Noura Sakkijha is a third generation jeweler who realized the entire fine jewelry industry was fundamentally broken—built on the outdated idea that men buy diamonds for women, not that women buy the damn diamonds themselves. In 2013, she launched Mejuri with a radical mission: create fine jewelry for women to buy for themselves. What started as a crowdsourcing platform quickly pivoted after just one year when sales didn't materialize. Over 11 years, Mejuri has sold 6.5 million pieces of jewelry and is now expanding globally.

In this interview, the founder and CEO of Mejuri breaks down why she completely pivoted the business model after realizing there was no product-market fit, the brutal 2021 lesson about hiring ahead of growth that forced her to revise her entire approach to team building, and why she now refuses to hire until the team feels real pain.

What you'll learn in this interview:
• Why Noura pivoted from a crowdsourcing platform to direct-to-consumer after one year
• How she started Mejuri with a $25,000 CAD grant while working full time
• The moment she realized building a brand requires a specific POV and staying consistent
• Why she prioritizes culture fit over skills when hiring every single time
• The 2021 market crash lesson: why hiring ahead of growth is dangerous advice
• How she rebuilt her hiring philosophy around waiting until the team feels pain
• Why a bad culture hire creates noise that kills momentum and collaboration
• Her mission to build one of the most loved jewelry brands in the world
• How Mejuri is expanding internationally into Australia and the Middle East
• Why she obsesses about brand distinctiveness more than ever in changing markets
• Her biggest regret: returning to work three months postpartum instead of taking more time
• Why 50% of the work is just showing up every single day and doing your best

If you're building a DTC brand, navigating team growth decisions, or trying to challenge an industry that's been doing things the same way for generations, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about brand building, hiring strategy, and sustainable scaling.

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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/

CONNECT WITH NOURA SAKKIJHA
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nourasakkijha/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/noura-sakkijha-8b229741/
Website → https://mejuri.com/

0:00 How a Third-Generation Jeweler Realized the Industry Was Fundamentally Broken
1:39 The Problem: Fine Jewelry Marketed Only as Gifts from Men to Women
3:08 Starting as a Crowdsourcing Platform (And Why It Failed After One Year)
4:26 The Brutal Pivot: When Revenue Didn't Come and Product-Market Fit Was Missing
6:44 Raising $1M After Winning Small Grants and Building the Tech Stack
9:15 The Decision Point: When to Quit or Keep Going
14:30 Building the "Buy Yourself the Damn Diamond" Brand Positioning
21:45 Selling 6.5 Million Pieces of Jewelry Over 11 Years
28:20 The 2021 Lesson: Why Hiring Ahead of Growth Almost Killed the Business
34:50 Culture Over Skills: Why Bad Culture Hires Create Noise That Kills Momentum
40:15 The Empowerment Initiative: Building a Philanthropic Mission Beyond Jewelry
41:08 Returning to Work 3 Months Postpartum (And Why She'd Do It Differently)
42:50 Building the #1 Jewelry Brand in the World: International Expansion Plans
44:11 The Worst Mistake: Hiring Ahead of Growth During the 2021 Market Crash
45:52 Why You Should Only Hire When the Team Feels Real Pain
46:25 Final Words of Wisdom and Wrap Up

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