Shafiq Ali

Confidence is everything.

 

Since 2015, Shafiq Ali, also known as Suny, has become one of the top jewelers amongst the NFL. As the owner of Oxford Diamonds, a business that’s been catering jewelry to artists, celebrities, and idols for over 34+ years, Suny started to gain more attraction while working heavily with the Atlanta Falcons organization. His work became noticed throughout the league quickly and the demand within the NFL for his unique, high-quality diamond custom pieces and jewelry began to pile in orders.

Suny now works with all 32 teams in the NFL. He takes an average of 30 orders a month from professional athletes taking a visit into his store for the full experience, or from players needing fast, next day shipping. Suny provides high quality diamond jewelry at a price point for professional athletes that no other jeweler can beat. When players are ready for more work, most prefer to inquire through @SunytheJeweler Instagram, where they message Suny directly and are taken care of immediately. The process is easy and enjoyable as Suny provides friendly service and discounts to all professional athletes that beats any Jewelers prices. The relationships he’s built is what keeps hundreds of athletes returning for more.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

I grew up amongst a family of jewelers so it’s always been my dream to own a store and business of my own.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My days are always non-stop productive. There’s always something going on, a client I need to drop a rolex or chain off too. When I’m not physically with my clients, I’m on the phone with one or utilizing my time to grow my business. I love what I do, love to work hard and when I’m not working, enjoy spending time with family and doing things that are good for me.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Confidence. If I have a creative idea that I want to make happen I go for it. I don’t try to second guess myself and am willing to sacrifice any losses.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The era of Hip-Hop jewelry and bling has been huge for my business and love working with this type of jewelry.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I work hard- always stay productive and am invested into my business. When I have time where I’m not meeting a client or on the phone, I like to reach out and check in to make sure everyone and everything is good.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would advise what’s most important and not to lose focus on that. I do believe everything has happened how it should’ve though. I wouldn’t have learned certain valuable lessons if it weren’t for my experiences that I’ve gone through.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Money isn’t everything. Especially in the jewelry business where most jewelers upcharge and are focused on profits rather than long term relationships.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

One thing that is super important to me are my customers. I’m always reaching out to check in- make sure everything is good. The relationships I maintain is what differentiates me from a lot of other jewelers.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Time is important. I’ve learned the more time I put into doing something results will always come out of it. Whether that time is going into making a piece or taken to grow my business, it has always had a positive outcome.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Entrepreneurship comes with failure. At first, I found it hard to continuously fail and there’s definitely been times I wanted to just give up. Overtime I learned to get over that and now I truly embrace failure. If I fail I work harder to get what I want because that success feels so much better and is much more rewarding.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

There’s millions of businesses out there that don’t know how to utilize resources like social media and an online presence. That’s huge in this day and age, all businesses need to be taking advantage of that. A lot of young entrepreneurs who are so familiar with it don’t realize they can be helping other businesses.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

$100 may not seem like much, but to someone in need it could feel like a million. I like to be generous to those who struggle and don’t have it made like others. I often give friends and people I know who are struggling a chance to earn money and spread joy.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Instagram is my most efficient piece of my business. It gives me the opportunity to show off my work and enables an effective form of communication for my clients to reach out to me.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

My two favorite books I recommend everyone reads is “How to Win Friends & Influence People” and “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. Those books have truly made m

What is your favorite quote?

“Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. But with sound self-confidence you can succeed. A sense of inferiority and inadequacy interferes with the attainment of your hopes, but self-confidence leads to self-realization and successful achievement.”

Key Learnings:

• Time Management: Utilize your time effectively
• Work hard, put in the time to achieve results
• Confidence is everything
• Relationships are meaningful and important

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