CollectionsAug 17, 2026
Marquise Diamonds Dance in Spinelli Kilcollin’s ‘Wren’ CollectionMarquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.
Events & AwardsJan 07, 2015
What jewelers can learn from other business owners
JJ Ramberg, host of MSNBC’s Your Business and the JA New York Winter keynote speaker, shares stories of the small companies she’s covered, including a low-fat bagel baker and a laundromat.
"Your Business" host JJ Ramberg: “When you just dig into your business a little bit (you’ll discover) there are a lot of inefficiencies that can be fixed. It is not hard to fix them. It just takes some time and the will to do it.”
New York--As the keynote speaker at the upcoming JA New York Winter show, JJ Ramberg will be giving tips for small business owners, advice gleaned from years of experience covering companies as the host of MSNBC’s Your Business.
Recently, the journalist and author, who is an entrepreneur herself (she founded GoodSearch, now GoodShop, with her brother), sat down to talk to National Jeweler about some of the most outstanding companies she’s covered on her show.
Ramberg is scheduled to deliver her address on the show’s opening day, Jan. 18, at 9:30 a.m.
Her show, Your Business, airs at 7:30 a.m. on Sundays and also can be viewed online.
National Jeweler: What are some of the lessons small business owners have learned on your show?
JJ Ramberg: We did (a story) last year, one of my favorite stories, where we made over a jewelry store in Monterey (Calif.). It was a family-owned business, husband-and-wife team, and they owned a jewelry store on the wharf. They had one and they expanded to three other stores.
And they were doing fine. They were making enough money but they were older and they had no nest egg so they couldn’t retire.
I think the way they ran their business is typical of a lot of mom-and-pop places. They didn’t have a POS (point-of-sale) system, everything was on instinct.
NJ: So what you are saying is that they had no way of knowing what their best-sellers were?
Ramberg: It was exactly that.
They had these four different stores and they all sold different things, and they had many more employees than they needed. If they had just gotten under one roof they could have consolidated their employees.
We went in there and did a (Your Business) Makeover for them. They were already in the process of putting everything under one roof but we got Gensler in there, a design firm, and we got this woman who worked in luxury for a long time to come in and talk to them about their POS system and figure out their inventory.
I find them same thing (with many small business owners). We went to a bed-and-breakfast where I asked the woman, “What’s your revenue?”, and she looked at me like I was crazy. When you just dig into your business a little bit (you’ll discover) there are a lot of inefficiencies that
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
can be fixed. It’s not hard to fix them. It just takes some time and it takes the will to do it.
WATCH: Ramberg’s follow-up on the jewelry store makeover
NJ: What are some of the top inefficiencies you see?
Ramberg: Not knowing where all your cash is going, not paying enough attention to your bills to see if you are getting the best price on things.
Not having a good handle on your inventory, so you don’t know if you have all this cash tied up in inventory that’s just sitting there.
Not having a good understanding of customer flow, so you are wasting money on employees when you might not need them.
We did a story on a laundromat and it turned out that they had, I think, three people working there at all times. Turns out, no one ever came on Tuesdays in the morning, ever.
All you need to do is look at your receipts to find out (when people are coming in.) Paying employees when you are a small business, that’s a big cost for you. If you can figure out how to optimize your staffing, that’s an efficiency as well.
NJ: You’ve featured thousands of small businesses on your show. Besides the jewelry store, is there one that really stands out?
Ramberg: Lots of them.
My mom was an entrepreneur and she used to read us The Little Engine That Could, this “I think I can” (mentality.) You have to go after something, believe that “I can do this” combined with this idea of “I think I can’t.”
There is a whole list of things that I don’t know how to do, so I can’t delude myself into thinking that I can do everything. But I can figure out who to go to do get those answers.
I think the smartest business owners believe in themselves, not only to do it and be successful but (also) that they can figure out how to find the answers.
This woman who started a bagel company in Connecticut, she had never worked, she was a part-time waitress. Her husband was the bread-winner in the family. He lost his job because of an illness, he couldn’t go back to work and it was the recession.
She had this idea for a low-fat bagel company. She had done Weight Watchers and had lost (a considerable amount of weight) and so saw a hole in the market: there was no low-fat bagel.
She took most of their money, I think they had $18,000 left, a mortgage, four kids, no job and she took the bulk of that and put it into this company and just started knocking on doors and did it. She just wouldn’t take no for an answer.
She knew with her heart that there was a market. But then she went out and got advice from people on how to start this thing. So it took a little bit of a combination of, “I can do this” with “I know I need to ask the right questions to get to the next step.”
You don’t need to recreate the wheel. People have done almost everything before; just ask.
More on Events & Awards
The Latest
IndependentsAug 14, 2026
Smyth Jewelers to Open Fourth LocationThe family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.
CrimeAug 14, 2026
Wife of Man Convicted in Jeweler’s Murder Sentenced for Conspiracy Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.
Brought to you by
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsRetailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.
TrendsAug 14, 2026
Paul Morelli’s Latest ‘Wavey Vine’ Earrings Embrace ColorThe reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.
Weekly QuizAug 13, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Supplier BulletinAug 13, 2026
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSponsored by American Gem Trade Association
FinancialsAug 13, 2026
Pandora’s ‘Talisman’ Collection Shines, Lab-Grown Diamond Sales FallIn the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.
Brought to you by
Wedding Band Trends 2026: Personalization Takes Center StageColored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.
AuctionsAug 13, 2026
This Gold Cadbury ‘Conundrum’ Egg Set a World Auction RecordThe 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.
SourcingAug 13, 2026
2,488-Carat Diamond, Largest Found in Botswana, Has a New Owner Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.
CollectionsAug 13, 2026
John Hardy Infuses ‘Icon,’ ‘Heishi’ Collections with ColorThe expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.
Lab-GrownAug 13, 2026
Jean Dousset Opens Third StoreThe lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Eshed-Gemstar on the Painstaking Process of Cutting ‘The Legacy Emerald’The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Elderly NYC Woman Targeted in Jewelry Swap SchemeTwo suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Another Diamond Mine Poised to CloseFinsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Jewelry Store Employee Gets 20 Years to Life in Choking Death of BossMichel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.
MajorsAug 12, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names New SVP of SalesLongtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.
AuctionsAug 11, 2026
Verdura Unicorn Brooch With Royal Connection Up for Auction The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.
MajorsAug 11, 2026
Signet Jewelers Selects Mattel Exec to Lead Zales, BanterJamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.
IndependentsAug 11, 2026
Polly’s Fine Jewelry Co-Owner Richard Moore Dies at 69Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.
ColumnistsAug 11, 2026
Creative Connecting: How to Sell Colored Gemstones to Gen ZDuvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share the best ways to display, present, and explain colored gemstones to younger customers.
Events & AwardsAug 11, 2026
NAJA Announces Lineup For 2026 Fall Virtual ConferenceThe mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers will take place Sept. 5-6 on Zoom.
TechnologyAug 10, 2026
Colorado Jeweler Launches Customization Tool He Built HimselfHonest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
QVC Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Names New Interim CEOQVC Group President and CEO David Rawlinson is temporarily being replaced by a familiar face, former QVC CEO Mike George.
CollectionsAug 10, 2026
State Property Puts a Ripple in the ‘The Voyager’ CollectionThe brand also added two one-of-a-kind brown diamond pieces to the “Sanssouci” series of its “Gardens” collection.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
And IJO’s 2026 Vendor of the Year Is … Ostbye took home top vendor honors at the Independent Jewelers Organization’s show, held last month in Kentucky.
Supplier BulletinAug 07, 2026
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsSponsored by Stratus Estate Buyers
