How Four Jewelry Designers Cultivated Their Home Based Businesses
Business Name: Headbanger Accessories
Founders: Tiffany Stapleton, Tasha Dial, Shayla Jamerson
Day Jobs: Event Planner, Office Manager, Stylist/MAC Certified Make-Up Artist
Wares: Earrings
Price Range: $25-$180
Business Fact: Headbangers Accessories began with $50 and a trip to a craft store.
Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
“Use roadblocks to fuel your drive. Stick to your guns no matter what and stay positive. When opportunities present themselves take advantage of them. Work hard and be ready. Encourage your fellow sisters.”
Three friends are behind the Bay Area’s Headbangers Accessories. Thirty-three year-old Tiffany Stapleton is the Marketing Director. Shayla Jamerson, 29, is the Creative Director and 31-year-old Tasha Dial is the Sales Manager.
The ladies have been friends since 2004 when they were all working in club promotion. The line of earrings they have created is characterized by gigantic parts, bold colors and interesting material choices. One of their most popular earring collections is called Busit Babies (a nod to the popular song by rapper Plies). The circular earrings– which like all Headbanger earrings are available in small, medium and large–come in a variety of colors and textures.
The three ladies all work on the earrings from their respective homes. On top of holding down day jobs, they create 80 to 100 new pairs of earrings a month on average which is no small feat considering the level of detail and skill required for some of the pieces.
Several celebrities including Goapele, Solange, Kim Cole and La La Vasquez have all rocked pieces from Headbanger Accessories. “We try to make as many connections that we can with key stylists. We basically just try to have our names out there and be ready,” said Stapleton.
Beyond beautifying Hollywood starlets and around the way girls, the women behind Headbanger Accessories also give back to the community. This past spring, they sponsored a young lady’s prom night. With gifts and services valued at over $1500, the women used their own resources and the donations of others to provide the lucky teen with a custom-made dress, dinner, a manicure and pedicure, earrings (of course), hair, make-up, a limo and many other goodies. “That was a beautiful thing. Her mom couldn’t afford her dress, the ticket and all those things that go along with a prom night. We will be doing that every year,” said Jamerson.
Though the company is only two years old, they have already had their fair share of drama. They had some of their pieces in a local boutique, but according to the ladies, the owners of the boutique began stealing their designs and essentially selling knock-offs. The experience has made the three women more careful, but not jaded. They get the bulk of their business online, but they have begun new relationships with boutiques that don’t steal.
“I want us to be like a Louis Vuitton or Chanel. I want us to be a household name and it will be more than just accessories,” said Stapleton of the future of the business. “We want to give back, have a non-profit and really make a difference. Our goal is major.”
