A Passion Project Turned Business

Anna Banana

Meet the Owner of AnnaBanana LLC

Like the majority of us, Anna Jordan had no idea what she wanted to study once she left the safety of high school. School advisors told her to look into her strong subjects like science and math but she could not stomach the idea of a healthcare career, she craved something more creative.

The Backstory

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Anna Jordan grew up in the small town of Clemmons, North Carolina. When Anna was in middle school she began teaching herself how to sew and make her own jewelry. By her senior year of High School, she had taught herself how to make her own prom dress. Throughout grade school, she made clothing and jewelry for friends and family as gifts, or by request. While she loved the idea of starting her own business, she didn’t realize how soon that could become a reality.

Despite her advisors pushing her towards a biology degree, she decided to study business. She found love in the creative and analytical aspects of marketing. This is when the branding and marketing AnnaBanana began. Anna learned from the professionals while interning with her current company in 2021. Now she has a full-time position in Marketing and Practice Development while also building her own business and brand.

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What Is AnnaBanana LLC?

AnnaBanana LLC is a jewelry business that creates lightweight, durable, and stylish handmade pieces When Anna first started she focused on beads and charms. In 2020, she began to play around with polymer clay. This is where AnnaBanana truly took form. The funneled her focus primarily on classic jewelry pieces that are casual to be worn every day but can also be used to dress up an outfit. The medium allowed her to further explore her creativity and the jewelry was more lightweight. 

Q&A With Anna Jordan

What drove you to want to start your own business?

The main reason I started selling jewelry was to see if I even liked running a business. At this point, I think it’s safe to say that I love it. After a slow start that was mainly due to homework, a packed social life, sharing rooms, and the inconsistent schedule that comes with college, I have been able to grow AnnaBanana so much. The growth drives me through every long week of working mornings, nights, and weekends along with my full-time job. Consistent praise and excitement from customers over what I have created make it all worth it!

How did you decide on the concept and name for your business?

I have to give credit to one of my family friends for the name. When we were kids, he stated if I ever owned a business I should call it AnnaBanana. Now that I am older, I have considered changing it but, honestly, it’s catchy and people get excited over it!

When it finally came down to it I knew if I was going to call my business AnnaBanana, I wanted to avoid it becoming childish. To help, I designed the simple and classic logo you see today.

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What is the hardest part about owning your own business?

Finding the time to do all of the things! I have countless ideas, plus a huge list of things that I feel like I need to do to continue to grow. It can get overwhelming, especially with work and life. My biggest struggle was being consistent in college. The initial take-off is not nearly as hard as continued growth. My schedule was so all over the place that I was constantly having to restart my progress. Working has at least given me a stricter schedule so I can organize my time better.

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How do you balance work and life outside of work?

Balance is hard. I have started recognizing that I need to give myself a break sometimes, but that is easier said than done. Becoming so dedicated to my business has meant scaling back my social life. Thankfully my friends understand and the time we do spend together is more special due to the intentionality. That being said, I couldn’t do it without the support of my boyfriend and the company of my dog!

Anna’s Advice: One of my tricks is to take a shower after working my job, to reset myself for what I call my “second work day” in the evenings when I do AnnaBanana tasks.

What are you most proud of?

I am proud of how I have grown as a person. I used to be painfully shy but now, I chat with tons of new people at craft markets and I actually enjoy it! Another personal challenge was the social media aspect. Younger me would have never imagined I would post myself in videos for the world to see and here I am running multiple accounts and making it work!

Professionally, I am proud of the networking I have done to build connections with other vendors who share advice with me. They have helped me reach opportunities to further grow my business.

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Anna’s Advice

I think the number one thing I have learned is to be consistent…

  • In my experience, results come from consistency. I have prioritized my business daily but that doesn’t mean I have to go overboard every day.
  • Make a schedule! My schedule holds my goals, long-term and short-term. I make a list of the items I would like to accomplish for each day so I stay in the habit and don’t lose progress when life gets busy. 

And to take time to educate yourself. 

  • It is a lot easier to prioritize tasks when you have researched strategies and know where to spend your time.

What did opening a business teach you about yourself?

I have learned so much about myself throughout this process. It comes back to what I am most proud of. My personal growth has been astronomical. I used to be so shy as a kid and working markets and now making reels! (I can’t tell you how uncomfortable they used to make me!) I have learned to put myself out there and I have become much more outgoing than I used to be. It has also taught me that, despite wanting to order Uber Eats every night, and many other things I am lazy about, if I love something I will work nonstop to make things happen. I have learned to not be too upset if an event is slow or no one buys the earrings I thought would sell out. Instead, I treat everything as a learning experience and that has helped me be resilient enough to keep moving forward.

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