A trip to Israel helped launch the unlikely entrepreneurial journey of one Texas State alumnus.
Cory Moore, Texas State alumnus, had the opportunity to travel to Israel his senior year where he met the owners of a jewelry company that would later become J&M Jewelry. Moore became the domestic partner of the jewelry company bringing business to the United States.
J&M Jewelry specializes in custom made, genuine diamond and gemstone jewelry, and is unique in that it is an appointment-only based company, dealing with private clients and business-to-business purchases. Since J&M supplies businesses with inventory, the company labels itself as a manufacturing, designing, wholesale business.
Due to their beginnings overseas, the business continues to be seen in showcases around the world and will even be featured in this year’s upcoming New York Fashion Week this month.
Moore began his entrepreneurship journey during his years as an undergraduate student in 2001. Throughout his undergraduate years, he started a total of three companies including a personal training and nutrition business.
“(Going from nutrition to jewelry) was a complete flip; it was like a yin yang situation, but at the same time I think that transition helped me because the people we were targeting were involved in fitness and personal training, who have a disposable income and those are the same people who will be able to buy jewelry,” Moore said.
When speaking about the changes in customer behavior, Moore makes it a priority to bring up the fact that he went from owning a company focused on the well-being of athletes to creating and selling customized jewelry for private clients on an appointment-only basis regime.
Last semester, Moore had the opportunity to speak to marketing professor Gail Zank’s principles of marketing class about what it means to be an entrepreneur, changes in customer behavior and things J&M Jewelry is doing to separate themselves with their marketing campaigns.
Zank said she invited Moore to speak to her class because she knows the value of students who participate in internships during their undergraduate year and believes in students making their dreams happen since she had the opportunity to watch Moore grow in success.
“A key piece of advice for students is if they can do an internship. I think that is a great opportunity because you can get a feel for what you like and don’t like, but it also lets you see the business world,” Zank said.
A piece of advice Moore gave students and anyone wanting to begin a career in entrepreneurship is to come up with an idea and have the motivation to make it happen then build a trustworthy team of genuinely good people.
Moore has confidence in his business’s future due to their following of consumer habits which continues to decrease in retail jewelry and increase in online, private jewelry purchases.
J&M Jewelry’s Creative Team Director Josue Lopez said he could not imagine a better person or company to work for and is so grateful for the opportunities that Moore has given him.
“Duplicate and delegate: duplicate yourself and delegate for others are both crucial factors not only in any team, but certainly in our team so we are all there for one another,” said Lopez.
For more information about J&M Jewelry visit https://www.jandmjewelry.com/