Mum fired at eight months pregnant making millions with her jewellery brand Kellective by Nikki

An Australian mother has gone from being laid off eight months pregnant with no idea of ​​what the future held to running a successful jewelry business generating more than $2.3 million a year.

Nikki Kelly, from Brisbane, has sold more than 45,000 pieces of handmade jewelery through her business. Nikki Kellective in six years.

The mother of three said kidspot she started the accessories brand after she was laid off from her corporate job when she was 35 weeks pregnant with her first child.

Nikki had to abandon her plans for a happy maternity leave and come up with a plan for how she and her husband, Scott, were going to deal with living on one income with a newborn.

Kellective by Nikki was born out of stress and the mother began making simple, delicate jewelry by hand from home, which has since grown into a multi-million dollar business.

Nikki has sold more than 45,000 pieces of handmade jewelry through her Kellective by Nikki business in just six years.

Just weeks before Nikki was to take nine months of maternity leave from her job at the bank, she received a devastating blow.

She joked that it was “not a great day at work” when told she would have to “reapply for a job in a new structure.”

Eight months pregnant, Nikki was not a desirable candidate for new positions and had a ‘sinking feeling’ four weeks later on her last day with no job to return to.

“There was no morning tea, no good luck… my manager even asked me one day: ‘Are you still here?'” he said.

“My dreams of relaxing with my new baby were on the other side of the stress that I just couldn’t see past.”

After spending eight years building a network at the company, Nikki dreaded having to start all over again while caring for a newborn baby.

Nikki had to abandon her plans for a happy maternity leave when she was laid off from her corporate job weeks before giving birth.

Nikki was stressed about applying for a job and paying for childcare to give herself time to build a career again as originally from the UK she had no family support in Australia.

She decided she would be a stay-at-home mom rather than deal with the “anxiety and guilt” of not being able to start a new job.

Coming from a ‘creative family’, Nikki came up with the idea of ​​starting a jewelry business and discovered that she needed to earn $200 a week to be able to work and care for the new baby from home.

She started making key chains and worked around the clock to get the business off the ground while she was the mother of a newborn.

Scott worked shifts with five days on and five days off when he could take Nikki’s load, but she said the days she wasn’t there “never seemed to end.”

I would work around siesta hours and often into the wee hours of the morning to fill orders.

Through the stress, she came up with the idea for a jewelry brand that she could run from home while taking care of her new baby. She started making key chains by hand from her kitchen table.

The mother of three now has a second business studio and a team of ten employees to run Kellective by Nikki and doesn’t let business get in the way of big events with her children.

In the six years since, Nikki’s hard work has paid off and she is running a million dollar business with three children under the age of six.

I’m a bit of a walking hurricane. Everything around me is always chaos and I must admit that I am addicted to that chaos. I am very grateful to my team that works with me for their patience and understanding throughout the entire process,” he said.

Kellective by Nikki sells stunning, understated pieces of jewelry for the entire family with lines for both men and children.

There are also custom pieces for customers to get matching jewelry emblazoned with their name or the name of a loved one, as well as a vegan leather backpack.

Running your own business gives you the freedom to take time off to care for your children without the stress of worrying about what a boss might think.

Kellective by Nikki offers stunning, understated jewelry for the whole family with lines for both men and kids, as well as custom pieces and a vegan leather backpack.

The business has expanded from Nikki making jewelry at her kitchen table to a home studio and now has a second commercial studio with a team of ten, including Scott.

Nikki said she doesn’t let business get in the way of attending important events with her kids, like morning tea at school, receiving prizes at assemblies or friendly dance recitals.

Running your own business gives you the freedom to take time off to care for your children without the stress of worrying about what a boss might think.

During school holidays, Nikki and some members of her team bring their children to the office.

She makes sure to buy them things to play with and even gives them little jobs like putting stickers on envelopes to keep them entertained throughout the day.

Nikki said she “can’t express” how much she values ​​making her team feel like her family is welcome and not a burden.