Today we’d like to introduce you to Becca Webb.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
With the support and encouragement of family and friends, I began to pursue my dreams of owning my own creative business, Onyah Designs after a season of teaching art and coaching volleyball at a local private school. My Aunt Charlotte helped me get started and continues to help with finances while my Mom, Barb, is one of my biggest cheerleaders. Honestly, I wouldn’t have started if they both hadn’t pushed.
It has been a very slow and steady beginning, but I believe that was best. It gave me time to heal from a difficult season while at the same allowed me time to gain confidence and eventually, form a plan. Within time, I developed how to implement said plan, and muddled my way through social media and marketing and more. We set business up in 2012 and launched officially in 2013.
Onyah began business with vintage goods and our handmade body scrubs and aftershave along with varying home decor and gift items. It was a bit all over the place to tell you the truth, but I loved it! We were just another Etsy shop until I fell into jewelry making. Being on a bit of a budget, I made my Christmas gifts. I bought a pound of scrap leather from a local upholsterer, created a feather pattern and boom, I was making 10 to sell, then 50, then 100 and so on. I really enjoyed this jewelry making thing. I mean, I had studied in college but I did not take full advantage of my learning while there…it was a night class and it totally cut into my social time. But muscle memory is a real thing and eventually it all came flooding back to me and I honed my jewelry making skills and my design skills.
By 2015, onyahdesigns.com was established and I began to travel from market to market, holding Pop Up Shops and hosting Sip & Shops in my home. It wasn’t until 2017 that anyone would call Onyah a successful business. It took time but everything seems to have worked out as it should. And by the end of the year in 2017, Onyah’s wholesale site launched. You can shop Onyah online or in Round Rock, Tyler/ Longview, Houston Bay Area and at two local places, The Laughing Willow in Bishop Arts District and Houston Street Outfitters in Cedar Hill.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. There have been some struggles for sure. The biggest struggle would be the naysayers. At the beginning, I took everything personal and listened to the naysayers. I constantly battled discouragement. I had amazing people encouraging me every step of the way. Even though there were more encouragers than discouragers, I still allowed the negative to bring me down. It took me a while to learn how to ignore the negative.
Organization and inconsistency have been an issue. I’ll readily admit. As an artist, I found it was wise to ask for help, learn how develop my organized chaos and make it work and how important it is to be consistent. Consistent in pricing, consistent in branding, social media marketing and more. I have to settle on ideas instead of bouncing around from one thing to another.
Lastly, I never suggest to people to begin their business the way I did. I firmly believe you need to plan ahead and develop a business plan. That was a struggle. It’s important to know ahead of time your plans, your designs, your budget, and etc. However, if you have already started without all of this, don’t give up. Take a breath, settle down and develop a plan before you continue and ask for help. You can still do it!
Onyah Designs – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Onyah Designs specializes in our own jewelry designs and handmade goods. We also support and specialize in other handmade goods and fair trade goods such as jewelry and accessories, decor, bath and body, and candles. We sell online at onyahdesigns.com or at varying markets or Pop Up Shops.
We are known for our leather earrings. Although everyone makes leather earrings now, we keep going. I hand draw each pattern and design we use and hand cut each and every piece of leather for our earrings. No die cut machines for us! It makes our earrings fairly distinctive.
We use quality materials and wires. We work hard to make sure they are hypoallergenic, nickel and lead free.
Onyah also focuses on using sustainably or ethically sourced materials like our hand dyed wood, nut or seed beads, recycled african glass beads, our salvaged leather and natural materals like shell or hemp and etc.
As a company, I am really proud of how we are developing into more than just a company. We are slowly building a community of like minded makers who not only want to grow their small business and take it to the next level, but also desire to do what they do with a purpose.
One of my favorite things about Onyah is the opportunity to meet new people. I appreciate that I not only get to share my creations with them, but I also get to share life with them…to hear their stories and to know a little bit more about them each time I see them. I also appreciate how they have taught me how to be more supportive, encouraging, and how I can make my business better and better. It’s people supporting one another. Women supporting women in life and in business. Life is hard. We have all walked through difficult things and need to be more aware of this.
Plus, it is exciting to meet others who also have a desire to grow awareness of or want to learn more about fair trade practices as well as the importance of purchasing ethical and sustainably sourced materials and goods.
I think these relational aspects is one of the things that makes us stand out.
I think Onyah also stands out not only because Onyah is more than just a business but also because we (it takes everyone who helps me) keep working on improving quality and creativity. We plan on keeping everything handmade, to continue to use salvaged materials, ethically and sustainbly sourced materials and fair trade or vintage goods. We have a unique variety of goods because of this and are slowly developing more and more new designs.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of Onyah so far is when I began to see my jewelry on others all around town. I always want to say, “Hey! Nice earrings!” I have even seen them in towns hours away when travelling. So, that is also super exciting!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.onyahdesigns.com
- Email: onyahdesigns@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/onyahgoods
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/onyahgoods
Image Credit:
Kaitlin Michele Photography, Brushed Steel Photography, Brittney Burnett, Designsby3B.com
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