'I opened a jewellery shop at 24 with just £200 left in my pocket - now business is booming'

A young entrepreneur who was left with just £200 after opening his own jewellery shop in Leeds city centre is celebrating a successful first year in business.

Lewis Millard was just 24 when he opened Diamond & Dagger, an independent piercing and fine jewellery studio in the Grand Arcade.

After paying for contractors, electrical work, joinery and his first jewellery orders, he returned home to discover he had almost run out of money.

But 12 months on, the business has welcomed thousands of customers, received almost 1,100 Google reviews with a 4.9-star rating and secured a stockist account with prestigious jewellery manufacturer BVLA.

Lewis told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “When I first started the business, I’d just finished paying all my contractors, and once I got home, I opened up my piggy bank and discovered there was only £200 left, which was a lot less than what I thought.

“Luckily, within three days we were in profit, and it kept going from strength to strength.”

Having worked in the piercing industry for several years, Lewis said he had always wanted to run his own business and saw a gap in Leeds for a studio offering high-quality jewellery and professional piercing services.

“I wanted to bring good piercers as well as excellent quality jewellery to Leeds city centre,” he said.

Diamond & Dagger focuses exclusively on piercing and fine body jewellery, rather than combining the services with tattooing.

The studio has also become the only jewellery studio in Leeds to stock BVLA, according to Lewis, who described securing an account with the high-end manufacturer as a major achievement.

He told the YEP: “No other jewellery studio in Leeds currently stocks BVLA, which is the highest of the highest-end jewellery that any studio can stock.

“We managed to get an account with them, which is amazing.”

The business has grown rapidly since opening, with Lewis revealing its online content now attracts between three and four million views a month, while the studio gains around 1,000 followers every month.

Despite its success, he said running an independent business in the city centre comes with challenges, particularly when competing with larger companies.

“The biggest challenge in Leeds at the moment for small businesses is business rates, high rents and there’s a lot of bigger studios with a lot more money that can do a lot more than us,” he said.

“We wanted Diamond & Dagger to be the complete opposite of big corporations by creating an environment that is as chilled out as possible for our clients.”

Lewis said one of his proudest achievements was getting the business into profit within its first three months, with the studio now in a stable position and looking at opportunities to expand.

To celebrate its first anniversary, Diamond & Dagger is offering 20% off premium jewellery, and free piercings with any gold purchase.

Looking back on the past year, Lewis hopes his experience will encourage other young entrepreneurs to take a chance on their ideas.

He added: “My message to any young entrepreneur wanting to start their own business is to just do it.

“I have ADHD and I jump on things straight away, it’s one of my worst but best qualities.

“But I don’t think I would have done what I’ve done today if I didn’t jump on these ideas.

“It has changed my life for the better. So I would say to anyone - how are you going to know if you don’t just do it?”