Meet the founder of Olivia & Pearl
I’m originally from Manchester but now live in London with my husband James, and little dog Monty the Patterpoo. I enjoy music, dancing, travel and great food with great friends. I feel most inspired by nature and in particular the ocean. I’m passionate about marine conservation and obsessed with pearls.
What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?
My love affair with pearls started when I was a little girl, my dad would travel to Asia and India on business and he would often return with pearls as a gift for me which I collected. I was just fascinated by them, how they were created naturally in a shell, and their individual beauty.
Having worked as an actor for 10 years and then in marketing and advertising, I decided I wanted to have control of my destiny and autonomy over my career. Whilst researching business ideas I kept coming back to pearls, looking at the market I noticed I couldn’t find affordable contemporary pearl jewellery designed with the modern woman in mind. When I finally made the leap to start up my own business, I decided to turn my love for pearls into a brand. My aim is to create the go-to contemporary pearl jewellery brand in the world.
How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?
We are the pearl specialists! The sourcing, quality, craftsmanship, design and strong values around sustainability and the environment set us apart within the Demi Fine Jewellery sector. And it’s our vision for the future combined with new technology and an expert team that will help us to remain a leader in this sector.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?
Always trust your gut instinct, which is actually a very difficult thing to do. As you grow your business you have to collaborate and partner with experts from different areas of the business world. It’s incredibly important to be open to new and different ideas on your business and strategy, but be careful with people taking over your vision or talking you into something that you’re not comfortable with. Take your time making big decisions, if you have that niggly feeling that it’s not right, trust your gut and go with what feels good.
What are your thoughts on failure?
It’s what makes you who you are. The things that we fail in can give us something for the future. You can learn something valuable that you can use to reach success.
Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?.
I value my sleep and wake up at 7:30 to 8am. I enjoy a cup of tea whilst reading the headlines, I like to sit and be with my own thoughts for 15 minutes before hitting the shower, reviewing my to do list from the night before then jumping on a call with my team to kick off the day.
If you could be in a room with 4 entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?
Phil Knight the founder of Nike. I read his autobiography Shoe Dog on holiday recently and found him to be very down to earth, human and relatable. I appreciate his approach to life and business and think he’d be a good person to enjoy a beer with.
Sophie Cornish, Founder of NOTHS. She’s brilliant, really understands the struggle in growing a fast-growth business and someone who made me feel comfortable and encouraged me to talk about the difficult parts of being an entrepreneur.
Jimmy Lovine, for his creativity, pure drive, rock n roll, hip hop hustle. I have so many questions and he’d definitely bring the ideas and fun to the party.
Amie Jones, Global Beauty Director of Soho House and good friend. She doesn’t think she’s an entrepreneur, but she is. I admire her work ethic, loyalty and everything she has built for the Soho House and Cowshed brand.
What plans do you have for Olivia and Pearl over the next two years?
This year our focus remains the same, growth, putting community at the heart of everything we do and giving back to the oceans which have given us so much.
Commercially we will focus on the implementation of new technology whilst exploring new channels in the UK and USA.
Any new product launches we should know about?
This spring we’re excited to launch our community and content hub, a new collection which celebrates the individuality of the pearl, along with an announcement on the launch of our new marine conservation partnership.
How do you believe the evolution of tech will affect your industry over the next 10 years?
I think we will see the introduction of carbon labelling for consumer goods, which I believe will be a great thing. AI will help drive design and bring us closer to our customers. Live Shopping experiences with the integration of AR and IR. Surely something more has to come from 3d printing?
What do you think gives a brand longevity?
A strong sense of values, style, difference and individuality.
