Q&A with Marnie Goding, Elk, creative director When I look back on the Elk website when it first launched, I think how complicated and crazy it was. It was a full-flash animated website. It cost us a fortune, was impossible to manage and hilariously incapable of doing much at all. After all, it was 2005, so thankfully we have progressed a long way since then. What I love about making jewellery is the diversity of materials you can use and how you can make something that is relatively small c
mall completely change an outfit or look.
The one e-commerce trend I’m really interested in at the moment is blockchain. We have been looking into it for use in supply-chain transparency. There is still a lot to learn and we are working out how we could use the technology. And for our e-commerce store, it will be interesting to see if it could be utilised to assist customers with their purchasing decisions.
When I feel uninspired, I take time to step away and look to things that help me focus and re-energise. Music, film and books are a constant source of inspiration and creativity. A lack of drive or inspiration is often a result of burying yourself in work or the day-to-day.
One of the toughest business lessons I’ve learned is to trust your gut when it comes to people – this includes customers, suppliers and employees. We know instinctively who is right for us and when we have ignored this instinct, we have always been disappointed.
I’m reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. It’s a monster of a book, beautifully written but a total torment. It’s an emotional rollercoaster right from the start – not for the faint-hearted but also very much recommended.I’m listening to podcasts and love the segments on the “How I Built This” channel, which focuses on the fascinating stories of entrepreneurs and business owners.
