Can you go from crafting at your kitchen table to a multi-million-dollar business? As CEO, Holly Daniels Christensen has proved – yes! Using grit and the actual sand beneath her toes, that’s exactly what this entrepreneur has done.
The founder of Dune Jewelry left home at 15 years old, and never looked back. She held a variety of jobs with stints as a zookeeper, pharmacy technician, promotional model, bartender, cellphone, car and cruise salesperson. She also spent 14 successful years as a top agent in Boston’s highly competitive real estate market.
This unique bootstrap entrepreneur who proved she was unafraid of hard work was voted 2016 Woman-Owned Business of the Year for Massachusetts and New England by the Small Business Association (SBA). In 2018, Inc. magazine honored Dune Jewelry as No. 2590 on its 37th annual Inc. 5000 List which is the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Currently, Dune Jewelry is the one-and-only experiential jewelry brand in the world.
It all started in 2007, when this self-taught jewelry designer began making beach sand jewelry for friends and family at her kitchen table, then officially launched Dune Jewelry full time in 2010. Now, Dune employs a team of 28 people working in a 3,100 square foot studio space in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Dune continuously fills orders for over 700 retail partners worldwide while their thriving e-commerce website focuses on selling personalized Experiential Jewelry that captures their customer’s most cherished memories.
Additionally, Holly has created an exclusive Sandbank which holds over 5,000 sands and earth elements gathered from iconic and memorable locations around the globe which customers can select from to customize their jewelry. Dune’s first-ever branded retail boutique opened in July 2021 in Harwich Port, Massachusetts to showcase the diverse range of the brand’s products, and in April 2022, Dune opened their second retail location, an “experiential concept” store in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Holly is an advocate for giving back to the community and is proud to spearhead many fundraisers each year for non-profit organizations such as SMILE Mass, The Association to Preserve Cape Cod and Mission Blue. In addition, Dune often donates a portion of their sales throughout the year to various charities such as the global relief organization All Hands and Hearts, the Surfrider Foundation and the P.A.W.S Project. Currently, the company has surpassed over $200,000 in charitable donations.
Holly’s book, “Happiness Comes in Waves” released in May, 2022 from Quarto Publishing. Happiness Comes in Waves provides life lessons filled with inspiring stories and quotations from the Dune community and ocean advocates—illustrated with gorgeous photographs of the ocean, shorelines, and beaches. Each chapter is dedicated to a theme with chapters on being unstoppable, adventurous, creative, grounded, soulful and abundant.
Holly lives in Walpole, Massachusetts with her husband Eric, their two daughters Alexa and Lyla, and their rescue pup, Earle. She is dedicated to creating a future that motivates people to understand that continued hard work and perseverance is a direct path to success.
Follow Holly Daniels Christensen on her personal Instagram: holly_daniels_christensen
For more information on Dune Jewelry visit, https://dunejewelry.com/
Follow Dune Jewelry on social media:
Instagram: DuneJewelry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dunejewelry
Twitter: @dunejewelry
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