Throughout this pandemic, women are becoming their own entrepreneurs. Two of my friends, Jaclyn Kaplan and Molly Goldberg, sell gender-neutral mask chains and pins/earrings with celebrities faces on them! Below are my interviews with the two of them.
Now we are getting closer to the holiday season, I suggest that you buy from small businesses. Remember to support Women Entrepreneurs this holiday season!
Meet Molly Goldberg, Owner of Faces On Faces, and One of My Favorite Women Entrepreneurs!
Meet Molly Goldberg, a New York-based costume designer and freelance graphic designer. If you want to learn more about Faces n Faces, visit @Faces_On_Faces on Instagram or the Etsy store where you can buy Faces On Faces for yourself!
For my birthday last year, Molly made me a pin with Zachary Levi’s face on it. She’s one of the most go-getter people I know and a women entrepreneur in my life who continues to inspire me!
1. Tell me about your interest in fashion/jewelry and where you are from!
I’m from Long Island, but I always insist people know I was born in Queens. I’ve always been interested in fashion and jewelry, and I think that came from me being small. I always had to find my style in the children’s section, regardless of how old I was, so I had to make it work! The jewelry part came in when I got my ears pierced, and I went wild at Claire’s.
2. Where did the idea for Faces On Faces come from?
The idea came to me when I saw a pair of teeny Ryan Gosling earrings on some internet store, and I realized A. They should be bigger and B. Everybody loves Ryan Gosling. But there should be more celebrity options. I started doing characters from Parks and Rec, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, etc. Lots of theatre faves in there.
3. What are the challenges/best parts of being a women entrepreneur?
Luckily for me, because I’m an online shop, I haven’t had any problems arise specifically because no one needs to know what gender I am. I will say, I noticed when I talk to men about my business, I just get “oh that’s cute” and I don’t feel taken as seriously. In general, I love adding to the statistics of women shop owners, it feels special.
Take Women Entrepreneurs Seriously!
4. Walk me through making the Faces on Faces!
The process is pretty simple so I’m going to keep it to myself in order to stay in business. One thing I love about my business though is that people can request something custom, so that certainly keeps things interesting. Instead of reaching into my drawer of Ellen DeGeneres’ face, I get to make earrings of someone’s dog!
5. How do you grow your business?
A lot of word of mouth, but also social media is very important. I just started an Instagram after years of being on Etsy, and I definitely think that helped. We gotta keep up with the times!
6. What is your favorite story of someone receiving your products? Any cool shoutouts?
So one time, a lady ordered a pair of John Mulaney earrings and received them within a few days. Then, I got another order from her with a comment saying “my dog ate the earrings!” I felt so bad for her and the dog.
So for the second order, I made sure to include some dog treats. They were so appreciative, and they left a great review on my shop.
Also, my favorite shout-out has been from Zach Braff! He’s posted about my earrings of his face three times!
Meet Jaclyn Kaplan, one of the newest Women Entrepreneurs and the owner of DW Bead Happy Shop!
Meet Jaclyn Kaplan. Her general-neutral face masks chains have been on Buzzfeed in these two articles!
If you want to buy a mask from her, the Instagram handle is @dw.beadhappy, the Facebook page is @DWBeadHappyShop, and her Etsy shop to buy is DWBeadHappyShop. Check out her story of becoming one of the newest women Entrepreneurs below!
1. Tell me about what made you interested in starting a business during COVID19! What made you start making mask chains?
In the early summer, when the world started re-opening, it became clear that things were not going to return to normal any time soon. Adjusting to the new normal meant wearing masks was a necessary precaution. As I started going to restaurants or seeing friends and family again, I noticed people dropping masks, placing them on dirty tables, or forgetting them altogether.
So I wanted to re-imagine masks as a funky accessory in order to change the narrative of mask-wearing among my family and friends, to make it more appealing. From this thought, my Face Mask Necklaces were born. It soon became clear to me that this would be a great business opportunity to start in my spare time, and I launched the DW Bead Happy Shop.
2. Have you always been interested in jewelry making as a hobby? What do you do outside of making mask chains?
While I am a practicing attorney, I was a PR intern for a jewelry company that sold to high-end retail stores, and I had a few other fashion/media internships while in college at NYU. This gave me market knowledge. I have always been crafty, and quarantining gave me the time to nurture my creative side.
Accessibility Is The Key!
3. What is the easiest and hardest part about making the mask chains?
The hardest part is developing new versatile styles that are accessible to all clients. My customers are from all over the United States. Some are teachers wearing Mask Necklaces at school. Some are doctors wearing them in hospitals, and others are restaurant servers.
Each customer may require a different look or functionality of the Mask Necklace. For this reason, we have adapted in ways like using stretch cord (which makes the Mask Necklaces more sturdy). Also, all of our Mask Necklaces have either an “O” or a large alligator clasp to fit around any mask (from N-95s to homemade cloth masks).
You Can Make Your Mask Chains As Customizable As You Want!
4. How customizable can you make a mask chain?
I love it when customers reach out to me through the Etsy Shop or Instagram Direct Message asking for something specific. We have a large stock of beads, chains, and charms. What we do not have in stock, we usually can order!
On our website, we have over 30 different styles, and most of them can be customized with the customer’s name or initials. Sometimes clients will also add a saying or sentiment.
Use Social Media To Utilize The Customer Relationship
5. How do you get your customers?
Through Etsy, Instagram, Facebook, and our email server. We have been featured in two Buzzfeed articles and have several brand Ambassadors as well!
6. What is your favorite part about having your own business?
Being able to control the direction of the business has been very rewarding. I have been able to build in a charity component to the company’s business model and create fundraisers for causes near and dear to me. During the month of October, we have created a limited-edition face mask necklace, and a portion of the sale proceeds are being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. For the holidays, we are working on a project with a local face mask designer who donates proceeds toward childhood cancer relief.
7. Who are your women entrepreneurs idols? What inspires their work inspires you?
I admire Sara Blakely, the inventor of Spanx, for her ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit. I think that any small business owner, especially small brick and mortar shop owners, in the post-Covid world, is incredibly inspiring.
Other Fun Facts
- We ship internationally.
- We will be launching holiday bundles in early November (handmade masks + necklaces) that are the PERFECT holiday gifts!
- Our Mask Necklaces are recommended for anyone ages 3 and up!
- We have unisex options including our Leather Mask Necklaces (also included a picture of this one).
