Issue No. 2 — The Year I Built the Bones

In 2025, I didn’t just make jewelry. I built the bones.

This was the year the business got serious.

Not the shiny part.
Not the Instagram part.
The part nobody claps for.

The spreadsheets.
The pricing.
The uncomfortable conversations.
The systems that make sure this thing actually lasts.

I was fried at the end of 2025. Burned out in that quiet way where your body starts vibrating and you pretend it’s normal. I took the break between Christmas and New Year’s because if I didn’t, my body was going to make the decision for me.

This isn’t a burnout story.

It’s a build story.

The Foundation Year

In 2025, Jewelry One of a KIND stopped being an idea and became a company.

Miami-Dade County opened doors.
The Idea Center at Miami Dade College pushed me.

I applied to ScaleUp.

They told me I was too small. If you know me, you know “no” is rarely the end of that sentence.

So I asked better questions.
I showed them the partnerships.
I showed them the twenty years of experience I already had.
I showed them the mission.

They listened.
I got in.

I’ve built before. This time, I built smarter.

That year changed everything.

What We Actually Built

We built a real model.

Four revenue pillars:
• E-commerce
• Wholesale
• Workshops " Experiential Marketing " 
• Institutional partnerships

We formalized pay.
Survivor-artisans earn $27–30/hour to produce collections rooted in resilience and remembrance.

We clarified what we are and what we are not.

We are not trend jewelry.
We are not disposable.
We are not chasing seasons.

We are building heirlooms in brass and sterling.
Accessible. Intentional. Made to stay.

The Unsexy Work

I rebuilt the Shopify site.
Organized two decades of contacts.
Integrated AI into workflows.
Created SKU systems.
Standardized pricing.

Efficiency protects creativity.
Structure protects the mission.

And yes — Shopify and I are still in therapy.

By the end of the year, workshops were rebooking and wholesale conversations had reopened.

The business felt sturdier.

Teaching Changed Me

The workshops were a reminder of why this matters.

When someone makes something with their own hands, they don’t throw it away.

I watched women from 20 to 85 sit at the same table.
I watched men bring their mothers and grandmothers and make something with their own hands.
I watched people who thought they weren’t creative leave proud.
Connection happened in real time.

Experience-based jewelry isn’t a gimmick.

It works.

2026

Now the bones are built.

This year is about expansion:
• Scaling activations
• Strengthening wholesale
• Launching The Amanda Nicol Limited Edition Collection
• Finding a studio that isn’t also my living room

I don’t chase trends.
I build foundations.

Jewelry One of a KIND isn’t a comeback.
It’s a second structure — built smarter.

Structure built.
Soul intact.
Bench ready.

If you’re building something meant to last, we should talk.