Always Look Around You: Interview with Orianne Collins, Founder of OC Jewellery

I recently went one on one with Orianne Collins. Orianne is the founder of OC Jewellery, OC Home and OC Spa Collections.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth? 

Orianne: In 2014, I was paralyzed from the neck down during a seemingly straightforward surgery procedure.  I didn’t know if I would be able to walk again, let alone design again. Losing the ability to design was inconceivable to me, so I pushed myself through five hours of therapy every day to regain my abilities. I kept pushing myself, and in 2017, I opened an OC concept store pop-up in Miami, and the following year, debuted the flagship store OC Jewellery & Spa in the city’s renowned Design District. Today, OC Jewellery spans 16 collections ranging from luxury pieces to affordable staples, including men’s and children’s lines, and I’ve expanded into OC Home and OC Spa collections. This also was the catalyst for me to start the Never Give Up foundation that helps other spinal cord victims on their paths to recovery. 

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas? 

Orianne: When I was 12 years old, growing up in Switzerland, I wanted to become a fashion designer, but back then, there was no school for that in my country. If I wanted to follow this path, I had to go to London or New York, but my father was sick from cancer at the time and I couldn’t leave the country. Because of that, I changed my dream and did commercial studies and international management instead. I was working for a company as head of marketing and communications and my boss at that time suggested we create an agency to charge for the work I was doing. I thought, why work for someone else when I can do this by myself, so I created my own PR, event and communication agency in 1995.  

When I was 33, I decided to follow my dream of becoming a jewelry designer and started creating collections and collaborations with different jewelry brands. I wanted to create my own niche line of jewelry, but at the time, I was not known. I took a step back and compared myself to other big jewelry brands, and realized they had years of experience and history of being on the market. I had to create my own path and determine how people would recognize me for my creations. I opened a concept store in New York and Geneva, where I showcased one-of-a-kind pieces while partnering with other big brands in the area, and that’s how people started to discover me. 

It’s important to have a great idea and continue to think of new ideas everyday and decide how to make your ideas happen using the tools around you. Surround yourself with professionals and have a great team to support your ideas, then create your world with the best you can. That is how you succeed. 

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea? 

Orianne: For me, I looked at what interested customers. I crunched numbers and calculated sales to understand which pieces were resonating better than others. The idea of the concept store was magical, but it happened at the wrong time because of the financial crisis at that time and delayed the construction of the store, so we lost about a year of time before we were able to reopen. At the time, no one wanted to spend money on luxuries because they needed their money to survive. I found that the best way to market my business without a store was through word of mouth, and when people still desired my pieces, I knew this business was worth pursuing. 

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?

Orianne: First, you look at your business locally and see the position of your business among your competition. What are they doing well? What are they doing badly? Are they doing better than me? Always look around you and educate yourself on the market. You then will be able to create a strategy to put yourself ahead of your competitors. Look where you want to be located internationally and which markets you want to touch. It is important to have the right advisors and position yourself with clear goals of where you envision your business now, in 3 months, in 5 years, and so on.

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips? 

Orianne: My best sales and marketing tip is actually very funny. When you see a store that does not carry your brand, what do you do? You send someone to the store and have them ask for your brand and express interest. This will make the store more inclined to carry your brand because they see that customers have an interest. It may sound silly, but it works.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Orianne: A leader is someone who you want to follow, someone who is humble, knowledgeable, positive, and grateful.  This is the key to success. A leader will always guide you through the good and bad. For me, I found that Giorgio Armani and Coco Chanel were great leaders and role models because they had these qualities. 

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams? 

Orianne: A great manager is someone who listens to their employees with their ears and heart, and wants to help them grow individually and as a team. They have to listen to their feelings, what they want to achieve, and what they have to say about your business. 

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders? 

Orianne: 1.) Know your competition. Study them and know where you stand amongst them. 2.) Have the vision of what you want to become and follow what you want to do. You must recognize your goals to move forward and always do your best and work hard in order to succeed. 3.) Be grateful for whatever you have and whatever you are going to have in the future. 

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? 

Orianne: To follow my dream. My grandmother always told me this as a child and I’ve carried it with me ever since. 

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Orianne: Always remember to give back and to be thankful for what you have.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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