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b'The Nitty Gritty\\n\\n* How Christy\\u2019s sustainability values inform her minimalist and unique jewelry designs \\u2014 and where she sources diamonds and gemstones from\\n* What her weekly schedule looks like \\u2014 from meeting with clients, working in the studio, sketching, and tending to longer-term projects\\n* Who she hires to create a sustainable business model from accountants to lawyers to web designers to marketers\\n* How Christy infuses her multicultural background into her work\\n\\nThe jewelry trade isn\\u2019t always known for its sustainability \\u2014 especially when it comes to sourcing diamonds. Today, that\\u2019s changing because jewelry designers like Christy Natsumi are making conscious choices to source diamonds and gemstones from vendors with honest supply chains.\\nThrough that thoughtful choice \\u2014 and oh so many more \\u2014 Christy creates change through her business: from where she sources raw materials from to the local artisans she hires in San Francisco to the unique and timeless designs she produces.\\nWe release new episodes of What Works every week. Subscribe on iTunes so you never miss an episode.\\nThe importance of having help and hiring experts\\n\\u201cI\\u2019ve made my choices mostly on intuition and trust. It\\u2019s invaluable to have people who have your best interests in mind. It\\u2019s a foundational point that you need to be able to grow and thrive.\\u201d \\u2014 Christy Natsumi\\nWhile Christy doesn\\u2019t have any employees (yet!), she outsources specific parts of the jewelry manufacturing \\u201cto people who specialize in those particular techniques to accelerate the production and delivery time.\\u201d\\nThis includes local-to-her contract artisans in San Francisco. \\u201cIt\\u2019s a very conscious choice to work with local makers and trade workers,\\u201d Christy adds. But it\\u2019s not just artisans she\\u2019s working with: she also works with an accountant that she meets with monthly as well as a lawyer that she consults from time to time on web copy. Her lawyer also drafted the contracts for her custom work. \\u201cSometimes I\\u2019m taking in grandma\\u2019s diamonds so there needs to be protections in place for that,\\u201d Christy says.\\nBeyond the legal work, Christy\\u2019s hired business coaches, videographers, and marketing and PR contractors. And lucky for her: her husband is a web designer and photographed all pieces since she opened her jewelry design studio.\\nMaking time for yourself keeps you engaged in your business\\n\\u201cI bring attentiveness to my personal needs at the end of the week to make sure that I\\u2019m staying engaged and focused and to avoid burnout.\\u201d \\u2014 Christy Natsumi\\nBeing your own boss can sometimes feel like you\\u2019re operating in a vacuum. That\\u2019s why Christy\\u2019s created specific workweek flows to keep her vision front and center. At the end of every week, she prints out photos from clients as well as kind words they send in an email.\\nThis ritual is part of Christy\\u2019s work week \\u2014 and it\\u2019s something she intentionally does to stay inspired. \\u201cIt honors the craft and it also honors the people you\\u2019re serving,\\u201d she says. \\u201cIt\\u2019s really important to take a moment at least once a week to be reminded of that \\u2014 and center back into why you\\u2019re doing something.\\u201d\\nIs there a way that you can build in time to reflect on the value you\\u2019re creating for your customers and clients every week?\\nIncluding custom pieces in a product-based business model\\n\\u201cThe custom process allowed me to be a little bit more environmentally mindful. I struggled in the beginning with the thought of making things for sake of producing a ton of things. I loved that the bridal pieces allowed me to not only merge value and client needs but it served my business in terms of h...'