Samantha Wills designs impossibly fabulous jewellery worn by celebrities and mere mortals alike. So why does she think she’s turning into her mother?

I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Wills from her base in NYC – yup, The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. From the beaches of Bondi to one of the world’s most active and creative hot spots. In this interview, Samantha talks openly about how she started as a jewellery designer – and an entrepreneurial start for one so young – her journey from the Bondi Markets to a startling bout of realism in Australian Fashion Week and on to debt and doubt. If you thought the Samantha Wills brand was an overnight success, think again.

Meet Samantha Wills and Her Designs

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• To follow Samantha Wills on Instagram go to @samanthawillsofficial
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A Sneak Peek at the Life of Samantha Wills

In her interview, Samantha discusses her early creative efforts in beach culture jewellery which she sold to high school friends. Yes, SOLD. Her entrepreneurial spirit was evident in her teens and  by the time she was 21 she was selling her jewellery at the Bondi Markets in Sydney (Australia). At 22 she took a postage stamp sized space at Australian Fashion Week. She racked up $17,000 worth of orders in one weekend. And the rest is history.

Or is it? Samantha promised everyone delivery in two weeks and admits she had NO ideas about ordering, stock levels, budgets, delivery schedules and or anything else about business. That was 2004. Before long she was $85,000 in debt and had no idea how she was going to pay her bills and move on with her life.

In the interview, you’ll find out what Samantha did next!

Her innovative approach to getting out of debt and growing her business to the success it is today is discussed in the interview. She also talks about the reasoning behind moving herself to New York City, and what the future may hold for her and her increasingly global brand.