In this week's episode, we're re-airing one of our top episodes with the lovely Noura Sakkijha, co-founder and CEO of Mejuri, a fine jewelry brand that introduces handcrafted, everyday jewelry without the traditional retail markups.Looking from the outside in, entering the jewelry market can seem like a daunting endeavor. Not only is it seemingly saturated, but it’s also exceptionally expensive. Growing up in Jordan as a third-generation jeweler, Noura noticed that traditional high-end jewelry brands always targeted men, encouraging them to buy luxe jewelry for women. In 2015, Noura started Mejuri to change this narrative: A woman doesn't need a man to buy jewelry for her. She can buy it yourself. Noura was able to successfully raise over $40 million for her jewelry brand and shine in a competitive market. Noura’s products have been worn by A-list celebrities like Selena Gomez, Lizzo, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Oprah, and more.We’ll talk to Noura about the difficult lessons she learned early in the business, why self-care and therapy have been game-changing for her in both her personal and professional life, and what it takes to build a high-growth brand & sell over 1.8 million pieces of jewelry since inception. In this episode, we’ll talk to Noura about:* How Noura's upbringing in Jordan impacted the woman she is today. [3:29]* Noura recounts a very busy time in her life when she moved to Canada to be a consultant while simultaneously earning an MBA. [5:30]* How Noura started Mejuri with her husband and what prompted her to pursue it [6:45]* What gave Nourra the confidence to enter a market like fine jewelry production. [08:33]* Noura's decision to join FounderFuel and 500 Startups, two top accelerators, and what she learned from the experience. [10:33]* How Noura changed her mindset around failure and learned from the tech world’s view on failure as a data point. [15:41]* How Noura gained traction during the early days of her company. [17:33]* Attracting in-house creatives without the resources of a larger, more established company. [20:21]* How she managed her mental health during a burnout period while building Mejuri. [21:44]* Advice Noura's mother gave her that has helped her honor self-care. [23:35]* Noura's experience with the demands that come with motherhood [24:31]* How she raised funds for her business while in the later stages of pregnancy. [27:29]* Managing her optimism and resilience during the difficult, early days of fundraising. [30:00]* Insights into ensuring the foundation of your business in the early stages. [31:10]* The time it took to find product fit and transition to the PR stage of their business. [32:45]* How Noura's family reacted to her starting Mejuri. [33:57]* One of the surprising things that Nourra is most proud of. [35:14]* What wealth means to Nourra at this point in her life. [37:07]* What it’s been like for her and her husband to be co-founders and business partners. [37:45]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about beeya’s seed cycling bundle. * Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Noura:* Mejuri Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mejuri/ * Mejuri Empowerment Fund: https://mejuri.com/info/ourcommitment * Website: https://mejuri.com/ Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.