quiet and I can concentrate for a few hours.  This does mean missing out on quiet evenings with my husband and can be difficult, but we both know we’re building for the future and sacrifices are part of that.

Since setting up your business what has been your biggest success to date?

It is still early days, but already, sales have been increasing steadily and it is great to see previous customers coming back to place more orders. There simply cannot be a better indication that you’re doing the right thing than people returning for more and letting us know their happiness with the pieces they receive. At one occasion, we were featured in the editorial section of our local magazine, The Windsor, as a news item. The editor described the brand as ‘not for shrinking violets’ due to our creative designs, use of stones and colours. We had other features but I just absolutely love that description of us! It validated our process and reinforced the idea that our message was coming across well. It just summarised our brand so nicely.
 
Parents in Business featuring Mosaico

What’s your top tip for anyone who is thinking about setting up their own business?

Passion for the products, doing your research and believing in yourself are key to this process. Starting a business is definitely daunting and I have learned so much over the past year. You will make mistakes along the way too. It is important to keep going and adapt when necessary. You have to expect there will be ups and downs. Every time we fulfil an order however, or a request for a bespoke piece of jewellery where we can create something specially made for that customer, I get a rush of excitement and know that this is the right path for me. We are still quite new and what I’m describing is the journey I have faced so far. So basically I would say, do your research, start small and most importantly, go for it!

Parents in Business featuring Mosaico

Thank you so much for letting me feature you on my blog, and all the best for the future! 
 

You can find out more by visiting about the Mosaico website, Instagram and Facebook channel. 

 

If you like what you’re reading and would love to be part of my Parents in Business series just drop me an email: thepramshedblog@gmail.com. Or have a nose at some of the other businesses I have featured in the series: Mockingbird MakesWiio Ltd, and De StartUp Lab.

Claire x

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