Where Are They Now? Follow Up with Black Diamond Body Piercing Owner Georgina Schiavelli
Black Diamond Body Piercing Owner Georgina Schiavelli.
Innovation Destination Hartford spoke with Black Diamond Body Piercing Owner Georgina Schiavelli in February 2016 and learned about how she embraced her entrepreneurial streak, took the leap, and opened her own business in West Hartford, CT. Georgina notes, “Our clients were thrilled to read about us in your piece!”
IDH recently followed up with Black Diamond to find out what’s new.
INNOVATION DESTINATION HARTFORD: Any big changes at Black Diamond?
GEORGINA SCHIAVELLI: Yes. I just hired a new piercer—our first full-time male piercer—who will be starting full time in April. That means Black Diamond will have now four piercers on staff; two Monday through Thursday and three piercers on Friday and Saturday. I’m hoping this will reduce our wait times significantly this summer.
I’m also beginning the process of purchasing the building from my landlord, which will enable us to finally take over the remainder of the first floor of the building, giving us a larger waiting room and of course, more space for more beautiful jewelry.
IDH: How are you building a customer base?
GEORGINA: We mostly rely on word of mouth from our happy clients, so we will continue to build our client base by always putting our clients’ wellness and safety above all and continuing our mission to offer only quality jewelry, sterile and precise piercings, and professionalism to our clients.
IDH: Where do you see the entrepreneurial landscape heading?
The Black Diamond Body Piercing team Melissa Willette, Georgina Schiavelli, Kat Shazam (standing), Brooke Bittens, and Andie Saunders.
GEORGINA: Although the future of small businesses in this country can seem unsteady to some, I think people are returning to older values of wanting to support their community and local businesses. Also, since the bubble of the corporate job market seems to be bursting, and there really is no such thing as a sure thing in any job market nowadays, I hope the next generation is even more motivated to create a life for themselves out of their passions and open businesses of their own.
On that note, I hope Black Diamond will be a staple of this community for many years to come.
IDH: Tell us about the importance of supporting entrepreneurship here in Connecticut.
GEORGINA: Small businesses are such a huge part of any community. They give people a place to gather, work, and of course get expert services from people they know they can count on to be there for them in the future. The foundation of any community is the small business and relationships within that community that connect them all.
IDH: Aside from funding, what do you need most to move your company forward?
GEORGINA: I think what Black Diamond needs is just to continue doing what we have been doing so we can continue to grow and provide the best jewelry and services possible to our clients. It seems like we have been playing catch up for years, and I’m really looking forward to having shorter wait times now that we have another full-time piercer.
IDH: What’s next?
GEORGINA: For now, I’m just focusing on the building purchase/waiting room expansion, our new piercer schedule, and keeping up our ever-growing stock of beautiful jewelry for our clients.
Learn more about Black Diamond Body Piercing
READ: Innovation Destination Hartford interview with Founder Georgina Schiavelli: Embracing Entrepreneurship
VISIT: blackdiamondbodypiercing.com
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