Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Ann Aerts.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2015, I was beginning the 13th year of my career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and I was feeling very lost. I wanted love in my life and my life was filled with much of the opposite. I attended an event that opened my eyes to a whole world I didn’t even know existed. The idea that I could create any reality I desired was so foreign to me. Even though at this point, I think back and it seems so logical, but having dedicated my life to a service with the FBI, I had felt like I was stuck there with no other options. It was at this event that I had the biggest AHA moment of my life. I knew I had to quit my job and leave that career behind me if I truly wanted to create love in my life. I knew I didn’t have a choice. I gave myself one year to prepare and to become confident and certain with my decision. I began creating self-love programs, affirmation processes and women’s retreats called LOVE. I decided I was dedicating the remaining years of my human life to spreading love to the entire world because LOVE is what will heal our world. Not the fear or hate or violence that so many, including myself, had been taught.
April 15, 2016, was my official last day of employment with the FBI. At that time, I was coaching women to love themselves fully, leading women’s retreats where the focus was self-love, and facilitating workshops for businesses. I really loved doing all of that and I had this intense feeling that I was forcing the work so much. It did not feel “easy” or in flow at all.
One day, I had helped friends make their own Mala’s and as they wore them, their friends began asking for them. And before long, I had several people reaching out to me asking if they could pay me to make them a Mala. And everything took off from there. It really felt so good to experience people reaching out to me, asking me to purchase a piece of my jewelry!
It felt so good and it kept happening with high volume, so I thought, this feels so good and this is how I want my business to feel. I decided to pause everything and focus solely on jewelry. And, it has been amazing. It has really expanded into so much more than I could have ever imagined when the journey began. To be honest, if someone would have told me as I was quitting my job with the FBI that I would be making jewelry, I would have laughed really hard! And, alas, here I am:)
The jewelry has expanded into my making custom design bracelets for coaches who have a client base. The coaches desire is to unite their clients together as they do personal development work so the group knows they are never alone. The group is united as a tribe through this common, unique piece of jewelry. It truly is amazing how powerful this can be.
The jewelry has also expanded into my learning to make cabochons and silversmithing. I am now commissioned to make a unique necklace pendants with a variety of raw stones, sterling silver and other materials.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has had an incredible amount of bumps along the way, and I know the bumps will continue! This is part of the journey and the ride.
One of the biggest struggles I have had is letting go of the belief that work has to be hard. I have always believed that the more you work and the harder you work, then the more money you will make. In fact, that is the only way you can make money. You must work more and hard. The truth is, there are ways to make things so much easier for yourself and on yourself! It doesn’t have to be hard if you don’t want it to be!
Another one of the biggest struggles I have had to handle is the concept of my personal worth. I have met many entrepreneurs along the way, and I find this is so common among us and I was definitely no exception. Deciding how much to charge for your personal things is weird! A good rule of thumb I have learned is whatever you feel is a good price, double that!
I have been encouraged by a few mentors to consider making a goal of annual revenue being $1 Million dollars, not to make the money, but because of the growth, I will experience in the process of becoming who I need to become in order to make $1 Million dollars. And, I completely comprehend this statement now. Money is all around us and it is easy to bring in. The challenge is doing what is required and becoming you necessary to bring this in. Anyone can do it. It truly is available to everyone.
Obviously, my mindset around money needed a lot of work in order to survive in the entrepreneurial world! Money is such an uncomfortable topic for so many and it is truly what handicaps so many people from doing their own business.
Lastly, a tough lesson I learned early on in this journey was that when you decide to make really big and drastic life changes, those changes can make other people really uncomfortable. It is important to remember that you are here to live your life and make the decision for you that work best. And, sometimes, the decisions that work best for you, won’t necessarily work within other people’s belief systems. And, that is okay.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I create healing jewelry through custom designed Malas, bracelets and sterling silver pendants. My specialty is creating a unique experience of helping people chose pieces that will heal their souls. I believe in all the healing powers of the natural gemstones and crystals. I believe that when we align our energy with the energy of the stones, that is when the healing can be experienced. I love the conversations I get to have with my clients. It is so much more than just purchasing a piece of jewelry. We dive pretty deep into a conversation because once they open up to me and share, I also tap into my intuition to truly understand what is going on for them and what they are experiencing. Based on what they share with me, I offer a few options and explain why I have chosen those specific pieces for them. And, there is always one of them where the client’s eyes light up and they are like, “YES, you hit the nail on the head!”
When I began this journey, it was my goal to spread love. My message is so big. Love is the answer. Love is the greatest healer. Love is what will shift our world. Love is what every person needs. Love is what our world as a whole needs, and it begins with each one of us. If we each took responsibility to heal our souls, our hearts, the world we lived in would be SO different. SO, the jewelry, for now, is my way of spreading love and spreading this message. What makes me feel proud is when I get messages from clients about how their piece of jewelry is helping them so much and how they can feel the love I’ve poured into their piece. I have had so many clients tell me how they felt so loved and cared for during their experience of purchasing jewelry from me. And that feels good to me to know that I am displaying the very thing I embody—LOVE.
What sets me apart is that I used to live in a VERY different world. When people learn my background and where I have come from, they take notice. They sit up. They listen. Because while I am a mermaid now, I covered her up for a long time and lived in a very black and white world. A world that is very different from the world I chose to live in now. I feel that for most people who meet me, I give them hope. Without much explanation, everyone understands the transformation I have had to go through in order to live the life I am choosing now. I believe it gives many people hope that they too can transform their lives if that’s a desire for them. I am very open and very willing to share anything about my past, so that makes it easy for people to feel comfortable with me and it helps them open up to me as well. It’s important to me that people feel safe sharing their own stories with me so I can help them chose the best healing jewelry.
Another aspect of me, I send out daily love notes to an email list! As I’ve mentioned, my vision is about spreading love and this is another way of doing that. My list has grown to over 2,200 people and it grows every day! The daily emails also have a quote from Rumi, which is centered around love and then I write a short, love note to add to Rumi’s message. The link to join this email list will be added.
What were you like growing up?
Looking back, I was always a free spirit, a creative soul and a gypsy! I always thought outside of the box and created wild and crazy things. I loved writing as a kid. In fact, my mom has these “books” I wrote for fun when I was really young. I loved painting and coloring. I was always quite expressive with my creativity. There was a time when I created my own candle line. There was a time when I painted furniture. I was doing up cycled long before it was a thing! I was spunky, weird, crazy and fun!!
Pricing:
- My Malas range from $118 – $225, based on the rareness of the stones. They are all handcrafted and designed by me.
- My Bracelets range from $30-$60, based on the rareness of the stones. They all have a “love” bead, because after all, everything is about love! And they all have four lava stones so you can add your essential oils!
- My silversmithing work is all done by request. The prices vary greatly. For anyone interested in exploring this, the best is to reach out and we can start the conversation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://saraann.love
- Phone: 262-893-1412
- Email: bealive04@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraann_love/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeAliveLLC/
- Other: https://mailchi.mp/4cd0dd75a88c/love-notes
Image Credit:
Abby Wilkes, Ashley Smith Strong
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