June
2, 2021
9 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When David Valencia was fired from his job , he was left without financial means. So with the 7 thousand pesos that he had, he decided to dare to launch his own business.
“I really liked the engagement ring niche. I consider that asking for a hand is a memorable and once-in-a-lifetime experience, and therefore, I wanted to undertake in a special way, ”said Valencia, owner and founder of Vitanni .
David’s company – which started three years ago in Puebla – is a Mexican brand specialized in handmade engagement rings . Initially, the entrepreneur told his brother Gabriel Valencia, who currently works as marketing director at Vitanni , about how difficult it was to enter an industry as competitive as jewelry. David said that the jewelery giants had budgets of up to millions and that he saw no way to rival these titans.
“Now that we are involved in this industry, I can tell you that the ideal is to surround yourself with very passionate people, to offer real value in the market and a differentiated product that really has a background. We are a team of young Mexicans who are trying to make a place for themselves in a multimillion dollar industry that has been going on for hundreds of years, ”said the businessman.
Vitanni has two business models. In the first place, there are the rings of personalized artisan elaboration, which refer to the pieces that the client selects through photographs, when choosing the colors and stones, so that each piece is unique. In the second instance, there is the sale of the pieces that Vitanni jewelry makes, most of them designed by Mexican suppliers.
Vitanni makes customer service as specialized as possible, as they have noticed other Mexican companies that take it to another level. They seek that the treatment is highly personalized and close with the client, when he sends a message, he is attended to quickly and by expert craftsmen who go according to the needs of each consumer.
“From selecting a case to choosing a presentation, a personalized sketch of your piece is made, you can add a phrase that you want to express. Also, in the process of choosing your ring, the selection of precious stones – diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, as well as semi-precious stones such as topaz-, and also someone who is advising you in the process so that you know the status of your product. It has become unique for the customer, we have a department made up of six people completely dedicated to customer service ”, assured the businessman.
Having said the above, it is clear that it is not a traditional jewelery due to the process they carry out with each of their clients, since in Vitanni they have an expert who explains each of the parts of the ring, how it was made, the material, its characteristics and the entire process of the final product to customers so that they know more about their acquisition.
Subsequently, people began to trust Vitanni. The brand started sales in shopping centers to develop. As he grew, David hired master craftsmen to execute the designs, create a much stronger value chain, and develop the entire team.
“In the sector where we buy, the jewelery center, the work is sometimes poorly paid despite the fact that they are artisans who dedicate up to 20 years to develop . It is very important to be able to give them work, ”said Valencia.
Engagement rings: a unique and memorable experience
Valencia felt a great attraction for the segment of the engagement rings , but with a fresh perspective: that they were beautiful, but affordable. However, when he looked at the traditional offers of the national market (which can start at 2,000 pesos without added attraction), David did not consider the experience to be “cool” and he saw them as unattractive because they were not packaged in a special way. and presentable.
“The experience was not good for all consumers, but only for those who could pay large amounts of money for a ring,” he said.
It was on this principle that David based the Vitanni model: the proposal must be special for anyone so the presentation must be beautiful, decent and decorous, even if the ring was inexpensive.
One of the purposes of this firm is to provide recommendations and tools to couples for their personal relationships. In this case, getting married and getting engaged has been Vitanni’s way of communicating with them and conveying that important message. The brand seeks to establish a connection and a bond with couples, not only wanting to sell them, but also adding value to their lives.
Likewise, making couples see the virtuous circle that is made in the manufacturing process of each ring that interests them, so that they realize its intrinsic and extrinsic value.
“We usually want to add value to people through advice and start doing master recommendation classes for couples, from the moment they meet until they are together, when they develop problems. Help couples who come to the brand to learn more through suggestions, free of charge, ”said Valencia.
Vitanni Team / Image: Courtesy Vitanni
Adapting and relying on digital tools is an important step
Despite its constant and stable growth, the pandemic greatly complicated the situation , therefore, Vitanni had to adapt to the context that is being lived through the specialization of its staff and betting on digital media.
“From the beginning it was healthy growth, we were constantly selling more parts, investing in advertising and hiring more people. But with the pandemic, it became quite difficult. We had to carefully analyze what we were going to do. We were five people at that time and we had to take out to pay salaries, “said Valencia, recalling that, with the sanitary restrictions, his cash flow” was very up to date. “
They found the solution by selling on Facebook , advertising their page and investing more advertising in Google Ads.
“Many established jewelers that have been operating for 50 years or more, but they stopped serving these digital areas and focused on other aspects. The fact that we have focused on adopting digital strategies has helped us a lot ”, added the businessman.
With the above in mind, Vitanni has the short-term goal of making the engagement ring experience unique, to be able to deliver an impeccable product, a reason for both the person who gives it and the one who receives it to be excited and Show it off to your loved ones.
“My advice for people who want to start or have a business is to dabble in and get involved in digital. For example, making your Facebook page, Instagram and trying to talk about what is the reason for the brand, what is its differentiating factor so that they buy from them, have an approach and dialogue with their customers, the latter makes users be close to you and more in difficult times like the ones we are living in, in certain industries that have been heavily hit by the pandemic, ”suggests Valencia.
Vitanni has the medium and long-term purpose of being able to help people and couples to advise, support and give ideas about this very important process. What they want is to see united couples, determined to start a new story and walk the road together, it is their dream and commitment.
“As long as there is real passion and presence in a venture, it is a guarantee that it will work. We are saying this, being ‘babies’ in a multimillion dollar industry, that what I would suggest to any entrepreneur is not to be afraid of the industry they are going to enter, despite the fact that there are monsters and companies from hundreds of years old, which are not fear starting from scratch, because there is the possibility of becoming one of the most recognized companies in the world ”, concluded Valencia.