Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Frank.
Christina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
There’s so much that I can say that has got me to where I am today, but this all truly started in middle school. When I was in 8th grade, I started to develop an interest in volleyball and I started to play that year and played my freshman year at Summerville High School. As 10th grade was approaching, I was going back and forth trying to decide if I wanted to continue playing. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, the program was amazing, the players were great, and the coaching was great, but I didn’t know if it was for me. During this time, I started spending a lot of time thinking about my purpose in life and where I am supposed to be. Little did I know, that deciding to stop volleyball caused a new door to be open in my life that changed me. I started my business, Joy Beads. A few months after I decided not to play, the pandemic began. I was spending a lot of time at home; I wasn’t going out much and I had a desire to start making money someway without having to work for someone else. After spending days praying and waiting to see what it is I could do that’s when the idea of beaded bracelets came to me. During this time, I started to discover a desire for business that was in me. I love creating, designing, and being my own boss. This business has played a huge role in who I am today. I have tapped into a creative side of me that I didn’t know was there. I have been shown the positive things about myself and also the area in which I need to grow. I started my business in my room when I was a sixteen-year-old in high school, making money like I never thought I could at my age.
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?
I believe with every business, there come challenges. In the beginning stage of my business, everything was going great, I was getting orders every day, having to close at times because I had so many orders, my social media was growing every day, and I had no complaints. As time went on, I started to notice that progress wasn’t consistent at times. Instead of increasing, I felt like I was decreasing. Before I realized it, it started to affect me. I started feeling like my business was a mistake, what I was doing wasn’t good enough anymore. I then had a point in my business where my main page was hacked two years into my business. I lost all of my followers, content, and contact with my consistent customers. With all of this happening, I didn’t know what to do. As my business would slow down, I would slow down. I would post less, and orders declined. I would go days without posting because I would be so discouraged.
It’s always good to surround yourself with someone who will pick you up and not allow you to fail. Encouraging you to keep going even if you feel like you have nothing to work for. After days of not posting, I had a wake-up call. I refused to let the business that I believe God gave me fail. In my room, one night I prayed and I repented to God for not running my business the way I’m supposed to and for allowing difficult times to discourage me. I decided to get back to posting every day, sharing posts no matter the circumstances. I decided to start rebuilding my page again and allowing it to be an opportunity to improve my business.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Joy Beads Bracelets?
I create beaded bracelets for both men and women! The goal of my business is to spread joy throughout every piece that I sell whether that means including a name, a saying, a scripture, or even a specific color, whatever is special to my customer it is my job to display that through the bracelet. I have heard stories from various customers about the impact my bracelet has had on them whether it changed their mood, gave them a positive reminder during the day, or it has a special meaning to them.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
One of the most effective things that I do to help me when I’m facing a challenging day, I put on worship music and read my bible. I find such peace and happiness whenever I am spending time with God. I enjoy going to church. I enjoy being around positive people. I enjoy, dressing up, pasta, burgers, going to beautiful sites, amusement parks, nice drives, going out with my friends, and working out. I love my church family and of course, my immediate family, which is loving and supportive of everything I do. I love encouraging people, helping them with positive advice, and putting a smile on their faces.
Pricing:
- Single Bracelet – $10
- Two Bracelets – $18
- Three Bracelets – $25
- Four Bracelets – $32
- Wholesale – $15 Each
Contact Info:
- Email: joybeadss@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joybeadsbracelets/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057314505193
Image Credits
Christina Frank
