Interview with Holly Daniels Christensen, Founder & CEO of Dune Jewelry & Co.

Can you go from crafting at your kitchen table to a multi-million-dollar business? As CEO, Holly Daniels Christensen has proved – yes! Using grit and the actual sand beneath her toes, that’s exactly what this entrepreneur has done.

The founder of Dune Jewelry left home at 15 years old, and never looked back. She held a variety of jobs with stints as a zookeeper, pharmacy technician, promotional model, bartender, cellphone, car and cruise salesperson. She also spent 14 successful years as a top agent in Boston’s highly competitive real estate market.

This unique bootstrap entrepreneur who proved she was unafraid of hard work was voted 2016 Woman-Owned Business of the Year for Massachusetts and New England by the Small Business Association (SBA). In 2018, Inc. magazine honored Dune Jewelry as No. 2590 on its 37th annual Inc. 5000 List which is the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Currently, Dune Jewelry is the one-and-only experiential jewelry brand in the world.

It all started in 2007, when this self-taught jewelry designer began making beach sand jewelry for friends and family at her kitchen table, then officially launched Dune Jewelry full time in 2010. Now, Dune employs a team of 28 people working in a 3,100 square foot studio space in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Dune continuously fills orders for over 700 retail partners worldwide while their thriving e-commerce website focuses on selling personalized Experiential Jewelry that captures their customer’s most cherished memories.

Additionally, Holly has created an exclusive Sandbank which holds over 5,000 sands and earth elements gathered from iconic and memorable locations around the globe which customers can select from to customize their jewelry. Dune’s first-ever branded retail boutique opened i