The WAHM Spot: The Spot Interview with: Lucky Accessories

Meet the Mom Behind Lucky Accessories

Who is Lucky Accessories and what sets you apart from other boutiques? Where are you located?
Lucky Accessories is designed and created by Kiona van Rhee-Wilson out of my home in downtown Raleigh NC. What sets me apart? That really is a question that I have to ask myself constantly as a mostly jewelry producing company. It is really hard to stand out with a medium that many talented people work with. This year has been a year of rediscovery and redirection. I started to design soldered pendant necklaces that used vintage wallpaper, and those caught on and became my best sellers before I knew it. When I noticed this I concentrated harder on expanding this design and less on my custom beaded designs and so far it has proven to be a good idea. They have been the product that really makes me stand apart from other jewelry designers and something people have begun to seek me for. It’s been a very rewarding experience after walking into so many walls trying to standout with custom beaded designs, but being able to only in a very limited spectrum.

How did you come up with your business name?
Unfortunately it’s named after my cat. I say unfortunately because it’s a terribly uncreative way to come up with a business name, and I consider myself to be a somewhat creative person, so every time I think about this fact I still feel like I could have done so much better. I honestly tried very hard to (think of) something else, but I quickly found out that my creativity is not present when it comes to words.

When and why did you decide to start your own business? How did you get started?
I had been wanting to be creative my entire life, but it took me a very long time to find an outlet for this creative urge. I had also never been able to envision myself in a ‘regular’ job, and often wondered where my life was going to take me knowing I had absolutely no idea what sort of ‘career path’ I wanted to take.

I moved to the US in 1996, and through my husband- who was my fiancée at the time- met a woman who was a jewelry designer and we became friends. At the time I had other work, but when that came to an end she asked me to work for her as a jewelry production assistant as she had been looking for additional help there. Long story short I worked for her for 8 years, climbing the small business ladder within her company while at the same time finding an incredible outlet for my creative itch. At the time I only dabbled around with making things just for fun, and didn’t even consider the idea of going into business with making jewelry as it seemed like a conflict of interest at the time. Towards the end of my time working there her company took a different direction around the same time that me and my husband welcomed our son into our lives. This combination of events gave me a feeling of freedom to get more serious about my designs and after testing the waters for about a year of selling my designs I took the plunge and made it official. Within a year of that I stopped working at home for the company I had worked for all that time, so that I could pursue my own business a full time venture in September 2005.

What motivates you to keep your business going?
There are several things that keep me motivated to keep me going. The two big ones are that 1- it’s given me the opportunity to work and make money from home, which has allowed me to not have to send our son into a daycare which has a lot of value to me. Secondly, the fact that I am my own boss and to see people appreciate and pay money for things that come from my head and hands is priceless.

Do you have a particular product that's unique, a best seller or that you are promoting on your site?
My soldered pendant necklaces with the vintage wallpaper, with the ‘little reminders’ as the top one are by far my best sellers. I believe from all the things I make they stand out the most, as there are a million crafters that make beaded jewelry so it’s incredibly hard to stand out in that arena.

How do you juggle family and work at home?
That’s one of my biggest challenges. If my inspiration and love for my business got its way I would be working on that around the clock. But over the years I have learned to fine-tune a somewhat set schedule that allows me to work on my business for only a certain amount of time every day, and then use the rest of the time being a mom and a wife without getting distracted by doing things for the business. That makes me sound like I prefer to do my work over being a mom and a wife, which is not true at all- but I think I enjoy the outlet the ever changing landscape of my business offers in addition to the often taxing and monotonous tasks of a mom. But I always have to be very conscious of keeping the two separate as the business can easily take over, which in turn will (make) me feel lousy as a mom and wife. It’s a delicate balance, but in those days I have them all perfectly figured out, I feel on top of the world.

What advice would you give to moms seeking to become a WAHM?
I would definitely highlight the need for creating that balance (between family and business) and following a set (but flexible) schedule that keep you from getting frustrated about the two overlapping and in turn getting you frustrated. Also be very ready for those days where the kid(s) just make it so that there it no time for business at all. Because that will happen.