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1. Identify Your Target Customer: Identifying your target customer is key to boosting growth. Automic Gold gained traction only after AL zeroed in on a specific demographic: young tech professionals with disposable income and an eye for style.
2. Customer-First Philosophy is Foundation: "The customer is always right" isn't just a platitude at Automic Gold, it actively shapes how the team engages with every shopper. AL believes that listening to customers builds meaningful relationships that foster brand trust and support.
3. Education Drives Customer Loyalty: Because fine jewelry is unfamiliar territory for many buyers, AL takes responsibility for making the experience accessible and transparent. Taking the time to explain every detail of a piece to customers sets Automic Gold apart from retailers who prioritize the sale over the experience.
4. Let Go of Perfectionism: AL reminds aspiring E-Commerce entrepreneurs that obsessing over flaws and constantly seeking improvement can be paralyzing rather than productive in starting a business.
5. Endorse a collaboration mindset: AL believes that a willingness to help others matters more than technical skill alone when evaluating candidates. For small, independent brands like Automic Gold, team members must be willing to step outside their defined role when the situation calls for it.
When AL Sandimir, an LGBTQ refugee, came to the United States in 2009 with little education or experience, they took a job working in a gold refinery. The experience sparked a passion for the craft, inspiring AL to study jewelry making. In 2017, they founded Automic Gold, an ethical, size-inclusive jewelry brand. Learn how AL went from selling rings at a table outside a tech company to building a full-scale fine jewelry operation grounded in ethical practices, skilled craftsmanship, and a commitment to educating customers about precious metals and gemstones.
Meet AL Sandimir, Founder of Automic Gold!
Automic Gold is a New York City-based, queer and trans-owned fine jewelry brand famous for its genderless, sustainable, and highly inclusive designs. Founded by AL Sandimir, the brand is widely praised for handcrafting all pieces locally in-house using only 100% reclaimed gold, platinum, and ethically sourced gems.
AL Sandimir, an LGBTQ refugee, came to the United States in 2009. Though young, with little experience or education, they were able to secure a job at a gold refinery. "This is when I learned about jewelry and recycling of metals," they recall. "I then started my own Craigslist and eBay stores, where I would buy vintage jewelry, clean and repair the pieces, and list them for sale." When the inventory reached 8,000 pieces, AL realized that not a single one was something they would want to wear themselves. "This realization motivated me to go to jewelry school and learn how to make jewelry, so I could create my own collection." In 2017, AL launched Automic Gold, an ethical, size-inclusive fine jewelry brand.
In the beginning, AL operated Automic Gold from a jewelry bench set up in their apartment. The brand has since grown into an office/production space. “All of the jewelry is made fully in-house,” they explain, “there is also the showroom where customers can come in and shop in-person.”
“For me, as a small business owner, it feels like knocking on 10,000 doors in the beginning – when one of them opens, you just run with it,” AL says. Early marketing strategies included digital ads, magazine placements, bar promotions. The breakthrough came when AL identified Automic Gold's core audience: young business professionals in tech. Rather than waiting for them to discover the brand, AL brought it directly to them, setting up a vendor table just outside a tech company during lunch hour. "The employees would come out and see my jewelry on display," AL recalls. "They liked my style, and it was something they could afford. That's how they became familiar with the brand." Grassroots tactics continue to build momentum for the brand, their most effective recent tactic was distributing 10,000 free bandanas. "I think people appreciated getting something cool and valuable that they would actually use," AL adds.
Customer education has been central to Automic Gold's retention strategy. When shoppers come in searching for something modest like a small earring, AL takes the opportunity to introduce them to the brand's fuller offerings: high-end engagement and wedding bands, as well as services like precious metal recycling. "If they ever have fine jewelry needs in the future, I remind them that they can come back to us," AL says while noting, “we have a 50% customer return rate”
Fine jewelry is a perennial gift favorite, which means Automic Gold sees a reliable sales surge each holiday season. Rather than bringing in outside help, AL keeps the team lean and rewards loyalty – members are encouraged to take vacations during slower periods so they're refreshed and ready when demand peaks. "Fine jewelry is a very specific product and market, so I don't want to hire a beginner," AL says. It's a standard they hold firmly: every jeweler on staff has decades of experience, and all pieces are made in house. That commitment was put to the test when a viral social media post triggered a flood of orders so rather than compromise quality, they closed the store for two weeks to work through the backlog.
"I believe the customer is always right," AL begins. "You have to listen to them." At Automic Gold, that philosophy extends to education, because many customers are unfamiliar with the precious metals, gemstones, and craftsmanship behind fine jewelry, AL makes it a priority to walk them through every detail. "I think our customers appreciate knowing everything about the piece they are buying," they add.
"I look for how willing people are to help each other," AL says, describing their ideal Automic Gold hire. A collaborative attitude is essential to the "all-hands-on-deck" philosophy that drives the team. A bench jeweler, for instance, will step up to greet a customer or answer a call if a salesperson is already occupied or out sick.
AL wants to continue growing the Automic Gold with a focus on expanding the brand’s jewelry product selection. In addition to offering more affordable and high-end options, they want to lean into the unique, androgynous quality of pieces, specifically its non-gendered engagement and wedding band collection. “I want to do some rings that cost $200 to $500 alongside ones that cost $60,000 to $100,000,” they explain.
"Do it. The more you do it, the more you try different things, the more you succeed," AL says. Starting a business requires ambition, passion, and a confident mindset — not perfection, which AL sees as a false construct rooted in white supremacy society. "You really have to fake it till you make it," they add. "Because thoughts of imperfection and always looking for better ways to do it is going to drive you crazy."
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AI or no AI? Maybe… If it’s sustainably done, not impacting our drinking water and we upload indigenous knowledge that we all can access and use. Right now, the knowledge online is fixed knowledge, even for jewelry. Before AI, people were writing articles just for Google ranking. A lot of it is misinformation that gets repeated and is hidden in AI. But if AI is done ethically and in a way that can improve our lives, it’s a great idea. If we upload models that preserve actual knowledge, not the racist system that we have now. Give AI control to older indigenous mothers and let them upload AI knowledge, then I would support it.
Favorite thought leader in the E-Commerce space? When I started the business, I was so obsessed, reading blogs and watching Youtube videos. I read over a hundred books on how to be an entrepreneur and launch your business. At this point, I feel like the same information gets repeated in different forms – it’s more about doing than learning.
#1 challenge as a leader? I try not to be too hard on myself and on my people. I always want to do better and provide the best customer experience and please everyone, but it’s just impossible sometimes. It’s hard not to take it personally and separate my personal life from work. This is very hard, but I try my best.
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