Small business owner Kristin Cooper is on a mission. After years spent earning a graduate degree and weathering this challenging recession, her Unique Kreations brand continues to set itself apart in the market of custom, handcrafted jewelry. In an age of Wal-Mart mass production and generic, run-of-the-mill accessories, this entrepreneur shares her insight on success and how Unique Kreations is unlocking the door to her calling.

1. Follow the Muse. People recognize inspired ideas. During her graduate studies, Cooper took a beginning beading class for a change of pace. “I started wearing it, and people liked it,” she recalls. Soon enough people started paying for her creativity, and a business was born.
2. Stick to the Plan. Cooper stresses organization as a critical component to her success. “A lot of people say ‘I want to be an entrepreneur,’ they really throw that word around,” Cooper says. “But you have to have that business sense behind it, you have to know how to balance books, whether you need inventory, how to get the best deals.”
3. Seek a Mentor. A huge part of Unique Kreation’s success is the year Cooper worked under a professional jeweler to better learn her craft, and the daily ins and outs of the business. “A mentor is important in life, but especially as a young black entrepreneur,” she says. “Find someone who is touchable, not someone who is way out there like Warren Buffett. Find someone on a local level within reach who you can actually talk to.”
4. Focus on Your Passion. Remember what you are in business for. “My God-given purpose is to work with teenagers,” Cooper says. Her future plans involve opening an urban boarding school that can provide structure, love and support to pre-teens and teens in need. Unique Kreations frees her time and provides the capital for Cooper to pursue what drives her.

This year holds promising developments for Cooper as she continues to expand her line to boutiques, salons, and galleries. Visit www.myuniquekreations.com for a glimpse of a Black entrepreneur bringing quality and creativity back to “American-made.”

Contributed by DaVaun Sanders