Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Frechmann.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I am a former kindergarten teacher turned pharmaceutical sales rep and stay-at-home mom to my miracle baby (BEST “job” by far). I am also a proud bonus mom to 3 fabulous kids and am married to the most incredible dude ever. Life is perfect chaos! I started this adventure in March of 2020 when life as we know it came to a screeching halt, and we were immediately forced to be at home 24/7 with our loved ones. But amongst the lockdown lunacies, a beautiful thing emerged. My stepdaughters wanted to start crafting and making bracelets with me. I got so excited about something we could do together that would allow us to bond even more that I whipped out my credit card and swiped it on supplies so fast that I got a call from Capital One asking if my card was stolen. We worked on bracelets and laughed. We worked on earrings and gossiped. We made pretty things for ourselves and our friends. Eventually, they got bored and stopped making them like most teenagers. I still needed something to do with my hands so I wouldn’t go crazy during the lockdown. People messaged me asking me to make them things, and I kept saying yes, and the rest is history! Over the past 3 and a half years, Brixx & Stones has evolved and shifted focus from bracelets to a larger variety of other handmade accessories like our bestselling kids and adults sunglasses.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Business life has had its share of ups and downs. But one thing I learned in pharmaceutical sales is that you “never let your highs get too high, or your lows get too low,” which means being consistent. Do not sometimes try to chase the latest trend or do too many things simultaneously.
Thanks for sharing that. Please tell us more about your work.
Currently, I specialize in personalized sparkly sunglasses for all ages! Starting off designing and making bracelets was a significant jump-start for me because it taught me the fundamentals of business and creating, as well as patience and understanding. Eventually, though, I wanted to do something different. The bracelet market was becoming highly saturated, and I wanted to set myself apart. One day, I decided to make a few sunglasses for my niece, Eva June, which turned into pairs for all of my girlfriend’s kids. And it eventually became my thing! I slowly moved away from jewelry and into the rhinestone world. After some time, I did my first bridal pair of sunglasses for a wedding, and that was the start of something bigger than I ever could have imagined. I am most proud of the sunnies I designed for the Eagles coach’s wives & kids for the Superbowl last year! It was an honor to be contacted and asked to make them for such a momentous occasion in their lives.
We’d love to hear about what you think about risk-taking.
I am cautious about big decisions regarding what I will make/sell. But I am also fearless in trying something new and seeing how it goes before writing it off completely. If I had never branched out from jewelry to making sunglasses, I would never be where I am today. Risks and vulnerability are a necessity when designing for your small business. You never know where it could take you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brixxandstones.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brixxandstones/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Brixx-Stones/100064202975314/
