ColumnistsMay 26, 2026
The Key Mindset for Better Trade Show BuyingBuying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.
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
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
TrendsMay 26, 2026
Amanda’s Style File: A Cooldown Is ComingBring a cool tone to your summer jewelry with these white metal pieces.
Events & AwardsMay 22, 2026
Instore Buys JA New York ShowThe deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.
Brought to you by
All Eyes on Gold Prices. Alternatives to Look For. And What to BEWARE of in VegasAs gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.
FinancialsMay 22, 2026
Richemont’s Jewelry Brands Lead the Charge in Q4The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.
Weekly QuizMay 21, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CollectionsMay 22, 2026
Leigh Maxwell Celebrates 5 Years at Couture With ‘Bauble’ CollectionThe “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.
MajorsMay 22, 2026
Stuller’s New Packaging, Display Catalog Is Out The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.
Brought to you by
How Modern Training Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Jewelry RetailersWith the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.
PodcastsMay 21, 2026
Episode 5: Sotheby’s Frank Everett Puts the Auction Market in PerspectiveEverett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.
IndependentsMay 21, 2026
Springer’s Jewelers’ New Flagship Will Serve Next-Gen Luxury ShoppersFourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.
Events & AwardsMay 21, 2026
JA Announces Nina Pugliese Memorial ScholarshipThe new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.
SourcingMay 21, 2026
Botswana, Angola Join WFDBThe addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.
CrimeMay 20, 2026
NYPD Warns of Jewelry Swap Scams Targeting SeniorsThe NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.
IndependentsMay 20, 2026
Adornment & Theory’s New Store Feels Like Home Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.
Events & AwardsMay 20, 2026
Here Is Couture’s 2026 Education Lineup The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.
Lab-GrownMay 20, 2026
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry Names New CEOFormer Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
WatchesMay 19, 2026
Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused PandemoniumThe $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
CollectionsMay 19, 2026
Chris Ploof’s New Collection Makes an Ancient Metal ModernWith gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.
IndependentsMay 19, 2026
Ellen and Michael Fruchtman Retire, Sell Marketing Agency Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.
ColumnistsMay 19, 2026
Peter Smith: The (Mostly) Immutable Sales TruthsIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.
ColumnistsMay 18, 2026
Edahn Golan: What a K-Shaped Economy Means for Fine JewelryIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Foundrae’s New Collection Taps Into JoyThe “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Hancocks London Acquires Historic ‘Inchiquin’ EmeraldThe jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.
Events & AwardsMay 18, 2026
Here Are the 2026 JCK Industry Fund Grant Recipients This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.
AuctionsMay 15, 2026
American Collector Ponies Up Almost $17K for John Wayne’s RingThe Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.
Events & AwardsMay 15, 2026
JA, MJSA To Sponsor Roundtable at TJSThe discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.
SourcingMay 15, 2026
State of Diamonds: The Way Forward for Natural DiamondsThe jewelry industry is reassessing its positioning as Gen Z reshapes the retail landscape and lab grown continues to gain market share.
