We had the good fortune of connecting with Ann Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ann, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think the success of our brand can be attributed to the deep meaning behind our products and the fact that our jewelry is truly made to wear for a lifetime. I started Yearly Co. to create handmade, custom sized 14k gold bangles for my family to continue the anniversary bangle tradition started by my grandparents. I made our original pieces for my family and cared deeply about the quality of the jewelry and how it would make each woman feel when she put it on. We’ve continued that passion for excellent customer service and a meaningful, quality product as Yearly Co. has grown. Our customers have shared our products again and again because they love to create personalized collections that they can enjoy every day. We continue to focus on how to make the experience of buying and wearing our jewelry the best it can be.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started Yearly Co. in 2016 and I truly believed that I would be making jewelry alone in my garage for many years. We grew quickly especially over 2019-2021 and we now have a team of 18 in Nashville with our headquarters on Music Row and a retail store in Green Hills. The journey from my garage to where we are now was definitely not easy but it’s always been exciting.

Running a business is challenging in so many ways from reaching new customers, to keeping your product quality consistent, hiring and leading and team and balancing life with work. But I think when you’re an entrepreneur at heart you’re somewhat comfortable in the constant change and are naturally driven to find problems and work towards solutions. I’ve turned to experts, coaches, other business owners and friends to ask for advice and help with things like structuring the business, hiring the right people, and keeping a strong culture and focus. I have always believed in hiring to fill in the gaps where I am weakest and I’ve found some really amazing people who make the business better every day.

Yearly Co. as a brand is more than just beautiful jewelry. At our core we care deeply about women feeling celebrated for their stories. The meaning of our pieces came first, as our Original Gold Bangle was designed and made to mimic those my grandfather gave my grandmother over 65 years ago for each wedding anniversary. The story behind the jewelry will always matter most to us and we find so much joy in the ways that women mark their milestones and journeys with Yearly Co. Seeing my mom’s stack of 48 bangles on her wrist inspires me to keep creating these quality custom pieces so every woman can be proud of these memories collected over a lifetime.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have lived in Nashville for about 20 years now and I absolutely love it! We have so many great places to go and things to eat, see and listen to. I’d start with a walk through Sevier Park in 12th south and grab coffee at Portland Brew or Frothy Monkey and then make our way down to some of the shops and boutiques like White’s Mercantile, Ranger Station, and Emerson Grace.

I’d make sure we visited some of my favorite restaurants for a night out: Epice, Santo, Rolf & Daughters, OKU, or Vui’s for the best casual Vietnamese food.

Our offices are on Music Row and it’s such a fun place to walk around and see all of the incredible musical talent and where many famous songs were recorded. We love grabbing lunch at Sadie’s or dinner at Barcelona near our office.

Nashville has so many great parks and hikes nearby, depending on the weather I love to take a walk around Radnor Lake or the steps at Percy Warner.

The Yearly Co. store is located in the cutest area called The Courtyard on Bandywood where you can shop for meaningful jewelry and also grab a croissant from the adorable french shop Le Gourmand. There’s women’s, children’s and home decor boutiques all around us on Bandywood for some great shopping.

If you’re looking for live music, Broadway is the place for it. My husband and I love to sit in the lounge upstairs at 12/30 club and have drinks and dinner before a show at the Ryman. There’s live music absolutely everywhere, we are spoiled!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family has always been my biggest supporters and my sister, Mary, has been a huge part of my journey to success. She’s @fivemarys on instagram and has been an inspiring entrepreneur since we were kids. She’s taught me to charge ahead, take risks, trust your instincts and that you can create anything you can dream up. Mary had built many businesses and a loyal following by the time I started Yearly Co. and her shoutouts and support have grown my business immensely. I also have a great group of woman in business who I’m constantly asking for advice, a strong female leadership team who cares deeply and is constantly growing and learning, and some amazing friends who celebrate my wins and are there for me when things aren’t easy.

Website: https://yearlyco.com/

Instagram: @yearlycompany

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-williams

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yearlycompany/

Image Credits
Image of 3 glasses/arms: Adriana Klas Photography. Other images: Jessie Manos for Yearly Co.

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