In this YouTube video, seasoned jewelry maker Haiyi Tan shares eight concrete recommendations he would give his younger self if he were to launch a small jewelry business from scratch today. The advice is framed as a step‑by‑step checklist, alternating between brief prompts (Speaker A) and detailed explanations (Speaker B). The eight points cover: (1) keep a regular job while starting the venture to ensure cash flow and learn from an existing business; (2) begin with a tiny product line (e.g., simple earrings) to limit risk; (3) save at least six months of personal living expenses before quitting the job; (4) avoid rigid early goals and experiment broadly, listening to customers; (5) engage a qualified accountant early and understand basic bookkeeping, tax, and legal structures; (6) think ahead about business models, staffing, and outsourcing; (7) cultivate strict organization and self‑discipline to prevent burnout; and (8) stay ready to adapt to market and platform changes (e.g., shifting from photos to video). The video ends with typical YouTube calls‑to‑action and a teaser for a related hand‑engraving video. The overall purpose is to provide realistic, experience‑based guidance for aspiring jewelry entrepreneurs.
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I have been running my own small jewelry business for over a decade now. These are the 8 things I would do if I were to start from the very beginning again. I came from a humble background. I started the business only from one thing— passion. No one in my family has a jewelry business, so sometimes I got it right at the first attempt. Other times I learned it the hard way. So these are the few things I will tell my younger self to do if I were to start from the very beginning again. First, find a job before starting my own business.
There are 3 reasons for this. First, we all have bills to pay: food, living expenses, rent or mortgage. If you start after having a child or family, you will have childcares to pay or financial responsibility for your family. But when the business first starts, it will take 1 to 3 years to establish, if it ever works and grows big enough to cover all the bills. During this time, you need to be able to financially support yourself or your family. Second, being able to financially support yourself will give you less pressure and more freedom to explore. Third, having a job means you can learn from your job, see how others run their business. There is so much to learn when first starting a jewelry business from nothing. I believe that is similar for any other kinds of business as as well. So when you are being a part of another successful business, you will have the chance to learn for free. You will also have the chance to observe how they run it and grow it. All this will be extremely valuable lessons when you are running your very own business.
Second, start from small.
When you first start, You need to start from somewhere. So start from small. Start from whatever small things you can make, such as a pair of simple earring studs, a necklace, anything. And then find your first customer. You don't know if the first jewelry business you start will be successful. So starting small also means that if you do fail, It will be a very small setback only. If it works, grow from there.
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Third, save up enough to cover at least 6 months of living expenses.
When you have a job, you can tell how much you will earn in the coming month. But when you run your own business, You can predict up to a certain level, but can't tell exactly how much you are actually going to bring home next month. So having savings to cover at least 6 months of living expenses will give you something you can lean into. Obviously, the more the better, but 6 months is the minimum you need to cover. This will buy you time to come up with new strategies, and make any changes needed to survive and grow.
Fourth, no need to have a goal to begin with.
You won't know what works, so try all the things you are interested in, all the things you can think of. Follow your passion, embrace all opportunities that come to you, have an open mind, Because at the very beginning, you won't know what works or what won't. There are multiple possibilities. Try them all if it's possible and see which ones you enjoy, which ones you are good at, and grow from there. Second, listen to your customers and find out what they want. What they need and how you can help them. How you can make their life better or their jobs easier, either by a product or a service. Third, once it starts working, focus on the one that works.
Fifth, hire an accountant.
In the beginning, Focus on learning the financial knowledge about setting up a business. For instance, learn how to do bookkeeping if you have never done that before. If you need to buy some jewelry making, stone setting, or hand engraving tools, can you get tax relief? What kind of things cannot be claimed for as business expenses? Business spend. Are there any thresholds to watch out for for different tax brackets? For example, in the UK, when the turnover is under a certain threshold, you don't need to submit value-added tax. Once it's over that number, all businesses must register for VAT. Also, what kind of business ownership structures suit you better? For instance, sole trader, partnership, limited liability company. If you need to import gemstones or tools, how can you make it more cost-effective tax-wise? If you need to send your jewellery outside of your country, What kind of paperwork do you need to keep for tax purposes? You would also want to find out what kinds of other businesses your accountant is working with. Does he or she have the experience working with import and export? Is he or she familiar with online businesses? There are many types of accountants. Some work with construction companies, some focus on payrolls. Do your homework first and prepare your questions before meeting your accountant. Always ask for a quote before getting a service. You don't want to randomly ask numerous questions and get an unexpected bill afterwards. They charge you based on how much time you are taking with them, so try to prepare as much as possible. If you are a complete beginner, ask if they have a program or package specially designed for a situation like yours and get a quote.
6. Think about business models.
It's very common that you might start with just yourself doing everything, and you may not have an answer to begin with, but it's always good to keep this in your mind Are you going to run the business all by yourself, or will you consider hiring part-time staff or even full-time staff? Alternatively, will outsourcing work better for you? As your business grows, you will want to focus more of your energy on what you enjoy the most and what you are good at. More importantly, what you can do for a long time. So do you need someone to help you to do things like photo taking, marketing, packaging, and shipping, or answer customers' questions?
7. Be organized and disciplined.
Working for yourself means you need to be organized and self-disciplined. Set a schedule for yourself. It will not just help you organize your day, it will also prevent burnout. First, it will help you to organize your day and workflow. For instance, what time you get up, what time you start working, what kind of work you need to do, when is lunchtime, When is dinner time? Are you going to work after dinner? When is bedtime? Make a clear list. Second, it will help you prevent burnout. More importantly, what time do you need to stop working? For over 10 years, I was a workaholic. I worked from the moment I was awake till the moment I fell asleep. I work in the weekends, New Year's Eve, Christmas Eve, and certainly Christmas Day. When other family members were opening their gifts on Christmas morning, I was checking my emails and answering questions. When others were having fun, I was in my bedroom with the door shut preparing for the GIA exams. I felt guilty to stop. Things changed as I got older, and especially after the pandemic. These days, I play with my child more. We laugh together more, and she even told me that when she was younger, I was always upstairs working. She prefers the current me. We spend at least 3 hours a day together. Even on a school day. Chatting, watching cartoons, sharing secrets, and lying in bed staring at the ceiling randomly. If you don't have a clear schedule for yourself, it's very easy to get burned out.
8. Always get ready to change and adapt.
The world is constantly changing. 10 years ago, Posting pictures on social media got lots of views. These days you need to post videos if you want attention. Keep learning and adapting. That's the only way to grow.
If you like this video, you might want to check out the one here. It's about what I would do if I were to start learning hand engraving again. I will see you in the next video.
