Sarah has been working in the jewelry industry for over 10 years and has been an athlete all her life. Her passion for fitness and jewelry design merged when she created Fashletics in early 2010. Fashletics is based in Miami, FL where Sarah also works as a CrossFit coach and trains for both CrossFit and Endurance Sport competitions. Sarah is a nationally ranked endurance athlete who has competed for Team USA at the World level in the sport of Duathlon. Ultimately, Fashletics is the result of the combination of two distinct interests. Sarah is as much an athlete as she is an artist. She takes pride in the craftsmanship of her designs and works hard creating jewelry pieces that celebrate and inspire the athlete within. Currently Sarah is building her jewelry and apparel collection and will be sponsoring a series of CrossFit events across the country including the CrossFit Games at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA where male and female athletes will compete for the title “Fittest on Earth”.
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
I graduated from the University of Michigan School of Art and Design where I studied Jewelry Design and Metalwork and Graphic Design. My experience at UofM provided me with a very wide variety of skills that are directly applicable to a career in the arts. I always knew I wanted to be a designer. I had my first experience working with metal while I was in high school and from that point on my focus was specifically on jewelry design. I also interned with and assisted a variety of jewelry designers and sculptors from the age of 16 until starting my first company at the age of 24. From these experiences I learned more about the business side of being an artist.
What was the “break point” or an AHA moment in your career that made you decide to start what you’re currently doing & how did you come up with that idea?
Before Fashletics I was building a different type of jewelry company entirely which had nothing to do with athletics. When I moved to Miami in 2006 I became very involved in Triathlon training and eventually CrossFit. My passion for fitness and training was reignited and I began spending a lot of time training, racing, coaching, and socializing with other athletes. Like the old saying goes, art imitates life. I have always been inspired to create based on what I love, what I am passionate about. In addition, my sporty friends began requesting custom jewelry to commemorate their races and athletic accomplishments. The more I made, the more people wanted. I decided that I would create a small collection, set up a booth at a local CrossFit event just to see how it would go. The response was incredible and I knew then that I was really on to something. The positive feedback and the success of this first show inspired me to take this idea to the next level. Prior to the event I had set up a simple website which helped continue the momentum of the business.
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you made and what did you learn?
So much of running my business has been trial and error. While my education in art has been incredibly helpful, I have no formal training in business. I am a pretty cautious person so luckily I have avoided any horrific mistakes. That being said, I have definitely had my fair share of trips and stumbles along the way. I’ve learned that it is okay to make mistakes, and more importantly, I have learned that just because you have never been taught how to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Like I said, I am cautious by nature but I have learned that sometimes you have to run right at something full steam ahead without over-thinking it and without knowing exactly how it’s going to work out. I have learned that sometimes I just need trust my instincts rather than facts or logic.
What is one accomplishment that you are extremely proud of?
Qualifying for, training for, and completing the ITU Duathlon World Championship race in Edinburgh Scotland (2010). I qualified for both the 2009 and the 2010 World Championships but in 2009 I got hit by a car while cycling just two weeks before the race. I was unable to compete and not to mention completely heartbroken. I had been training for almost a year for what would have been the most important race of my life. I had a CAT scan after the accident and although I didn’t have any broken bones, the Dr. did find a series of masses on my thyroid that would have to be biopsied. Luckily the masses were benign but I would still have to have surgery to remove half of my thyroid. My surgery was in January and the qualifier for the next World Championships race was in April. I would have about three months to recover and get back to training. Weeks without training felt like years but eventually I was back on my feet (and bike). The surgery left scar tissue in my throat and a partially paralyzed vocal cord compromised my breathing… something you really don’t want to be compromised during a 2 hour+ race. In spite of my shortened training season and recovery from surgery I qualified for the World Championships for the second time. It wasn’t even the actual race or the Team USA uniform that made me so proud, it was the whole journey; the good parts and the bad that made cycling and running through the hills of Edinburgh one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life.
Another big accomplishment is that this year we put on the second annual Heraean Games – an all female CrossFit competition. This was an idea I came up with last year and when I brought it up to the owners of my CrossFit box they were immediately on board. The goal is to provide an opportunity for women to compete in a different type of environment; same grueling workouts but with the spotlight on women. We wanted to celebrate strong women and do something that might encourage even more women to compete and put there strength to the ultimate test. In 2011 we had about 35 women compete in the first ever Heraean Games. In 2012 we had over 100 women! It was unreal! The Heraean Game is by far one the greatest things to come out of Fashletics. It would not have been possible without the support of my CrossFit Affiliate (South Florida CrossFit Endurance) and the amazing women that competed. We are already planning for our Third Annual Heraean games in 2013!
What is your overall career goal? What do you want to accomplish that you haven’t already?
I want Fashletics to continue to grow as a business and as a lifestyle brand. Yes, it is important to me to sell products (that is of course how my business will survive). But it is also important that what I am doing makes a difference in other people’s lives.
Describe your typical day
I get up between 5:30 am 6:30am (depending on my coaching schedule) and head to the gym (South Florida CrossFit). I coach 2 classes and then do my own workout. I head back home for breakfast, to walk the dog, answer emails, and to print packing slips and shipping labels for the previous day’s orders. After that I head to the studio where we assemble, pack, and ship all the orders. I also may be working on new design products or custom pieces while at the studio. When all of the creative work is done for the day, I head back to my home office to handle any administrative duties, answer more emails, and of course… walk the dog again and start preparing a delicious and healthy dinner. Even though I have an office at home and an endless amount of work to do, I try very hard to balance my work and personal life. Being so involved in fitness has taught me the importance of taking care of my body and mind in order to not only be more efficient at my job but to also take the time to enjoy life. I work hard and I am passionate about what I do but I have learned how to NOT be a workaholic… and it wasn’t easy!
What advice can you offer to your readers regarding career and small business?
Just keep at it! If you believe in what you do and if you love what you do, don’t ever give up. It is not easy and it may not click right away but that does not mean you are failing. Fashletics has grown relatively quickly but I have 7 years of running a completely different (and much less successful business) behind me. I was often frustrated, and I often contemplated giving up and getting a “regular job” before achieving the success I have today. Each time I thought about quitting I asked myself “Is there any career or job that has the potential to make you as happy as you would be running your own jewelry company?” The answer was always 100% NO. Even in the hardest times, the prospect of success in the industry that I loved, and the allure of running my own company was always enough to inspire me to keep trying. I simply could not imagine doing anything other than running my own jewelry business. As it turned out, the type of jewelry business drastically changed from what I originally set out to do but I couldn’t be happier with where I have ended up. I think that is an important lesson too… it’s okay to change course, it’s okay to change your goal or your dream. It was hard for me to transition from one jewelry company to the next. In a way, I felt like I was quitting. But I wasn’t quitting, I was evolving. My interests had changed, my inspiration had changed, and I had to have the courage to change with it.
What skills and principles from being an athlete can you transfer to career and small business?
That “never give up attitude” is definitely something that I have the opportunity to practice every single day in my athletic training. The discipline, the goal setting, the work ethic… all of these are characteristics that apply to both athletics and business. I have also gained a tremendous amount of physical strength from athletic training which has given me more confidence in my professional life.
What do you do for fun & where do you get your Inspiration from?
Well, luckily many of the things I do for fun like designing and training are things that I get to do in my personal and business life. Outside of the obvious, I love spending time with the people I love, visiting new places, and traveling back to old familiar places like Michigan to visit my family. I am obsessed with the water and spent my entire childhood dreaming of living by the ocean (which I do now). I definitely enjoy taking advantage of the fact that I live three blocks from the ocean. I love running down the beach with my dog early in the morning and sitting seaside with my husband on the weekends. Stick me on the beach and I’m a happy camper!
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive? Include links, descriptions, reasons why you like them.
Square App – Lets you turn your iPad or iPhone into a credit card terminal. This is an amazing app/device that I use at the events where I am selling Fashletcs.
Garmin Forerunner
GPS enabled waterproof watch that tracks time, pace, distance for cycling, running, and swimming. You can also upload your training sessions to a personalized website and analyze the data in surprising detail. When I am training for a big race I keep track of all of my cycling and running workouts using this watch and the Garmin website. This is an amazing training tool. Kinda big and bulky (not cute!) but it provides great info.
Google Voice
This transcribes all my voicemails and sends them to me as a text and email. The website also holds a history of the recorder voicemails. The transcriptions are sometimes off but I can go to the website and listen to and archive all my voicemails. For some reason I prefer this to checking voicemail on my phone… which I hate!!
Contact:
Twitter: @fashletics
LinkedIn: Sarah Wilson
Website: www.fashletics.com
Facebook: Fashletics
SEE ALSO:
How to Build a Successful Yoga Studio with the Founder of RinaYoga – Rina Jakubowicz
How to Build a Successful Healthy Fast-Food Chain. Interview w/the Founder of Salad Creations – Jeff Levine
[Post Tags: how to empower and inspire people, fashletics, business and fitness, tips for personal growth, athletes]
From: http://www.moomkin.com/fashletics/
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