We had the good fortune of connecting with Mayumi Ishii and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mayumi, how do you think about risk?

I believe there is no greater risk than not trying. No action means no pain, but it also means no fun. I love trying something new when I see an opportunity to do so.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve all learned how unpredictable life could be. The biggest risk is not proactively adopting and trying new way of doing business, as the world, markets, and customers change. As Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, it is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”


Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your story, please tell us more. 

This is my late-in-life (after 50) career pivot and I’m loving it! Prior to launching Chrysmela, I had no experience in retail and had never sold anything direct-to-consumer but saw the market potential of Chrysmela in the US and other countries and took this ball and ran with it.

Chrysmela is the world’s most secure earring back that automatically fits, locks and lifts all earrings. One pair of Chrysmela replaces all types of earring backs. Invented by a woman to solve 5,000 year old problem of lost earrings. Chrysmela is protecting 1 million earrings in the world. Los Angeles offers a deep bench of talented professionals and infrastructure, from social media marketing to 3PL, that I enjoy working with to grow our business swiftly.

I started my career in management consulting at McKinsey, in both Tokyo and LA. Then, I was an Investment Banking Analyst covering high tech in Silicon Valley. I’ve run my own consulting firm, MIV Consulting for 20 years, helping Silicon Valley startups develop relationships with strategic partners in Japan.


If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Play a round of golf. Drive west on Sunset Blvd and then north on PCH to Malibu. Stop at Nobu Malibu for a late lunch. Continue driving north. Pick up provisions for a mini picnic along the way before you reach Zuma Beach. Stroll along the beach, enjoy the sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
JJ Ramberg and Dara Trujillo – I won the MSNBC Elevator Pitch contest, which led me to two live spots on HSN, Home Shopping Network in 2018. JJ at MSNBC and Dara at HSN jointly created this amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase our products on national TV. This experience helped me to bring Chrysmela’s business to the next level. I am forever grateful for JJ and Dara, for their creative mind and generous support for entrepreneurs.

Website: https://Chrysme.la

Instagram: @Chrysmela

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/MayumiIshii

Twitter: @Chrysmela

Facebook: @ChrysmelaCatch

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.