High School Senior Karen Radewald’s custom jewelry has become a worldwide sensation.
Her company, Um.Yeah. Inc., sells jewelry made from vintage bottle caps, antique
keys, and other found objects. She’s come a long way from the days when she made
her first charm bracelet, at the age of 14, from smashed bottle caps she found on
the street. Her business has now taken over the second floor of her parent’s home
where she produces and ships thousands of units worldwide. She recently won the
grand prize at the Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Scholarship competition,
and was presented with a check for $5,000.
Karen’s jewelry is sold in stores around the country and overseas including Central
America and Hong Kong. Her jewelry has also been featured in numerous publications
including Teen Magazine and Teen Vogue.
Q: When did you start your business?
Karen: I started when I was 14 and I had always collected bottle caps and I was
always making things around the house.
Q: Why did you choose making jewelry? Was it something you were interested in already?
Karen: I was always doing crafts with my friends and stuff. And one day I made a
bottle cap charm bracelet out of old caps I had found. I added little magazine clips
and art collages to the backs of each cap to make it a little more decorative. I
wore it around to school and everyone loved it! So I tried to start making them
for my friends. I’ve always been really creative and I just wanted to kind of share
it with other people.
Q: What were some of the challenges you faced in starting the business?
Karen: I had the creative part down, but learning how to manage my money and how
to start buying wholesale was a whole new learning experience for me.
Q: What would you say was the hardest thing you encountered?
Karen: Probably managing how many stores and accounts I have. Getting everything
managed and keeping up with all my order has been a really big challenge.
Q: What kept you going when there were challenges?
Karen: The thrill of having my jewelry in a new state kept me going. It really pumps
me up to see everyone’s reactions to my jewelry.
Q: How did you finance your start-up business?
Karen: I started by using my own money. At first I wasn’t buying any of the bottle
caps, because I would find them all and they were all my collection. But then once
I started to get bigger and selling my jewelry at school I found collectors who
were willing to sell me some of their caps and I had to learn about buying in larger
quantities.
Q:Were you able to pay yourself from the beginning or did you have to put in a lot
of unpaid hours?
Karen: I was making a profit off my own collection from the beginning. But then
I had a lot of unpaid hours when I had to start buying bottle caps instead of just
using the ones I had found.
Q: Do you work alone or with a team or staff?
Karen: I’ve worked alone up to this year. I’m pretty much operating at capacity
right now. Especially with the new Hong Kong account. So if I get much bigger I
need to hire help. My friends have made it clear they are willing to help!
Q: What do you like most about running a business?
Karen: I love the creative side of it and always getting to come out with new products.
I like being creative and seeing people react to my creativity. It’s really a cool
feeling because it comes from something I love so much and I’m glad other people
share that with me.
Q: What would your advice be to other kids thinking of starting businesses?
Karen: It’s really important to know pricing and have invoices and business cards
and all your packaging figured out. Get the business work done while also being
creative. That’s a really important part of it - having your presentation ready.
