From full-time to founder: With a little sparkle, nothing can stop you
With Ella Dobler, Founder of EllaBelle Jewellery
When I was young, I loved to dress up. I would be the kid at the dress up party with lights attached to me because I love accessorising and sparkling. I love sparkles so much that I would always stop when walking past a shop window.
I was in awe of how a few shimmering pieces could form a beautiful display, shining from every direction as the sun beams down. To be honest, I probably still look like a kid at Christmas peering into window displays as even the smallest shimmer never fails to catch my eye.
My love for sparkles has never dulled. So it comes as no surprise to me, and those who know me, that I would eventually branch out from my day job as an Account Manager in Advertising and pursue my passion and vision that I had been conceptualising for years. This year, I did exactly that and launched my own jewellery label, EllaBelle.
EllaBelle is a ‘high fashion fun’ label and each piece is designed to complement everyone’s own luxurious individual style, in the most fun and affordable way. To me, accessories are a way to express yourself and your own style. When you find the perfect piece, you feel your most confident, sparkly self, and nothing can stop you. This is what gave me the inspiration to share my passion with other like-minded queens, so they too can feel their best and most sparkly selves.
The leap from full-time to founder can be scary as often you’re putting a lot on the line to make it work. But I’ve always been a free spirit, and when it comes to my career I am never scared to make changes to ensure my path aligns with where I intuitively feel I need to be. My life experiences, both personal and commercial, have led me here and it’s an exciting and fulfilling place to be. It’s where I feel I can do my best work and where I have the motivation and drive to give it my all.
EllaBelle is my labour of love and comes with a lot of working hours…that’s for sure! My hours as a founder are a lot longer, but I wouldn’t change it because I get caught up in the work I’m doing. I’m extremely passionate about each step. Whether looking for inspiration, designing or making alterations to pieces. I have very strict quality control too, which takes a lot of time because I’m very diligent to check each piece carefully before it’s ready for sale.
This actually translates into one of the challenges I’ve experienced being a founder. It’s easy to budget how much something costs, but it’s hard to calculate how much energy and time you need to pour into other tasks. We’re still in the early stages and a lot of the aspects of being a founder are new to me, so it’s been a fast learning experience, to say the least. But you can’t let the challenges get in the way of giving it your best go. And I have a fantastic network of family and friends who have been so generous with their time to help support me on this journey.
With the challenges, come the highest of highlights! Nothing beats the feeling of seeing my jewellery come to life. And each time I package a sparkle box to send to a customer, I get so excited. I like to take my time, add some extra touches and present everything beautifully to make sure they’re going to feel special when opening their jewellery. I love to receive feedback from customers too. There’s nothing more important to me than a happy customer. It gives me a real sense of achievement when I see people laughing and having fun while wearing my jewellery.
It’s this feeling that gives me the confidence to encourage those thinking about making the leap from full-time to founder, to do it if the opportunity arises. Passion is a money-can’t-buy tool that can drive you toward your own success. If you are truly passionate about something and feel the time is right for you, take the leap because you’ll never know if you don’t try.
About the author: Ella Dobler
Growing up on the northern beaches of Sydney, Ella’s unique approach to style has always been to add sparkle to every outfit for any occasion. It’s this rule and her ability to be unfalteringly true to herself that has sparked Ella to create EllaBelle Jewellery, a brand designed to bring luxurious style in the most sparkly, fun and affordable way. Ella has an impressive portfolio, having completed her Bachelor of Marketing, fashion and drawing course at FBI Fashion College in Sydney and studying makeup in New York. Alongside her experience in jewellery making, Ella interned at Australia’s oldest luxury jewellery house, Fairfax and Roberts. Most recently, Ella worked in advertising and retail in Sydney and the United Kingdom. After years conceptualising her own jewellery label, made the leap from full time to founder in 2020, launching EllaBelle to the Australian market.
