Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonnie Blackburn.
Hi Bonnie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I started this business out of desperation. I had a one-year-old baby and a mortgage and found myself the sole provider for my family. I needed a way to find income fast so I started Hey June as a side hustle. It started out as just birthstone necklaces. I often say this business was born in desperation and grew in desperation. Through a divorce and single momhood I felt like I had no choice but to make this business succeed. I worked nights, weekends, nap times, and preschool times so I could be there around my young kids’ schedules. I had zero business training or education but I knew how to keep working.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Biggest obstacles:
Letting go of control
The emotional wear of living a lot of life on social media or on a screen. The social media aspect of online sells is a beast!
Spending money in order to make money. So hard to trust that that money will come back to you.
Hiring- finding people who love this business as their own and not rushing to hiring decisions out of desperation.
Division of labor and assigning out tasks- not in my natural brainspace at all to know how to divide the labor of a business. The fact that we have customer service, design, and fulfillment all as separate jobs completely blows my mind.
Being a boss! Not my natural skillset at all. I like to be left alone to do my own thing and I like to leave people alone to do their own thing. Turns out they need guidance from me!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Dainty, minimalist jewelry!
Jewelry you can sleep in comfortably and that you don’t have to take out to shower or sleep in. It is “nappable” jewelry for busy women. The purpose is to be able to put your earrings in, your necklace on, and not think about them again for MONTHS and know they look good and will wear well. And we do it at a very affordable price point, often lower in price than the competitor’s price for a lesser quality metal.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Trying the product and letting friends and family know where you got those cute earrings!
Pricing:
- Earrings- $14-30
- Necklaces: $30-50
- Bracelets: $18-25
- Rings: $14-30
Contact Info:
- Website: shopheyjune.com
- Instagram: @shopheyjune
