Jonathan Goldberg, Founder, President, and CEO of Kimberfire, tells us about custom-made engagement rings.
Tell us about you, your career, and how you founded Kimberfire.
Jonathan Goldberg: I started my career working for a Toronto-based diamond wholesaler, where I spent time in the Middle East and Belgium to learn the trade. After a few years working with diamonds, I went back to school for an MBA and spent three years in investment banking.
While working in banking, friends, and colleagues would always ask me where they should buy their engagement rings. They didn’t want to buy a diamond online, and they also didn’t want to go to a traditional store where they knew they would be paying a significant premium. I saw an opportunity to bring technology and superior customer service to the engagement ring buying experience, all without the traditional retail overhead. This led me to found Kimberfire in early 2013.
Do you have small habits that made a meaningful impact on your life and business?
Jonathan Goldberg: A favorite personal habit that is small but with an impact that multiplies over time is that I do my best to avoid “zero days.” I try to accomplish or push forward at least one thing every day.
How does Kimberfire market its product/services online?
Jonathan Goldberg: We’re very fortunate to have a large base of happy customers, many of whom have left reviews online. Organic search and our online reviews are a large source of our inbound leads. We also continue to invest time and resources into our social media base, as well as search and display ads.
What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to manage your online marketing?
Jonathan Goldberg: Other than Google’s own ad tools, we use Hootsuite to schedule and prepare social media posts.
In terms of management skills, the most important thing to manage is time. There is always so much to do and so little time to do it. Setting priorities and working efficiently is paramount.
What is your hiring policy/process, and how do you retain your employees?
Jonathan Goldberg: We seek out very qualified and experienced individuals for each role, people looking to contribute to our company for the long term. Kimberfire team members are given a lot of autonomy in their daily work, and they truly believe we have something special with significant growth potential. Our team is integral to our business, and we value and welcome their input into our procedures. Lastly, we pay our team fairly and value life outside of work.
How are you funding your growth?
Jonathan Goldberg: We have not raised any funds to date. Other than my personal investment of time and money in the first year of business, we have managed to grow organically with cash flow from operations.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
Jonathan Goldberg: The diamond jewelry industry is very competitive. There are the high-street luxury brands, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, online-only retailers, as well as smaller local wholesalers in various markets. Kimberfire brings together the best attributes of the top competitors in each of these segments to provide our customers with a truly differentiated, unique, and valuable offering. For us, this means that our products are made of high-quality, ethically sourced materials, all pieces are made by expert craftspeople, customer service is paramount, and pricing is transparent and fair. We plan to continue to invest in our business and people so that we can provide our products and service to the largest number of clients possible while still maintaining our level of quality and service.
Tell us a customer success story of yours.
Jonathan Goldberg: Being in the love business, every single purchase is a meaningful success to us. Over the past 10 years, we’ve had the privilege of being a part of many marriage proposals, weddings, and significant life events. Every day is a customer success story.
Your final thoughts?
Jonathan Goldberg: It’s been an incredible journey building Kimberfire into what it is today, and I’m very much looking forward to what the future has in store. If any of your readers need advice or assistance with an engagement ring or other diamond jewelry purchase, we’re always available to help. We hope to help you celebrate the happiest occasions on your life’s journey!
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