Breast Milk Memories: The Unique Jewelry of La Joie en Rose
Meeting with Karine Lajoie, creator and owner of La Joie en Rose
One of the aspects I love the most about my job is meeting entrepreneurs who stand out by their originality.
When I heard about La Joie en Rose for the first time, I was particularly intrigued by the services offered by this business. Karine Lajoie creates jewelry from breast milk…
Meet this passionate woman who creates precious keepsakes for mothers and has a whole lot to say about it!
A MAJOR LIFE CHANGE LEADING TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Karine Lajoie is originally from Quebec. A couple of years ago, she moved to the west coast to follow her husband and his job. At the time, she was employed by the Gouvernement du Québec and seemingly, was not destined to entrepreneurship.
After working in several provinces as a teacher, she decided it was time to take charge of her professional career. She longed to do something that she would be passionate about and given her frequent moves, she needed to create a unique career for herself.
She begins by writing a blog and develops a real passion for the web. Little by little, the idea of an online store emerges. In the beautiful British Columbia countryside, working on the web is the perfect career for her.
And so, La Joie en Rose is founded, an online store of jewelry and accessories for women through which she is able to combine her passion for art and entrepreneurship. But she wanted more: she wanted her business to look like her and be out of the ordinary… That is how La Joie en Rose’s new service offer is born.
BREAST MILK FOR JEWELRY
We are in 2016. Karine is trying to find a more specific focus for her online jewelry store when, one day on Facebook, she stumbles across a message from a user who is looking for a breast milk jewelry creator. Intrigued, she starts to research it more thoroughly only to discover that very little is done in this space in Canada.
Karine thinks this idea is wonderful: breast milk, this special bond between a mother and her child, used to create jewelry such as pendants, rings, or earrings. A precious souvenir of the breastfeeding journey, a once-in-a-lifetime event that goes by so fast but means so much… Rightly so, Karine qualifies breast milk of “liquid gold”.
She quickly gets to work and with her husband’s support, though a tad skeptical to begin with, and his knowledge of chemistry, they develop a unique process that allows pearls to remain beautiful through the years and not change colour.
In the end, her husband ends up joining her full-time on the venture. The initial skepticism is gone and observing their rapid success, selling everywhere in Canada, especially in Quebec, he can only face the facts: what a beautiful and marvelous idea that was!
FINDING YOUR NICHE AND STANDING OUT
Karine has truly found a niche since breast milk jewelry creators are few and far between. However, the key to her success above all is the quality of her products.
As mentioned earlier, Karine and her husband worked diligently to develop a professional preservation process that ensures the pearls will remain beautiful through the years and will not turn yellow or brown, which is often the case with breast milk.
But with La Joie en Rose, it’s quite the opposite. Compared to their competitors, they only offer high-quality jewelry and their customers are satisfied to see their keepsake stay beautiful through the years.
Plus, Karine offers so many options: rings, pendants, and earrings of course, but also bracelets and the possibility to customize your jewelry by engraving it or even adding other precious mementos, such as part of the umbilical cord, placenta in powder form, or hair… There are so many options, the best thing is to go directly on the website for full details!
CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE HEART OF THE BUSINESS
One of the contributing factors to La Joie en Rose’s success is no doubt the importance Karine attaches to her client relationship.
Her clients entrust her with what is most intimate and precious to them, and she does all she can to deliver a product to their entire satisfaction. That is why it’s so easy to get a hold of Karine. And she doesn’t hesitate to call her clients either. She also replies to all messages herself. “That’s the advantage of being a small business: we are really close to our clients,” she says.
During our conversation, one question is always in the back of my head: how does one ship breast milk? Well, everything is well explained on the website, but if ever you were wondering too, one word sums it up: SIMPLE. Karine sends an all-in-one package and an email with detailed instructions once the order has been received.
Because Karine is close to her clients, she admits that’s probably what she loves most about her job: learning about each and every one of her customer’s unique journey. “Of course, I am very proud of my product, but what brings me the greatest pride is the impact it makes in people’s lives.” Yes, she uses their stories to create their own one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry!
Unfortunately, sad stories are what prompts some women to come to Karine. Orphaned parents often feel the need for such keepsakes. “Some families have to deal with a perinatal loss but the mother’s milk is still coming in. She wants to preserve something from her child… These stories are always so touching. For them, it’s more than a piece of jewelry, it’s a symbol.”
In line with this human-oriented approach, Karine has also put in place a program to donate $1 per breast milk jewel to an organization related to breastfeeding or parenting. “A new organization is chosen each trimester to receive money to help serve its users and to promote the kindness and humanism of its actions towards the family,” she states on her website.
BUSTER FETCHER JOINS THE VENTURE
To increase the company’s visibility, Karine makes good use of social media, especially on support groups focused on breastfeeding and motherhood. Of course, growth also comes by word of mouth.
I asked her how she came to know about Buster Fetcher, since many of our customers hear about us through entrepreneur groups. And indeed, that is exactly how it happened for her! One of her clients was singing our praise on Facebook, so she decided to find out more about us and within minutes she had set up her account online.
“The website is really well designed, everything is clear and signing up with quick and easy. The next day, Matt called me, took the time to learn more about my business and answer all of my questions. The conversation was professional, yet warm, and that gave me confidence. What I was most concerned about was access to information, but Matt really reassured me.”
And really, that is what Buster Fetcher is all about: a team that really listens to its partners and makes sure everything is transparent.
Ever since, La Joie en Rose regularly gets reimbursed for packages delivered late and is able to reinvest the money in marketing or her creations.
Now, Karine Lajoie herself recommends Buster Fetcher to all online merchants.
As for us, it is with great pride that we tell you about this wonderful business that stands out by its creations and its human approach to entrepreneurship. And we want to wish them a long and successful life…
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Website: https://lajoieenrose.ca
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/lajoieenrose/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lajoieenrose/
Contribute or benefit from the #LaJoieAuSuivant program: https://lajoieenrose.ca/lajoieausuivant/
Want to meet other women entrepreneurs for whom the family is the heart of their business and who are also enlisted with Buster Fetcher? Read these articles:
https://www.busterfetcher.com/en-ca/blog/caroline-lessard-entrepreneur-of-heart-and-soul
https://www.busterfetcher.com/en-ca/blog/ilana-grostern-planet-friendly-business
