Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in jewelry but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Summer Yarbrough, co-owner of Rustic & Main, located in Huntersville, NC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are Summer and Mike Yarbrough, owners of Rustic & Main. Rustic & Main is a team of jewelry artisans, and generally amazing people, committed to crafting wooden, titanium, and gold wedding rings that tell a story.

At Rustic & Main, we believe in having small tokens as reminders of something that matters to us, that keeps us grounded, and that is rooted in the right things. Things like a pocket knife from your grandfather, china passed down from your grandmother, or a quilt made by your great-grandmother. These items of remembrance that are passed down from generation to generation serve as a reminder of the people and places we hold dear. That's why we do our best to capture our customer's stories in the wood and other materials we use in crafting our rings. To keep the story going and to make items of significance beyond just the material.

Most of the rings we sell are for weddings, but customers also purchase our rings for anniversary and fashion purposes. Our main demographic is 25 to 35 years old. However, we have plenty of couples in their 40s, and 50s purchase our rings to upgrade their current bands or for their second marriage. We see a wide variety of personalities from our brave military veterans, artsy individualist, and small-town USA folks purchasing our rings.

Tell us about yourself

Rustic & Main started as a fun little project for Mike, who needed an alternative to his traditional gold band. Shortly after launching two ring styles on Etsy, we figured out RM would be more than just a side hustle. Now it is seven years later, and we own two buildings and employ 28 people. We have several motivators to get up each day and plug away at small business ownership. One is we are just too individualistic to let anyone else other than each other be our bosses. The 26 other people who depend on us for a paycheck are another motivation. Lastly, we get to be part of someone's life story by creating a piece of art that they will cherish for a lifetime.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Hands down, surviving the COVID years. We had whiplash speed growth for the first couple of years until COVID hit. Several wedding-centric companies went under during this time. From the lockdowns, decrease in sales, and people trying to save money wherever they could, we had to pivot, pivot and pivot. We are glad to still be here, and we did not have to make significant cuts to our staff.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Any business owner could have a hard time separating work life from personal life. When you are married to the other owner of the business, this becomes a bigger issue. We try to set boundaries like once we pass the bedroom threshold, we are not allowed to bring up business anymore. We really appreciate our time away as your home can become just another place to talk business when you and your spouse work together.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Trust your owner's intuition but be willing to hear from others and test out new ideas.
  2. Value your business enough to hire great people. Hire slow, fire quickly.
  3. You establish the culture of your business. If you're not intentional about the culture and values, then you may end up with a well-intentioned monster.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://rusticandmain.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rusticandmain
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rusticandmain/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rusticandmain
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rusticandmain/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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