From Making Jewelry to Owning Assets: How Megan Young is Redefining Wealth for Creatives

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Every now and then, you meet someone in business who doesn’t just inspire you; they completely redefine what’s possible. When I first sat down with Meaghan Young, I expected an engaging conversation about jewelry design and entrepreneurship. What I didn’t expect was to walk away with a new perspective on wealth, innovation, and the power of women in business.

This is the story of how Meaghan Young went from casually making jewelry for herself to building a multi-faceted business empire, blending artistry, wealth-building, and education. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn a creative passion into a true legacy, read on.

A Serendipitous Start

Our conversation kicked off with a laugh and a memory: meeting at an Irish pub in New York City after the Stevie Awards. It was a room full of entrepreneurs, but sometimes you just click with someone. Meaghan and I immediately recognized a kindred spirit: someone who isn’t satisfied with “good enough,” but is always looking for the next level.

Meaghan’s story started in Colorado, tending bar at a fancy bistro. She’d made a simple beaded necklace for herself after a visit to a local bead store. The plan was to wear it to a wedding, nothing more. But that night at work, someone offered to buy the necklace she was wearing. She agreed, and as soon as word spread, two more women wanted their own, in different colors. The next morning, Meaghan was racing to the bead store before it closed for good, determined to stock up on supplies.

That was the moment, the spark. “It is so random,” Meaghan laughs. She hadn’t set out to start a business, but when opportunity knocked, she answered.

From Hobby to Profession

What sets Meaghan apart isn’t just her creativity, it’s her willingness to dive all the way in. She didn’t stop at beading necklaces. She enrolled in jewelry school, determined to master her craft. While most graduates went on to work behind the scenes for big jewelry stores, Meaghan had other ideas.

“I didn’t want to do that at all. I wanted to have my own company. Once you get that taste for selling, you can’t go back,” she says.

Her first business, M Designs, merged her love of yoga and jewelry. She traveled to LA, San Francisco, and New York, selling at markets and quickly gaining traction. She sold a lotus necklace to the founder of Prana, the clothing brand, and was even courted for retail placements. But then, the financial crisis hit.

When the World Shifts: Adapt, Learn, Innovate

Like many entrepreneurs, Megan watched as the economic downturn wiped out her wholesale accounts. “It all came crumbling down,” she recalls. But instead of giving up, she got curious.

She noticed the price of silver jump from $15 to $50 an ounce. She began researching, obsessively, what silver actually was, how money worked, and the fundamentals of global economics. This wasn’t just a pivot; it was a complete transformation.

Megan realized that jewelry designers have a unique advantage: access to precious metals as a business expense and wealth vehicle. “Jewelry is the best industry in the world for building wealth,” she says. “We have access to precious metals as a supply expense. Who else can do that?”

She began to see jewelry not just as a product, but as an asset. She also recognized the industry’s untapped potential for multiple revenue streams, asset building, and even tax strategies.

Reinvention and Resilience

Megan’s journey wasn’t a straight line. Life threw its curveballs. She moved back to Colorado, worked for others, raised her son, but never let go of her vision. “I never gave up that desire to have my own business, to be financially successful, and to really understand wealth.”

A turning point came when Megan found a mentor who taught her new ways of doing business. She applied these lessons to jewelry, innovating business models and teaching other designers how to do the same.

“I love being innovative. What I realized is the jewelry industry is the best industry in the world because it has so many revenue streams. All you have to do is pick them up and apply them to your business. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

Building a Movement: Jewelry as a Wealth Vehicle

Megan didn’t just stop at making and selling jewelry. She started teaching, first metalsmithing, then business. Her jewelry business school now reaches a global audience, empowering women to design jewelry, generate revenue, and use their business as a tax strategy and investment tool.

She’s been “preaching” about the importance of buying silver and precious metals for 15 years, and now, with silver prices soaring and the world in flux, her advice rings true. “Any turmoil means precious metals go up. Countries are racing to secure silver for industry, and now it’s even a strategic reserve asset in the US.”

She’s also embraced Bitcoin, seeing it as the next evolution in sound money. “Bitcoin reduces the risk of entrepreneurship. When you save in Bitcoin, it rewards you. It’s like an insurance policy that backs everything I do.”

Taking the Leap: Letting Go to Scale Up

Scaling a business means making hard choices. For Megan, that meant closing her in-person metalsmithing schools in Colorado and Sedona, her “bread and butter” for years. It was a leap of faith, but a necessary one.

“If you want to scale, you have to let go,” she explains. “In-person teaching is completely unscalable. To get to the next level, you either charge a premium for your time or move to a different model.”

Letting go wasn’t easy. “It’s been challenging, but because I’m my own bank, I’ve been fine.” Megan highlights the importance of having a safety net, whether it’s Bitcoin, precious metals, or other assets.

Mindset: The Foundation of Success

Megan is adamant: “Ninety percent of success is mindset.” She works on hers daily through meditation, self-care, and surrounding herself with like-minded people and mentors.

“I didn’t have this mindset when I started. I had to build it, every single day.”

She urges women entrepreneurs not to settle for “good enough.” “People say, ‘Oh, she makes it look easy, she just dropped what was making her money and changed lanes.’ But the truth is, you need deep alignment within to make big moves.”

Her advice to creative women wanting to build real wealth? “Don’t be afraid to learn complex things. The system is designed to seem complicated, but you can learn it. Ask questions. Stay curious. Otherwise, you risk becoming irrelevant.”

What’s Next? Global Scale and a Legacy of Empowerment

Megan is now deep in building out her global Jewelry Business School, with a focus on zero-inventory business models, critical in a world where many jewelry designers are struggling due to rising silver prices.

She’s streamlined her programs to serve three audiences: those starting, growing, and scaling their businesses. Her approach is strategic, simple, and proven.

“My community isn’t panicking. They’ve got stable, grounded business models. They’re not going out of business, they’re thriving.”

Beyond teaching, Megan also designs exclusive jewelry collections for entrepreneurs, helping them turn jewelry into a revenue stream and a tax write-off, a perfect example of creativity meeting strategy.

Final Thoughts: Building Wealth, Building Impact

For Megan, wealth isn’t about greed or accumulation; it’s about having the freedom to build, to make an impact, and to help others do the same. She grew up with nothing, put everything back into her business, and now wants to help other women win at life through business.

“We have choice when we build wealth. That’s why we do this. It’s not just about money; it’s about value, impact, and freedom.”

Her story is a call to action for all creative entrepreneurs: be curious, be bold, and never stop learning. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to scale to new heights, Megan’s journey proves that with the right mindset and strategy, you can turn a simple beaded necklace into a legacy of wealth, impact, and empowerment.

If you want to connect with Megan or learn more about her programs, visit jewelrybusinessschool.com (or cbjjewelryschool.com, for now). And stay tuned; there’s more to come, including future deep-dives into Bitcoin, business innovation, and building wealth on your own terms.