Meet Elizabeth Neubauer | Co-Founder, Partner, and Capitalist Pig ;)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Neubauer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
First of all, thank you for taking the time to find out about our business. I love obstreperous ostrich and it has been such a dramatic journey. I am always happy to talk about it.

It all started in a factory warehouse. My longtime friend and now business partner was heading to my office at the same time I was heading to hers. We both had the same thought: we could sell these.

What these were, were tiny paintings transformed into necklaces. My artist friend brought them in to work to show people what she had been making. A coworker of ours wanted to know how much she was selling them for. My friend being a true artist was a bit befuddled. Sell them?

That day she sold over twenty of them.

Which brings us to the meeting of the minds. What did we do next?

We did all the mundane things you do when starting a business. I took business classes, we both read books by other successful business people, we did LEAN evaluations (a production efficiency model), and we talked endlessly about why two people with no business experience should start a jewelry business and how that would look.

At the end of the day, the thing that convinced us was those first sales. Really it was one sale. There was a woman who didn’t wear jewelry and was not frivolous with her money. She was so moved by the painted image in the necklace that she did not hesitate to open her wallet and buy one.

That was in 2019. obstreperous ostrich has survived COVID, inflation, and historically uncertain times. I think we are on to something.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Selling jewelry is not as easy thing. In fact, we had a lot of pushback from the very beginning. There are many people selling jewelry. We did think a lot about how if the world needed another jewelry company, but in the end we decided that people who like jewelry, like jewelry and we would always have an audience. So yes, the world did need another jewelry company.

It definitely hasn’t been easy since our jewelry is not what comes to mind when you hear the word “jewelry”. We don’t use precious stones or metals. Not only are the pieces created from tiny paintings, they are tiny abstract paintings and abstraction is sometimes difficult for people to absorb.

Initially, we wanted to give people a “museum moment”, that experience where you come upon a painting and something about it resonates with you. We wanted people to be able to have that in their daily lives. Wearable art, so to speak.

I know it sounds a little weird to say that a $50 necklace can be profound but I have seen it time and again from the people who visit me at craft fairs, farmer’s markets and other in-person events. More than once, someone will walk up, look at the table, pick up a necklace and say, “I want this one. It speaks to me.”

There is a certain alchemical reaction that happens when people encounter the work and it doesn’t happen from our “perfect customer”.* I personally am heartened by the vast variety of people who are drawn to the work. It is true a lot of our customers are women but I have also sold work to a conservative politician, a dye-hard (pun intended), patchouli wearing hippy, a family from India road tripping across the US, an oil field rough neck, and countless little girls and babies. The one that touches me the most was the trans teen that was struggling with the decision to come out of the shadows and be their wonderful true self. They didn’t buy the necklace immediately, but they sought us out at another event and without hesitation bought the necklace, put it on, and walked away smiling.

That is what I love about what we do. I love seeing that connection that occurs between people and the recognition of themselves in one of our pieces. It makes me happy to know that what we sell appeals to so many different people. Because whether we are conscious of it or not, we are connected to each other.

Now on to some business advice. Here are four useful things I have learned.

1. It is ok to be a creator and not a seller. Often selling doesn’t come easy to sellers. Find someone who will sell your work for you. You don’t have to do it all.
2. Stay true to your vision. Once we quit listening to all the “experts” and started running our business “our way”, we started making money.
3. Put in the work. If you look at the history of any successful business, the founders worked long and hard hours in the beginning, often without pay.
4. Don’t give up! Every mistake is a learning lesson. Some mistakes are unavoidable but all of them can make your business stronger.

*When starting a business you are encouraged to imagine the specific person that you are selling to. You are asked to imagine age, race, income level, what profession and hobbies this person has, even to describe their outfit and give them a name.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love sharing what I love about the Western Slope of Colorado with others. For this fantasy trip, we are going to make it during the end peach season in September.

Day One, Monday:

Arrival. I’ll let my gal pal unpack and then we’ll take a drive over the Colorado National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/colm/index.html ), ending at the visitor’s center. We’ll do the quick hike and then hunker down for a cookout with Colorado Smoked Sausage from Old World Meats (http://www.oldworldmeatgj.com/).

Day Two, Tuesday:

We’d take a tour of the wine country in Palisade. There are tours available but I’d do my own making sure we hit Colterris winery (https://www.colterris.com/) and Hermosa winery (https://www.hermosavineyards.com/ ) . We’d also stop by some orchards as well and pick up some peaches to eat during the week. It will be late in the season but there should be some cresthavens perfect for picking.

Day Three Wednesday:

Today is the day for a short road trip to the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (https://www.nps.gov/blca/planyourvisit/southrim.htm). It is a little wilder than the north rim since there are no guard rails. Yes, it is fun to scare the bejeezus out of your friend. For being a good sport, I’ll reward her with dinner at Zach’s Barbecue (https://www.zacksbarbecue.com/) where a grown up can order the kid’s plate, which will fill you just enough to leave some room for their amazing pies. Which one? Coconut cream? Cherry? Pecan?

Day Four Thursday:
First, we need to fuel up with fantastic chile relleno burritos from Taqueria Guadalajara. Located at 719 Pitkin Avenue, you are likely to hear more Spanish than English. This is the real deal. Walking just a block north, we’ll indulge in some almond toffee from Enstrom’s (https://enstrom.com/ ) before we start our adventure on the The River Front Trail ( https://www.mesacounty.us/departments-and-services/parks/riverfront-trail ). Stretching from Palisade in the east to Fruita in the west, we’ll jump on it in Grand Junction since it is just south of the taqueria and bike to our heart’s content.

Day Five Friday:

A picnic out at Highline Lake (https://www.colorado.com/loma/scenic-attractions/state-parks/highline-lake-state-park), just west of Fruita, is the perfect respite after a day of hiking and biking. With my library card I can check out a State Pass, making it a cheap option for me. With the money I’ve saved I’ll splurge on incredible sandwiches from Kulina Lani Sourdough Bakery (https://www.kulinalani.com/ ). If we are up to it, there is bound to be a cool play at Colorado Mesa University’s theater that evening (https://cmustages.com/index.html ).

Day Six Saturday:

Today we head to downtown Grand Junction. First we’ll stroll down Main Street checking out the action at the car show (https://downtowngj.org/category/downtown-car-show/ ). Then we’ll head into the Convention Center to scope out the cosplay at the Mesa County Library’s Comic Con (https://mesacountylibraries.org/comiccon/ ). Since we are in the area, we’ll stop by the SoCo Social House (https://socosocialgj.com/our-menu/ ) for a cocktail. We’ll order some stellar pizza from Pablo’s (https://pablospizza.com/ ) to take home where we can talk about what a good week we had.

Day Seven Sunday:

Good byes are always bittersweet so to avoid tears we’ll go to Pufferbelly’s (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054798438634 ) so we can enjoy watching the trains as we enjoy a good down home breakfast.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As someone whose only understanding of business was “you need more money coming in than going out”, there are two organizations that have been crucial to our success.

The Mesa County Public Library has a wealth of resources for first-time entrepreneurs, most notably the required business forms and information as well as a studio with all the equipment you need for setting up an online business.

The second is the Craft Industry Alliance. This organization provides support with classes and up-to-the-minute information about the craft industry. More importantly it connects creatives who are also small business people. Starting a business can be a solitary endeavor and it is very helpful to have the knowledge from people who are not only doing what you are doing but have done it and are successful.

Website: https://oostrich.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildostriches/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063565927607

Other: https://theopenmarket.co/

Image Credits
Head shot by Gail Lesnieski all other photos by Elizabeth Neubauer