Work Like a Charm

Shaping the tiny sprinkles on the miniature clay doughnut, Natalie Mercado quickly smooths the surface of the clay and lightly packs on the acrylic paint. Adding the final touches to the carefully crafted charms and tightly knotted necklaces, sophomore entrepreneurs Natalie Mercado and Grete Hamic prepare each of their necklace and charm bracelet orders.

On Nov.14, these two girls set off on a journey to start a jewelry-making business in which they would donate 50 percent of their profit to Williamson County Animal Shelter. Mercado specializes in handcrafted charm bracelets from polymer clay while Hamic is in charge of the beaded chokers.

They find their supplies at local craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and sometimes on Amazon. They buy all types of cord for the chokers, along with beads and sometimes charms to allow the customers to personalize their jewelry.

“We started with flying colors,” Mercado said. “But we have slowed down a bit due to school and extracurricular activities. We use each other for advertisement but don’t make it a big deal since we don’t have time to go big. The hardest thing is finding the time to make our products. We both very busy with school work and extracurricular activities that finding the time to make our products can be very challenging.”

The newcomers of business are learning along the way the challenges and benefits of running a partnership while juggling their everyday lives. Mercado and Hamic actively participate in soccer and school making it difficult for them to take their business even further. The two friends have developed a mutual partnership in both creating and distributing products while also handling the money.

“We do not have any experience in starting a business,” Mercado said. “We are just crafty people creating things we like. When starting a business make sure you do what you love, don’t do things that won’t make you happy just for the sake of money, because nothing comes out of that. When doing a partner business like we are doing make sure that all payments are carefully appointed and that you both agree on everything since partner businesses lead to fights. What’s most important is to keep your friendship and not to let anything break that bond.”

The bracelets have about five to 15 handmade charms and the bracelets range from a singular white pearl to your initial with custom colored beads. The charm bracelets range from $10-$20 depending on the amount of charms and any special orders. Custom charms are available if requested, but there are a box of pre-made charms ready to select from. The chokers range from $5-$10 depending of the type of material and how complicated they are. Business days range from two to three days depending on how much business they have.

“My product is a charm bracelet filled with handmade charms made from polymer clay, which you could easily get at a local craft store,” Mercado said. “Grete’s product are chokers also handmade from materials of a local craft store and online. The product was created so that we can start a charity in which we donate 50 percent of our profit to the animal shelter.”

In order to keep track of money and supplies Mercado and Hamic have developed a system that best benefits the customer where they use index cards as receipts. They write down what they want on the front and put the pricing on the cards so when they make the product they know exactly what the customers want. They then deliver the finished product to them with the receipt in the plastic bag.

“We make each charm by carefully crafting the product to the customers satisfaction and finish it with a eye pin on top,” Mercado said. “Which we use to add a jump ring on it and place it on the charm bracelet. We make each choker by meticulously placing beads and knots on the perfect spot to create a beautiful necklace. We have no access to charm making places so we just do it at home.”

It is Christmas season, and bracelets and necklaces are a common gift for girls. Many customers have bought multiple bracelets and necklaces for others getting, a head start on their shopping.

“These products work very well as gifts of any sort,” Mercado said. “Since you can customize the bracelet/choker to fit one’s personality, they’re amazing as Christmas gifts since there are Christmas-inspired charms and chokers.”

The partnership started off with a bang, providing financial support to the animal shelter. Based on how much traction they’ve gained, it’s a real possibility their business could go bigger.

“I’m not really worried where this business will take us, but more what it could do for all those animals in need,” Mercado said.