NaNette Bucek has worked for herself since she was a teenager. As the oldest of nearly 50 grandchildren, she was born a leader. NaNette has been an entrepreneur for several years and her latest venture is very close to her heart- My Vintage Chic Jewelry. I’m excited to share the entrepreneurial wisdom of my cousin and hope to implement some of her advice listed in our interview below. I’m so proud of her for paving her own path! Enjoy!

1. You’ve had various businesses over the years. What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to step out and pursue their own thing?

Trust your gut!! Be willing to make sacrifices. Don’t give in to the “nay-sayers”. Go after that which moves you! I’ve always measured my success by my “happiness” level. Do what you love and love what you do…the rest will follow!

2. How did you develop the confidence and mindset to be an entrepreneur?

I grew up helping out and then managing my family’s Donut & Coffee Houses in Michigan, so I was able to use training wheels before I set out on my own path of opening and running my own coffee shop at the young age of 17. My experience as a child gave me the roots to support my own creative visions. Many people told me that I would fail because I was too young, that I should just go to college or get a more secure/safe job like GM (thank God I didn’t take that advice). I think my naivety in the situation actually worked in my favor. I believed I could do it, KNEW it would be a success or lead me to the next thing…

For example, I disliked the old standard of “smoking goes hand in hand with drinking coffee”. Note: this was in 1990, so people smoked freely everywhere- even in hospitals and planes!
I couldn’t stand how the passive smoke made me feel. It also ruined the deliciousness of the sweet smell of donuts and brewing coffee in the air. So I made the decision to make my shop “Non-smoking”.  MANY said this would absolutely be our downfall!! We did it anyway and ended up being THE very first “non-smoking” restaurant establishment in all of Genesee County. We made the cover of the Flint Journal!

Why is this important??

“Trusting my gut” and “not listening to nay-sayers” on this one big & very different idea actually ended up being a HUGE part of our success. And it paved the way for other business to try and do the same. It also gave me the confidence I needed to try other ground-breaking and different ideas both in my coffee shop and in future endeavors.

3. What have you learned about balancing career and family? Any advice?

I always knew that, most of all, I wanted to be a mother- to both have a family and the ability to provide for them without having to be away from home. As moms know, it takes some flexibility and sacrifices to be a stay-at-home parent. Knowing my first priority was to my children, I have always tried to carve out a life that I hoped would support my ability to be home with my children and still make an income. My children are my “why” and why I have always choose the life of an entrepreneur.

4. I love the story behind how My Vintage Chic Jewelry started. Can you share it and also share your favorite story about the history of one of your pieces?

MVCJ was born out of another business venture that most people now know as the 2008 Gold Rush- when gold climbed to a record of 1000 per ounce. Millions of people flocked to sell their jewelry, coins and more! I purchased thousands of pounds of unwanted gold and silver from many, many people around the country. Fun fact: I personally designed and built THE very first “We buy gold” website on the internet. I also hosted some of the very first “gold parties” at hundreds of homes and businesses. In doing so, I got an up-close view of some of the most beautiful jewelry. But I was sad to see all the memories, history and gift-giving just cast aside.

Most of what we purchased in the early days went to a precious metal refinery. It was to be melted and made into gold & silver bars and coins. In my several years as a purchaser, I ran across some timeless and irreplaceable vintage pieces that I just couldn’t bare to see destroyed or thrown away. Not all were gold, yet most were still artfully made with skill and pride.

I see jewelry as a history book of sorts. It represents an expression of whom we loved, where we have come from and to some extent where we are going. From the indulgent eras through the recessions, jewelry styles have adapted and changed as people’s incomes and lifestyles have changed. I have heard so many stories and listened to countless people agonizing over selling items of special meaning for cold hard cash. Not because they were heartless, but because they needed to pay a debt or get rid of a memory so they could move on from it (e.g., wedding bands and engagement rings).

I became a collector of memories and items I found beautiful. Before I knew it, the gold rush had ended and I had boxes of jewelry that I rescued and kept for wearing. After moving to Nashville with my then 13-year-old daughter, I, once again, needed a way to help support us and be a stay-at-home parent. As I was unpacking, I started going through my stashes of jewelry; smiling and crying remembering some of the stories behind the pieces. It all felt a bit overwhelming but I had enough “inventory,” and certainly the passion and know-how to start another business.

That day, I came up with the idea and name, “My Vintage Chic Jewelry”. I was working part-time at a family business and staying home selling pieces from my i Mac. It just worked! I did that successfully for about a year. Then I met the man of my dreams, got married, had a baby and was fortunate enough to solely be a homemaker. Fast forward 4 years and my littlest has started pre-k full-time and I have kicked the re-start button on MVCJ. And I’m enjoying every minute of it. I’m so excited to report that we just hit 50 sales on Etsy!!

One particular story that stands out involves a gentleman who inquired about selling some vintage costume jewelry. He had lovingly placed each piece into separate storage bags marked, “Momma” or “Grandmother”. I carefully began opening and inspecting them one by one. His eyes drifted off and I caught a tear roll down his cheek. I asked him if he was sure he was ready to part with them and he said, “Well not really, but I wasn’t ready to let go of Momma either but off she went. She caught the cancer”. He then pointed at the brooch I was holding in my hand and said, “She wore that one to church almost every Sunday. She had fancier ones in there (pointing to the bag) that she wore on special holidays like Easter and Christmas”. This particular brooch was a beautiful painted clay floral arrangement in a basket with a heart on the bow. He said his Daddy had given it to her on the day he was born. (Bleeding hearts unite!)

I admired it a long while, then carefully set it aside, knowing all the money in the world would not match his sentiment. Piece by piece the sweet stories kept coming. I told him, “I have so enjoyed meeting you and hearing all your lovely stories. I could pay you all the money I have to spend in the world and it just wouldn’t be enough. I cannot possible put a value on memories like this. I think maybe you should just hold onto them?” He said, “Little darling, in that case, you do me the honor and just take them. I have greatly enjoyed speaking with you and sharing these memories with you. As a matter of fact, I should be the one paying you! He patted me on the shoulder as he walked away he said, “I know you will find loving new homes for them all. And that brings peace to my heart”.

I have yet to bring myself to list or sell one piece. But I will never forget that day and the life stories he told as long as I live.

5. Any tips for selling online? What have you found to be most effective and helpful?

It’s a numbers game and the internet is vast and ever-changing. With other commitments and a demanding little guy at my heels, I let the size of the task distract and detour me for a couple months. It all made my then-hobby feel like it needed to be more of a business. I wasn’t quite prepared for putting in “all the work” then. But I pecked away at it a little at a time as I could. Educating myself more on my niche and on all the changes of the Etsy Marketplace. I also explored other avenues such as EBay, FaceBook Marketplace and more.

Etsy is my chosen marketplace because of my niche. It is a specialty market for makers and vintage business. Thus my inventory shines brighter and fits perfectly in a store front with them.
After deciding to “go for the gold” and get busy, consistency ended up being key for me. Just getting up every day and doing something to educate myself in both my niche and the marketplace of Etsy. I paid attention to what other successful sellers were doing, duplicated it and made slight changes- putting my own personal stamp on everything. I’m now on a pretty regular schedule of cataloging, capturing nice pictures and writing thoughtful, accurate descriptions of my products. I have a long way to go to take it from being a hobby to a full-blown business but I’d actually prefer to just float somewhere in between.

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Thanks, Nan, for taking the time to take us on a mini journey of your path to entrepreneurship!

Follow My Vintage Chic Jewelry on Instagram at @myvintagechicjewelry to view these photos in color! And be sure to browse NaNette’s amazing jewelry collection at her Etsy shop.