$30,000, No GPS, and a Whole Lot of Faith

My first buying trip in downtown L.A., and how the road appeared when I started walking it.

I was driving… and driving… and driving, completely lost.

There was no GPS back then. Just me, a paper map, and my very limited experience as a new driver in a new country. I had moved to the United States less than a year earlier, and this was my first time driving into downtown Los Angeles alone.

Frustrated, I called my husband and asked, “Where is this downtown L.A.? I can’t find the exit!”

He asked, “Where are you now?” I looked around and gave him the closest sign I could find.

His response?

“Turn around, you’re about to end up in San Francisco!”

My First Buying Trip

Eventually, I found the right exit and made it to the famous Jewelry District of downtown L.A. This was my first ever buying trip for the business I had just started. I parked on the street, got out of the car, and stood there on the sidewalk with nothing but a checkbook and $30,000 to spend.

The problem?

I didn’t know where to go.

I didn’t know who to trust.

And I had no clue what to buy.

I just started walking.

Then the Call Came

As I wandered, unsure of my next step, my phone rang.

It was a familiar voice that made me smile instantly. Tony, my former boss from the first jewelry store I worked at when I came to the U.S.

Tony was the man who introduced me to the beauty of gems. The one who unknowingly planted the seed for everything I’d later build.

He asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m in downtown L.A.,” I said. “I’m about to buy some jewelry.”

He laughed. “Do you even know where to go?”

“Nope. No idea.”

“Girl,” he said. “Grab a pen and paper. Tell Them Tony Sent You.”

He gave me the names of four vendors. He told me to go to each one, mention his name, and they would sell to me, on credit, based on his word.

I couldn’t believe it.

I walked into the first building, rang the bell, and when they asked who I was, I said, “Tony sent me. My name is Amy.”

They let me in.

I picked out about $8,000 worth of jewelry, wrote a check, and walked out with it in my purse. I did the same thing at the next place. And the next. Within two hours, I had spent the full $30,000.

Not Enough

When I got back to my small apartment, I laid a sheet on the floor to the exact size of my jewelry showcase. I started placing each item on the sheet to see if it would be enough to fill the display.

It wasn’t.

The $30,000 worth of fine jewelry looked small — and I knew I needed a new plan.

Silver, Bel Air, and a New Strategy

I remembered the silver collection from the store I worked at in Texas. Affordable, pretty, and loved by customers. I tracked down the vendor, called him, and learned he was in L.A. He offered to meet me that same day, at one of his client’s homes in Bel Air.

So my husband and I drove to Bel Air, met with him, and I spent another $2,000. That gave me two full showcases worth of beautiful silver pieces.

The next morning, I went to my booth. I carefully displayed the silver jewelry, clean, elegant, and accessible. In one small corner, I placed my more precious gold and diamond pieces.

That’s how I started.

The Road Appears

I made mistakes. A lot of them. I learned through doing. Through asking. Through failing. Through fixing.

If you’re reading this and you’re just starting out, if you’re scared, unsure, and feel like you’re walking without a map, know this:

There’s a quote by Rumi that I love:

That was my story then, and it’s still my story now.

Just start walking.