Weems herself is taking a practical, measured approach to assuming control of her business. “They have all their training, we have webinars, we have videos, we have product sheets that tell what the specifications are, what the selling points are.” The platform will also remember a jewelry bar guest list, track sales and maintain records. “This is where they’ll order their supplies,” Crossman said. Further strengthening its machine is a new IT platform that will give the company’s indepdendent “designers” more tools to run their own business (rather, sell Origami Owl’s products). Other additions also hold backgrounds in direct sales-Origami Owl’s bread and butter. Other hires include vice president of creative, Tom Rascati, whose past includes stints at Avon, Cutex, Ultra Beauty and Bond No.9. In her short tenure she’s hired several key people, including COO Kevin Raulston, an operations man with experience in direct sales, fast-growing companies and family businesses looking to go pro. The direct sales veteran seems to be building Origami Owl to scale. The family owns the company but the company will not disclose equity percentages.Ĭrossman, who had previously acted as a consultant with the company for several months early this year before becoming CEO in May, boasts a resume that includes Amway Global, Home Interiors, and The Longaberger Company. Other family members helping Bella Weems build her business are uncle, John Weems, who is vice president of IT and also an aunt, Jessica Reinhart, who has helped out in marketing. She was sentenced to one year of supervised probation). (Christian “Chrissy” Weems, has a touch of notoriety to her past: in 2011 she pleaded guilty to computer tampering for hiding evidence in the case of Susan Brock, an Arizona woman convicted of three counts of sexual conduct with a minor who Chrissy Weems had then mistakenly felt was innocent of the charges, a spokesperson for Origami Owl confirmed. The Origami Owl executive team includes Weems’ mother, Chrissy, who is co-founder and worked with her on the company’s product design team. Speaking of hustle, Weems is not alone in her jewelry business and has a cast of close family and business minds behind her. Continuing to maximize profits takes serious hustle. On the sellers end, it’s possible for designers to find that it more difficult to make money selling the jewelry after they’ve depleted their list of personal contacts and local boutiques. According to CEO Robin Crossman, employee numbers fluctuate tend to fluctuate. Though the firm won’t disclose profit margins, as of this writing there about 373 employees, the majority of which work in warehousing (the firm just set up an 80,000 square foot facility in Chandler where components from China are assembled before shipping). The growth for Origami Owl is dramatic and its revenues impressive but those figures are tempered by the company’s need for components and a large personnel roster to keep business flowing. The following year revenue took off like a rocket, multiplying 86 times. The company adopted the direct sales platform in 2011 and generated about $280,000. The product started selling itself.” In 2010 Weems opened a kiosk at the Chandler, Arizona mall in time for Black Friday shoppers. “We started selling our product at house parties and boutiques and selling at any jewelry show we could. She quickly leveraged her network of friends to find buyers. “The locket’s been around for a long time and I thought, ‘well, what if you could make a locket with charms?’” Weems asked her parents to match the $350 she’d earned for babysitting, which she then spent on wholesale components to make her lockets. “I started researching and looking for ideas,” she told FORBES. That motivation is really what got Weems herself started in the first place.Īt 14 Weems announced that she felt a car would be an appropriate gift for her 16 th birthday, but was told by her parents, Chrissy and Warren, that she should earn her own wheels instead of relying on their funding. Photography by Stephanie Martyn and Elisabeth Lariviere.In a sense, what Origami Owl is offering is a canned small business that could appeal to would-be entrepreneurs interested in making a few extra dollars. Upside-down V: Smooth side facing out (These pieces will not be visible when the structure is complete since they serve as a foundation for the structure to be built on)Įxcerpted from 3D Origami Fun!: 25 Fantastic, Foldable Paper Projects by Stephanie Martyn. The finished 2.5" tall Owl’s ears and nose add to her silly temperament. This woodland creature is very popular in kids’ gear now, and this design is perfect for fall or Halloween decor, either for everyday use or for a party. Sure, owls found in nature aren’t bright blue and neon pink, but sometimes it’s fun to mix things up.
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