My husband is LL Cool J. Starting a jewelry business gave me a purpose that's all mine.

Simone I. Smith is married to LL Cool J. Amy Sussman/WireImage for SIS International Simone I. Smith shares four children and four grandkids with the rapper. She started a jewelry business to foster her passion for design. She learned about entrepreneurship and marriage from her grandparents, she says. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Simone I. Smith, founder of Simone I. Smith Jewelry. It has been edited for length and clarity. Earlier this year, I spoke with middle sc...