10 Questions with Ivy and Gold

Ivy and Gold founder Erinn Louise Kerr

Ivy and Gold started as an outlet for Erinn while she navigated becoming a mum to a daughter with Cystic Fibrosis during a global pandemic. Erinn left her job as a journalist to go on maternity leave with no idea what was in store for the first year of her baby’s life.

After deciding to start her jewellery brand Ivy and Gold she has turned her side hustle into a full-time business. We caught up with Erinn to find out all about her and her booming business empire.

Read – 5 Ethical & Sustainable Jewellery Brands You Will Want to Know About

1 Where did the idea to make jewellery come from? 

So after I had Ivy in Sept 2019 I followed a few American accounts on Instagram who had shared bracelets with their baby’s names on them. I considered ordering from one of the many American websites that I found selling them, but I was concerned about postage and customs cots so I decided not to.

I then went looking on Etsy and google for similar bracelet styles being sold from the UK or European sites and couldn’t find any. That’s when I decided to try making them myself. It began as something for me to do while Ivy napped or after she went to bed at night and was really therapeutic for me. Ivy was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was just a couple of weeks old and I was, naturally, really affected by the news.

It was a complete shock and I found myself really anxious about her health and how we would cope with her care, so having the distraction of making bracelets was great. When Covid hit my anxiety went into overdrive and I was really grateful to have something to take my mind off it.

2 When did you first start thinking this could be a new career and a money-making business? 

I was due to go back to work in October 2020, 8 months after I started Ivy & Gold, it was getting busier all the time and we were coming into the Christmas season. I was also still really worried about returning to the office, leaving Ivy for pretty much the first time as we’d been shielding her for most of her life. 

I didn’t see it so much as a money-making business as a way to stay at home, which was still very much what we were being advised to do. My work offered me a career break for a year and the first Christmas at Ivy and Gold was CRAZY. It was just me doing everything, making every bracelet, handwriting every envelope and doing all the social media and doing all the email marketing. I had a pretty good idea then that I would be able to make a new career out of the business.

3 How did it feel to leave your job in journalism to pursue this as a career? 

Honestly, it didn’t feel good. I am not a natural risk taker and was very happy with my salary, pension and benefits. I had also worked extremely hard to get to where I was – a senior journalist at the BBC from the age of 28, so I didn’t walk away lightly.

I cried my eyes out the day I handed in my letter of resignation because I knew I would miss the work and my colleagues but if the last two years had taught me anything it was that you just didn’t know what was around the corner. 

4 If it wasn’t for lockdown what do you think you would be doing now? 

I think I would be back working at the BBC definitely. I don’t think I would have had the time or energy to throw into Ivy & Gold if we hadn’t been sort of forced into staying at home and doing very little else.

Read – How to Create an Elegant Capsule Jewellery Wardrobe.

5 What does sustainability mean to you and how is your business making a difference?

All of our packagings is plastic free and we recycle as much of our waste as possible within the supply chain and the shop.

6 Can you tell us about the process of making jewellery, do you design and make everything?

I do design and make all the bracelets, but some of the other products, like the birth flower necklaces and earrings are bought wholesale.

7 As well as jewellery you have greeting cards, Do you have any plans to make any other products? 

I absolutely love our card range, we worked with a really special designer called Sophie Magern to create the cards exclusively for us. We also had a tote bag, but that has now sold out. I don’t have any plans to move into any other product ranges at the minute.

8 What is your best advice to someone thinking of starting their own business?

Just give it a go, if you can try as much of it as possible before leaving your job (if you have one) maternity leave is such an amazing opportunity to do this and I know so many other women who also started their businesses on maternity leave. 

Read – 6 Ways to Easily Prepare for a New Baby

9 Being a mum is hard, how do you stay motivated?

Being a mum is harder than running a business, 100%. I think I’ve managed to create a great balance between the two which helps me stay motivated in both roles. I work in the office 3 days a week and the rest of the time I’m with my daughter. I would find working full-time or being a full-time mum equally difficult. 

10 What can we expect to see from Ivy and Gold over the next few years?

Honestly, I don’t have a plan. I am pregnant and going to have my next baby (all being well) in the new year, so I will be taking a bit of a step back from things for a while. Thankfully I have an amazing team of women working with me who can manage the day-to-day running of the business in my absence.

We haven’t had a plan so far and things have worked out quite well. My aim for this year was to move into the events space and we have succeeded in having a wonderful year of hen dos and workshops. My plan for next year is just to survive with a newborn, a toddler and a business.

Follow – @ivyandgolduk

Shop – Ivy & Gold

By Natalie Dixon [Editor]