Celebrating Rachel Katz's Entrepreneurial Leap
Rachel Katz invested in several different careers before taking an entrepreneurial Leap into a thriving business in jewelry design. Before launching Rachel Katz Jewelry, Rachel, like many entrepreneurs, enjoyed various professions which helped her to master different skills and ultimately pushed her into launching her dream business.
After graduating from Boston University, Rachel worked for a couple of dot-com startups in Boston before moving to LA to try her hand in the entertainment industry. Yet once there, she looked around at the top people in the field and realized they didn’t seem fulfilled and happy. She decided a career in entertainment was not the right path, so she fell back on what she knew: finance. She entered into commercial real estate and was successful, but real estate lacked the creative edge and outlet she desired.
Rachel found this outlet after a friend persuaded her to reproduce a necklace of her mother’s from the 70’s that had always drawn attention. “People would stop me on the street when I was wearing it,” she says. She met with a fabricator to reproduce the necklace and realized she could start a side business creating jewelry based on similar designs. The details began to fall into place.
“All of my past experience contributed to make the transition graceful – friends from my dot-com days offered to build my website for me, one friend is a photographer, another a graphic designer, etc.”
Rachel had found her spark.
She continued her career in commercial real estate as her jewelry business—and her inspiration—grew. She sold a few pieces to friends, but struggled with the thought of Leaping into jewelry design full-time and leaving behind the security of her salaried position.
Then, one day, the decision was made for her. After coming back from a vacation that solidified her desire for a change, Rachel learned she had been laid off. “I got laid off from a job I was planning to leave, so I decided to really take the Leap,” Rachel says.
“I began working on my jewelry business full time and things really accelerated from there. It’s difficult to describe, but it just felt meant to be. People and resources began falling into place in a way that I couldn’t have planned.”
Today, Rachel Katz Jewelry is a brand beloved by A-list celebrities, fashion editors, and women across the globe. Rachel believes that the early years in her career were crucial building blocks to the success she enjoys today, helping her to cut her teeth and fully actualize her abilities as a business owner.
Any time she has doubts she is on the right path, something happens to make her feel provided for. Rachel sees this as a sign that she is where she needs to be and this helps her trust the process. “I try to keep a list of all of the good things that have happened…a woman calls about a piece from a magazine or I help a client find something that makes her feel beautiful and empowered when she wears it. I feel amazing now that I am running Rachel Katz Jewelry. Before, I was not connected to anything that I was really passionate about. There are stresses that come along with owning your own business but I get to dictate my own life and it is amazing.”
She Built It celebrates your Leap. Cheers to you Rachel Katz!