From Tragedy to Triumph: Olivia Jenkins’ Journey in Building a £6.6 Million Jewellery Brand

The Covid lockdowns prompted Olivia Jenkins to reassess her career path while working at a media agency. Stripped of elaborate lunches and workplace perks, she found herself discontented.

One evening in their Putney flat in southwest London, Jenkins confided in her fiancé, Jack Zambakides, about her lost sense of purpose. “I felt aimless,” recalled the now 28-year-old.

Zambakides, already an experienced entrepreneur, encouraged her to start her own venture. He had been busy learning how to market products online during the lockdown and told Jenkins, “If you focus on the business and brand, I can handle sales.”

Jenkins quickly drew inspiration from her childhood in Cardiff, where her passion for jewellery took root. Shopping trips to St David’s shopping centre with her mother, Deborah, sparked her interest. As a teenager at Pandora, known for its charm bracelets, she recognized a gap in the market as customers frequently inquired about affordable gold-coloured jewellery.

This inspired her to create a line of gold-plated jewellery that was stylish, affordable, and durable. After weeks of outreach, she secured a supplier in China specializing in stainless-steel pieces with 14-carat gold plating.

To ensure quality, Jenkins tested the products thoroughly, wearing them throughout her daily routine, even during workouts and showers. Realizing their durability, she felt a wave of clarity: “This was the product I was meant to sell.”

Finding a name for her business was effortless; she decided on D. Louise, a tribute to her mother who passed away from cancer in 2017. Jenkins explained that honoring Deborah (whose middle name was Louise) has been her paramount motivation. “I want everything we create to be something I’m truly proud of; that’s driven our success. I believe customers resonate with that authenticity,” she affirmed.

Last year, D. Louise achieved sales of £6.6 million, operating with a healthy profit margin and employing 15 staff members.

Jenkins does not share typical childhood memories of entrepreneurship. Her mother was a hairdresser and her father managed a car dealership; Jenkins only began contemplating her career after university. She fondly remembers summers spent camping in Italy with her family, enjoying a carefree childhood.

However, her mother’s colon cancer diagnosis at age 15 shattered her sense of security. “I thought nothing bad could possibly happen; it was a shock,” she recalled.

She pursued a business degree at Reading University. Tragically, in June 2017, Deborah passed away after the illness had spread to her lungs and spine. Following her mother’s death, Jenkins took a break from her studies to travel across Europe and spend time in Thailand, seeking to escape her reality.

Upon returning to university, she met Zambakides during her second year. She often suggests that his presence in her life was her mother’s way of guiding her in the right direction.

After graduation, the couple settled in London. Zambakides secured a position at CBRE, while Jenkins started as a receptionist at an estate agency, where she struggled significantly.

She transitioned to Manning Gottlieb, an advertising agency, after a friend recommended it. Jenkins enjoyed the role until the Covid pandemic stripped away its social elements, leaving her unfulfilled.

Simultaneously, she observed Zambakides thrive in his business venture, LS Personal Shopper, which connected high-demand products with clientele, including Premier League footballers. “I began to realize I was on the wrong path,” she said.

This realization led Jenkins to seek ideas, and after finding a manufacturer in China willing to accommodate small orders, she launched D. Louise in January 2021, with Zambakides providing £1,000 for initial stock. “I was fortunate to start small and adjust as I went along,” Jenkins reflected, even as she maintained her role at Manning Gottlieb.

Her instincts paid off; some bestsellers, like a paperclip necklace priced at £55, emerged from those early collections. Eager to learn, Jenkins immersed herself in YouTube tutorials on running a business, driven by the excitement of her venture.

A pivotal moment arrived in March 2021 during a weekend sale that featured a 20% discount. Sales skyrocketed from 10 to 15 items a day to 150 within the duration of this sale. “I couldn’t believe it; I spent three days packing orders,” she said.

Following this moment, Jenkins resigned from her job and focused on D. Louise, reinvesting profits into expanding her order sizes. “We would buy small quantities, sell out, and then restock. It was chaotic,” she described.

Financial pressures weighed heavily during the early stages, especially during VAT season. “I often wondered how we would cover those costs when we had already spent all our money,” she admitted. It wasn’t long before she welcomed Steve Hewitt, former CEO of Gymshark, as a minority investor and advisor.

Jenkins faced numerous personal challenges, including lingering self-doubt. “For a long time, I didn’t feel confident and believed I wasn’t the right fit for my own business,” she said. Over the years, she consistently worked on improving her mindset, asserting, “I deserve this business, and I am capable of meeting its demands.”

Jenkins credits the brand’s success, having sold over 7,000 jewellery pieces last month, to its authenticity. With a large social media following, many fans are inspired by her personal story. She promotes a yearly walk focused on raising awareness around grief and loss, beginning from the hospice where her mother received care and concluding in her current residence of Wandsworth.

Having faced profound loss, including her brother’s suicide in September 2021, just nine months after the launch of D. Louise, Jenkins navigated through her grief and used it as motivation. “I felt engulfed in sorrow, but I gradually channeled that pain into something positive,” she explained.

Her drive now stems from the desire to honor her mother and brother. “Each day, I strive to live fully because they cannot,” she expressed sincerely. “There are mornings when I struggle to find motivation, but the energy from their loss pushes me to turn that pain into something meaningful.”