Running a successful business is no child’s play.
False. It absolutely is!
To know better – we caught up with Adam Schnell, the incredible 15 year old founder of Windsor Diamonds.
Windsor’s a cutting-edge online jewelry store that came into existence during its founder’s 9th grade final business class project. Backed by attention to detail, handmade quality and personalized customer service – the Windsor jewelry expanse sets itself apart from the rest in the most artful of ways.
Ready to get inspired?
Read ahead to know better about the ins-and-outs of this teen-founded business!
Billion dollar idea : from imaginary buildings to real-world business –
I’ve always been interested in business and loved creating stuff. Ever since I could remember, I would be creating business ideas and scribbling them down. When I was around 12, I was introduced to the world of billion-dollar real statement development, and quickly fell in love with the idea of owning a real estate company.
I would go on Google Earth, find empty plots in NYC, and then draw imaginary buildings that I wanted to put there. Eventually, I realized that becoming a big-time real estate developer like that was pretty unrealistic, but I was still adamant about creating a business of some kind.
The what, how and when behind this thriving jewelry E-store :
I created the idea for Windsor during my business class final project, but did not decide to make it an actual thing until much later. It was late 2020 when I decided to turn my idea into an actual business. After a solid month of finding manufacturers, figuring out things like the logo, and deciding what I wanted Windsor to be, I finally got started on creating it.
The first days of my business were quite rough because I had to teach myself every aspect of starting a business from the ground up. Whether it was spending hours on end doing web design, finding a manufacturer, or using photoshop, I still enjoyed every part of it. One thing that I didn’t realize was how many tiny details go into making a business.
Prep work : The challenges that came in the way of Windsor’s course –
I made a list of things that I had to do before launching, and it just kept on growing and growing. Things as simple as picking out what color packing you want, can turn out to be way longer and more in depth than expected. Because of that, my advice to anyone who wants to start a business is to double, or even triple your original timeframe and cost estimates.
I think that the biggest challenge that I initially faced was getting things done right. I had no previous experience in web design, writing product descriptions, or doing SEO. I hired people to do that for me, but every time was a failure. The website, descriptions, and SEO were all very different from what I asked for even though I gave very specific instructions.
“ I learned very quickly that if you want to get something done right, then you need to do it yourself. “
What a day looks like for Adam –
The majority of my day is taken up by the school. However, as soon as I get home, I get started on running my business.
I respond to my emails or DMs, place orders with my manufacturer, and then work on marketing. Every day varies, but that is what I am usually doing. Recently, I’ve spent most of my time after-school on my next business endeavor, Tellurium Coin.
Windsor Diamonds is still a work in progress, but I’m already starting on the next thing.
“ I find that the best way to keep myself busy is by creating something: usually a business of some sort. “
How to score straight A’s in grade 9 business class –
For the final project in my 9th-grade business class, we had to create a company and then write an executive summary, marketing plan, etc. for it. I left it off until the last minute and then the idea of a jewelry company jumped into my head.
Before this, I bought a few diamonds just as investments and the love of jewelry runs in my family, so it seemed like the natural course of action.
As I made up the company on the spot, things just sort of fell into place. A lot of the things that I made up super quickly, like the name, slogan, and logo, I still use today.
This was also during the covid pandemic, so I wanted to find some way to keep myself busy while being home from school all day, so creating ideas for my business was how I spent most of my time.
Originality and personalisation : A love story –
I think the biggest difference between us and a larger jewelry brand, is our attention to detail and hand-made quality.
A lot of the big brands feel very copied and pasted. Their designs are generic, and the same with their packaging and overall customer experience.
Our packaging and jewelry are handmade, and you will always talk to a real person when you contact us.
Although we have become a much bigger brand than I could have ever anticipated, we still try to keep that small-business feel. We also include little things, like handwritten notes, which make customers feel a lot more connected with our brand.
“ I look forward to growing Windsor, my other little-big quests, and most importantly my drive to make entrepreneurship a more achievable possibility for teenagers like me. “
