Today we’d like to introduce you to Misha Hillstrom.
Hi Misha, can you briefly walk us through your story? How you started and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Texas (Plano & Richardson specifically) and then went on to get my teaching degree at the University of Oklahoma. After graduating, I moved back to Texas, where I began my teaching career in my hometown. I taught kindergarten, first grade, and third grade for 14 years before “retiring” and becoming a stay-at-home mom in 2018. At that time, my girls were 2 and 5 years old, so I was in the beginning phases of needing gift ideas for my girls’ teachers. Throughout my teaching career, I loved receiving personalized gifts, so now that I had my own kids plus a little extra time on my hands, I decided to start personalizing their teachers’ gifts. I dabbled in making all sorts of personalized items from monogrammed tumblers, teacher tags, and picture frames to making personalized bracelets for teacher gifts. That then lead me to making bracelets for myself, friends, and family, and soon found that even complete strangers were interested in my bracelets. From there, I kept feeling the nudge to put myself out there and start my own small business, so in October of 2023, I took the plunge and launched my new custom jewelry business, October Butterflies. It was not without a lot of prayer, guidance, support, and faith in the process that got me to that point.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Although it hasn’t always been a smooth road (in the short 6 months I have been in the business), it has definitely been an exhilarating experience, and I wouldn’t want to exchange any part of it. Soon after I launched the business, we were diving headfirst into the holidays, so the two scenarios combined made for some long days and late nights. I was trying to not only learn the ropes of how a business should operate while continuing to design and create new collections, but I was also trying to stay caught up with my orders, all while still being present as a mom and wife. When it comes to my work ethic, I have always strived to give 110%, so I was determined to make and ship out every order within a day or two of receiving them, even if that meant staying up at all hours to get them made. This was on top of making the time to personally work with every customer to either pinpoint which bracelets they wanted to combine from my collections or design and create new designs based on what my customers envisioned. I was barely one month into starting my own business when the holidays came and had only launched my business through social media, and because of those factors, I went into the holidays with a lot of unknowns on how many people would actually end up purchasing my bracelets; after all, most of my business was coming from word of mouth. By the time it was all said and done after the rush of the holidays, I was down to just enough beads to produce only a few bracelets from some of my top-selling collections. I was truly blown away by the outpouring of love and support I was receiving from so many customers. It was a true blessing, in which I give God all the glory for the fast start and early success of my business.
We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, and what are you known for? What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I’m a small business owner based out of Plano, Texas, where I design and make custom bracelets specific to a buyer’s color, style, and size request. Every beaded bracelet I offer is handmade by me. I am always creating and adding more designs to my collections, but there are some classics that so many of my customers continue to come back for more of. I specialize in making bracelets that are not only gorgeous and high in quality but they are affordable as well. I have always been one that pays immense attention to detail, and I feel that trait has really been highlighted in my designs. Customers can either choose from my predesigned individual bracelets and stacks, or they can request for me to design one-of-a-kind bracelets that are custom to what they are wanting. When creating a new design, customers always get a preview of the final design prior to shipment to ensure that I’ve successfully carried out the customer’s vision and exceeded their expectations. It is such an honor to have customers that trust me in the creative process when designing these one-of-a-kind pieces.
Something that I am known for in my small business, I would say, hands down, is the excellent customer service I provide. As a former teacher, I have always loved helping and educating others, and that is something that comes naturally to me which fuels and fills my soul. Also, being that I taught the youngest most inquisitive minds, I am very accustom to answering a lot of questions with grace and patience, and I am always happy to spend as much time with a customer as necessary to be sure the design is right. For now, I only do sales online through social media, but what has been really great, if not surprising, is how I have made meaningful connections with customers through social media much more than I would have behind an online website. My customers have direct access to me with any and all questions they may have. What I have found to be the most rewarding is being able to build that trust and relationship with my customers. The more I get to know them, their style, and what they like, the more I am able to carry out their visions when designing their custom-made stacks. So many of these creations I am making for others don’t go without sweet and sentimental stories behind them. Whether they are in honor of someone who is no longer with them or for a special occasion such as a child’s baptism or sweet 16, almost all of these bracelets have a story behind their making, and for that, I feel honored to be a part of them.
I would say I am most proud of the quality of beads I can offer. I have spent an untold number of hours researching and sourcing the highest quality of beads, but it was well worth the time and effort. What I hear time and time again from my customers after receiving their bracelets is that they are blown away by the quality & beauty of my bracelets. I offer a variety of beaded bracelets made out of different materials, but my Golden Girls collection has been a part of my top sellers. All of the gold beads I use are made of 18k gold plated stainless steel with a weight to them that just feels and looks very luxurious. They are the highest of quality I have found through what felt like a never-ending trial phase. It is so rewarding and satisfying when all the research, trials, and errors pay off in the ability to produce the highest quality bracelets at an amazing price point.
What sets me apart from others is the wide variety of custom sizing I offer. One of the first times I ever made my own bracelets was after I had purchased some that were a one-size-fits-all kind of bracelet. It was your average standard size, but the size of my wrists are anything but standard. I instantly found myself cutting the bracelets apart and restringing them to fit my smaller wrists. As time progressed, I did start to see some stores (both storefronts and online) offering different sizes, but it was usually at a maximum of two different size options that still did not appropriately fit my wrists. At October Butterflies, I not only offer 4 adult sizes, but I also offer 4 children’s sizes as well, and even then, if needed, I can go smaller or bigger than my offered sizes. I want my customers to feel beautiful at any size and not feel the need to conform and settle on a size that is not fitting for them.
Additionally, I love being able to offer a variety of materials when designing and making my bracelets. Some of the most common materials I use are beads or accent pieces made out of quartz, onyx, magnesite turquoise, glass, wood, and jade. All of them have different qualities and textures while all reflecting the light differently which makes each type of material unique in itself. I am so thankful for each and every customer that has supported my small business, entrusting me to design and custom make their bracelets.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Gosh, I have so many wonderful childhood memories but if I had to pinpoint just one of them, it would probably be building an igloo with my family out of ice from our driveway after a random winter snow. Growing up in Texas, we didn’t get a ton of snow so when we did, it was a big and exciting deal…quite possibly why it’s a memory that stands out and comes to my mind. From a young age, I have loved anything crafty and hands-on, so when my dad had the idea to build the igloo, my sister and I were all in. Taking what was ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary was simply fascinating. As an adult, I still find myself loving the challenge of taking something that seems bland and ordinary and turning it into something beautiful and extraordinary, which might just be why I have a love for creating beautiful jewelry.
Pricing:
- $10-48 per bracelet
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/october_butterflies?igsh=c2xqeXFvcnFqY3l2&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551255963817&mibextid=LQQJ4d
