1.How did you become interested in your profession? With the children on their way to becoming established in their careers, I now had time to pursue a career for myself. I began working for the Swatch Group, responsible for introducing the children’s Flik-Flak watch. Being in this industry and meeting many people, I realized that my destiny was calling. I wanted to create a watch for women, a watch that would express our shared values that would represent life, harmony and spirituality.

2. What do you enjoy most about your job? Creation, inspiration, communication, friendship. Last week-end I was with some girls friends and we were enjoying a very good time speaking about love and aging, being a grand mother and a quite young woman. That gave me the idea of a special watch for the mamy boom generation. I will call it "Sweet sixty" just to tell to the mamies that it is now time for us to enjoy life and to be all what we can be. Don't you find it is a great idea ? Tell me…

3. What was your first year like? The road from inspiration to design to reality was not easy. I had to overcome many obstacles, meet many challenges and endure many hardships. During all this, I realized that there is no limit to creativity, no limit to what you can accomplish if you set your heart and mind to it.

4. What were/are some of the obstacles you have encountered? Both in business and in my private life I follow the same set of rules. They are instinctive, intuitive. In times of turmoil, crisis, urgency I act fast and focused. You never know if they will work and quite frankly, I don’t care. I don’t even ask the question. I just act and look for a solution. Other things around me lose their importance. A formidable energy carries me forward and allows me to achieve incredible things. Several times in my life I had to go through times of such turmoil making it necessary to mobilize this “energy kick”. Sometimes for shorter periods, sometimes for quite some time. Every time, so far at least, I made to the end.

I founded DELANCE in 1996. In 1998 I signed a contract with a distributor in New York willing to invest US$ 10 Million into the launching of DELANCE to the US market. The contract made us partners for 15 years, which should have provided a good base for trust and excellency. He orders 2’000 watches, pays half of them at time of order. The other half at time of delivery. In three months he opens 50 points of sales all over the United States. Becoming aware of this incredible result, a large and renowned French luxury goods group submits him a purchase offer. He sells his enterprise. The French group buys all DELANCE watches back from all local agents and replaces them with their products. The remaining order for DELANCE watches is cancelled.

That’s how big companies deal with the dreams of little women who dare to enter their territory. To make things worse, at the same time the supplier of the cases goes bankrupt and 15kg of gold vanish, I lost $300’000. Some months later I discover my faithful employee had helped herself freely from the company account.

Shortly after, my brief case with the show collection is stolen in a hotel. The insurance doesn’t pay,they claim that I should have had a body guard. Just to complete the stress my children leave the home and marry and my husband leaves too …. for another woman. Occasionally my pain was such that I asked myself if I could physically stand all this … but I survived and my enterprise survived.

Where did I generate the energy to go on when everybody around me advised me to stop, telling me it was too much. It was the desire and the determination to offer to the women of the world a TALISWOMAN reminding them any time of their creative power, their love and values. I want to tell them don’t give up, unite, together we can change the world. It is just to tell you this that I’m here today. The symbolism of the DELANCE watch will always remind you of this.

5. What is the most unique aspect of your business? Creating a personnalized watch. I speak with the woman about her favorites colors, materials, stones. I try to know her, what she loves, where she is from and with her, for her each time I combine all this information to create a unique watch, something just for her.

We have only one shape, in two sizes, gold and steel and an infinity of dials, bracelets and straps and setting. But the most interesting is to create a unique watch for each woman telling her unique story.

You can see on www.delance.com some of these unique watches (Diane, Birthday, Isis, Myriad, My mother's watch etc) The last one, not yet on the web is for Lisa. She is married for 40 years, esmerald wedding. She loves the sky in the night. She loves Egypt and has green eyes. She has classical juwelry. Toghether we choose the Myriad engraving, and a magnificent princess cut emerald at the nadir with a emerald-green alligator strap. I can tell you this watch is unique like Lisa herself.

6. From where do you draw inspiration? From my childhood I am constantly creating things. It is just my way of being. I open my eyes in the morning and close them in the evening. Inbetween I look, listen, read, meet people, create. I am like a child, always wanting to discover and play by creating new things. To share this love of creating I hade made the Delance watch.

When you look at a DELANCE, you can feel its creative energy. It is a constant reminder that you can achieve what you want in life. Each DELANCE carries hope, talent, creative energy, courage, enthusiasm, confidence, excellence and love of all the women who participate in the realisation of this magical timekeeper.

7. What significant partnerships have played a role in your success? My clients, my suppliers, my employes, my friends, my family. Thank you to all of you But I must admit that I am still looking for some good business partners all over the world in order to organize the distribution. I also need to finance the growth. It is a call to you!

8. What would you say is your “Claim to Fame”? Femininity is magic. Believe in yourself. Build your self-esteem. Be all that you can be. It is wonderful to be a woman.

9. If you could only offer one piece of advice about the internet/ecommerce/websites to our readers, what would that be? It is sure, you need a good website. You have to make it with a professional. First of all you have to know what you want from the beginning and spend the time to make the concept. If you want I can give you the briefing I made for my website and you can judge by yourself if my web designer Karin meet my expectation. But your website will not do the job for you. It is just an additional tool at your disposal.

10. What are some of the trends you are noticing in your industry?Some people are very brand oriented and are ready to pay a lot just for the brand. But more and more people want unique watches with a strong signification, a unique design, the best quality and the right price.

Women are more and more interested in watches, that is why I have created for them a watch only for women.

11. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? I believe that women need recognition. They also need role models. They need esteem as much as love. And, very importantly, women need empowerment. My dream is for DELANCE to become the sign of recognition for all women who want to make the world a better place, a lovely place by creating beauty and promoting harmony.

(For more information on Giselle Rufer and Delance, visit www.delance.com).

© 2006 - Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 8 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of the Women’s ECommerce Association, International www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kī) – an Internet organization that “Helps Women Do Business on the WEB.” She can be reached at www.HeidiRichards.com.