In our feature series this week, we caught up with Jessica Kayse of Souls Repurpose. If you haven’t discovered this online jewelry boutique, your wardrobe is about to get a bold new look. Jessica truly embodies what it means to live everyday to the fullest and finds inspiration in the stories and strength of the human spirit. She truly is a beautiful soul working everyday to empower people to pursue their life purpose. She is bold. She is fearless. This is Jessica Kayse.
Tell us a little bit about your business?
My business is Souls Repurpose and I design and craft bold jewelry for the fearless soul. My pieces are mixed metals, sterling silver and copper. I repurpose the copper from various uses like copper roofing flash, electrical wire, tubing and washers. I am a novice metalsmith who quit her job in community social work to start my own jewelry business. I figured now was better than ever, and I wanted to do this not just for myself but to be able to tell my kids one day that “I quit my job once to do what I love.” I love what I do and the people I get to meet. I love being as creative as I can be each and every day. I love putting in a hard days work and being up for the challenge.
How did you make your way to being an entrepreneur?
I started selling my jewelry out of a little plastic bin out of the back of my truck. It was a hobby at first but every aspect of running a business was so interesting to me. I found myself thinking about it more and more so, once I quit my job I jumped right into everything. As a creative entrepreneur you often find yourself not only making the products but also marketing, ordering, bookkeeping, selling and packaging your products.
What has surprised you most about being an entrepreneur?
How incredibly invigorating and terrifying it can be at the same time. You learn so much about business and about yourself by being an entrepreneur. I also have been surprised by how much advice everyone wants to give you about starting a business. You really have to be very careful about what advice you listen to and who it comes from.
When do you sleep?
I thought when I quit my job to go into business for myself I would actually begin to start getting 8 hours of sleep a night—that was so cute. Being in business for myself really taught me I need to be very diligent in pursuing a good night’s sleep. Running your own business often means you are the accountant, designer, engineer, maker, marketer, website developer and assistant (and more depending on the day). When can you fit sleep into that? You do however, have more flexibility when you are running the show so, I have gotten better at finding my 8 hours.
What apps do you use to keep yourself organized?
I am a freak about Instagram. I love it because it is a walking portfolio for me and a place to connect with other artists. I also love the Squarespace (website hosting platform) apps that have recently come out. They help keep me super organized. Also, apps like Mail Chimp are really cool. They allow you to reach your audience by email. In addition, I usually have some app running with a to-do list on it.
How can we find your business?
You can find my work and show schedule on my website at www.soulsrepurpose.com, on Instagram @soulsrepurpose and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/soulsrepurpose/.
