FIREBYRD is a small woman owned business run by a 22 year old CEO, Erin. Ever since she was a little girl, Erin had been making jewelry and designing fashion whenever she could. She would sell her creations at craft fairs with her grandma and to any friend who wanted to buy them. At 16, Erin decided to really start working on jewelry making. She started out with beaded necklaces and scrunchies. She sold to friends, and sold at her theater shows to try and get her name out there. Towards the end of her senior year of high school, Erin decided that running her own business is what she truly wanted to do. She was very into computer science while in high school, and decided to start by making a website. She worked on an independent study with her computer science teacher to learn how to properly code and establish her own website. The same year, covid-19 came into our lives, but that didn't stop her dream. She spent the whole summer working on her website, her branding, and her products.
​
It took some time for Erin to decide what to name her business. Her whole life has been surrounded by drag racing. Her grandfather has been building cars almost his whole life, and took to the race track in 1966. Her father quickly followed in his footsteps as a teen, and once Erin was old enough she did as well. She knew she wanted this part of her life represented in her business. Her grandfather used to race a 1986 Firebird, but unfortunately crashed and totaled it in 2019. After a lot of thought and trashed brand ideas, she decided that the name FIREBYRD would best represent her story and her business.
On September 28th 2020, FIREBYRD officially opened its online store. Opening a business during the peak of the pandemic was certainly not easy, but she defied all odds and persisted. She knew this is what she wanted for her life, and would do everything she could to make it work. She started out with sales from friends and family for a good amount of time. Once she finally started to post more on social media, she started to reach a greater audience.
​
At the same time, Erin was going to college as a marketing major. She soon realized in her freshman year that the college path wasn't for her, but was so stuck on the societal norm of having to go to college to succeed. As she was balancing her first year of college, she managed to put out frequent launches throughout her first year of business, and hit 100 total orders by the first year anniversary. In August of 2021, FIREBYRD officially became a legal business, which made Erin an official CEO of a company at just 19 years old.
As she went into her sophomore year of college, she started a new job as a part time associate in a new clothing store opening up in her local mall. Seeing what it was like to set up a store really motivated her to work towards her main goal of one day having a storefront. She quickly became bonded with her new team, and absolutely loved her new job. Going there everyday was a motivator to work even harder. She would imagine what it would be like to be in her very own storefront selling her brand. In less than a month, her boss decided to promote her to a management position. Erin had worked retail before but never management. The team chose her based off her work ethic and determination. This was a huge turning point for Erin. She was so grateful for this opportunity she was given, and thankful that her management team believed she could take on this position. With this promotion, she decided the best option for her was to withdraw from college. College wasn’t teaching her what she needed to learn.
In May of 2022, Erin was given an opportunity for her business that would completely change the game. FIREBYRD pop-up shops in the mall. This would be huge for exposure and for getting the brand name out there. Taking this leap was a scary decision. It meant she was going from a steady paycheck to complete uncertainty, but she knew it was what she had to do to achieve her goals.
​
After several great months in the mall, Erin made the decision to switch back to online for a while to steer to a slightly different path. FIREBYRD went through a big remodel and rebrand. We now are not only an online boutique, but now we also offer permanent jewelry parties!
Erin has put her blood sweat and tears (literally) into this business. She couldn’t be more proud of how it's turning out, and cannot wait to see what the future holds for FIREBYRD. Thank you for choosing to support a woman owned small business, and thank you for reading our story.