Jean Z. Poh
www.swoonery.com
facebook.com/jeanzpoh
What do you do/Who are you in the world?
I’m a CEO and founder of Swoonery, an online multi-brand, designer jewelry retailer that makes it easy for women to discover jewelry that reflects who they are and makes it easy for their significant other to find the perfect gift.
What made you go down this path? What motivates you the most to do what you do?
My family’s been in the jewelry industry for four generations. I was first a lawyer, a tech investor, and finally a jewelry designer. In the process, I saw the inefficiencies of the industry and how hard it was for people to find unique, well-made jewelry - both online and in-store. I realized that I had both the skill-set and the passion to change that.
What’s an important skill to practice on and off the job?
As a founder, you push for the impossible. And it’s easy to become disempowered when you don’t achieve that. So the skill I practice everyday is the balancing of my pursuit of the biggest future possible with the ability of being generous to myself as I grow and take pride in what I’ve accomplished so far.
What major struggles have you had to overcome on the path to who you are and what are you currently struggling with?
I got very comfortable learning anything that I need to know and figuring it out one way or another. I’m no longer afraid of feeling confronted by my shortcomings and I now relax into it knowing that everything is an opportunity for growth. What I’m working on now is realizing that all high-growth businesses are strapped for cash and shifting my experience of that so that it’s not about survival but rather about what I can accomplish powerfully from within that reality - shifting the context from survival to innovation.
What are your most favorite aspects of your career?
I get to build shit that doesn’t exist and I see and say what the future looks like... and that’s a little arrogant haha
What are the least favorite aspects?
Knowing what I can do if I had unlimited capital and not having it yet. Although it has made me resourceful af.
There’s nothing I wish I did differently and every mistake has made me who I am today. Four things I wish I learned earlier than I did:
1. Don’t spend money on marketing until you know it will lead to sales.
2. Native tech platforms (translation: custom built) are expensive to maintain so use out-of-the-box solutions whenever possible at least in the beginning.
3. Manage the result your team produces rather than the way they produce it.
4. Take care of the core of your business which is always you.
How do I even start networking/maintain professional relationships?
Don’t network. Find how you can add value to people you find interesting and who are doing what you want to be doing.
How do you define success/What makes you happy?
Doing things I like with people I love that have a positive impact on the world.
www.swoonery.com
facebook.com/jeanzpoh