I was just sitting here thinking about this amazing boutique business that I own and how much it has changed over the almost FOUR YEARS I’ve been running it. Gosh, I can’t believe it’s been 4 years already! My LuLaRoe anniversary is coming up soon and I’m still so thankful I took a tremendous leap of faith and started this business.
I get so many messages, DMs, and questions about how I started, what I ACTUALLY do, and how the heck I’m able to travel and spend so much time with my family. So let’s talk about my gig, my boutique, my passion, my friends, my main income, my beautiful business that brings me joy—shall we??
Let’s back up four years ago. Iley was in kindergarten and Ada Pearl was about to be one. Mike’s store (Express) closed down so I was killing myself at the salon with INSANE 12-13 hour days. Mike was full-time Dad-ing, part-time at the coffee shop, and seeking opportunities. We were living in a rental and while we weren’t ‘hurting,’ I was paddling hard to keep us afloat while maintaining our main family goal: that one of us is always home for the kids.
So then there it was: LuLaRoe. Had I sold clothes before? Yes. Had I run a business? Yes. Did I understand what it fully entailed? No. Did I have the $6,000 to start this business?? HELL NO! (By the way—it now costs $499.) BUT I just could not shake the idea. Something just told me that this could be a way to both support ourselves and spend more time together as a family. After a month of deliberating, we borrowed $6,500 from one of our clients—yes, you read that right! We opened a business account, got a credit card, and went to work. I can’t believe we did it, $6,500 is A LOT of money. How did I have that much confidence? Or was it mere stupidity?? Whatever it was, I knew I was ready for a change, so I jumped.
Now before you have a panic attack, I paid back this client (with interest) and doubled my inventory (which was a goal at the time) all within 6 months. Yeah—how I did that is also mind-boggling to me. I did all of this while learning how to ship packages to customers, how to take pictures that showed off the clothes, how to throw parties that people enjoyed, how to work on social media by being ourselves, running a salon at full speed, and loving my babies and husband.
Before I knew it, I was growing a team, making lifelong friends, crushing goals, traveling all over the place, and taking part in the most mind-blowing conferences and meetings. I mean, the things that I’ve experienced because of LuLaRoe—it’s insane. My life has changed so much!! Slowly but surely, I was able to slow down at the salon and transition into the full-time LuLaRoe life. This meant doing hair on my terms: no more late nights, no more loong days, and most importantly, NO MORE MISSING MY KID’S EVENTS!!! I want to be able to cheer them on and see their smiles in person as much as possible—I haven’t missed a single school play or assembly since saying YES to LuLaRoe. For this, I’m forever so grateful.
And I can’t talk about my business without talking about the amazing, supportive group of women I get to call my customers. While I type this I want to cry just thinking about how much I love them and all they’ve done for me and my family. I mean, my business started because of a leap of faith but without them, none of it would have worked. None of it would have happened. None of it would have been as magical if it weren’t for my great, great customers. I love them so much! And now I have tears streaming down my face thinking of all the moments, all the events I have dressed them for. All the families! All the family pictures, job interviews, maternity pictures, funerals—all the big days. And all the big goals and all the times they showed up for me. Seeing them live their lives on social media wearing clothes from us. OK, now that my fingers are soaked from wiping my face…let’s see if I can finish this post.
As I mentioned, LuLaRoe has changed in so many ways over the past 4 years. First of all, it’s no longer $6,000, it’s $499 to start this journey—yeah, it’s bananas. You no longer need to have a giant space in your home to contain the mountain of LuLaRoe you carry. You can carry a small amount and still have a big business since we all work together to sell each other’s inventory. If you’re part of our Facebook community, you know I post my friends’ inventory all the time. It’s great because I can find the specific items my customers need while keeping my overhead low.
Having to become a pro photographer and wardrobe stylist? No longer necessary. LuLaRoe just announced they will be providing high-quality digital images for us boutique owners to use! What?? I know, this is HUGE! This new consistency will not only free up our time, it will better serve our customers. Now, of course, knowing how to take a flat lay for outfit pics is a great skill. But now you don’t have to think about if the colors will be accurate or the print will be clear—all we have to do is add the size we have in stock. My customers will flip over this. They’ve seen some great and not-so-great photos over the years and I can tell you that it makes a difference.
When I started we didn’t have our own websites. Heck, we barely had a point-of-sale system. Now, we have AMAZING personalized websites that have so many features I haven’t started to master half of them. Our point-of-sale system links with the shipping system, making that process a million times simpler. And they keep improving! I mean, it’s night and day from where we started with LuLaRoe.
I’m just so happy I did this. I’m so happy that I did it! I don’t know what on earth possessed me or if I would have the courage to do that today, but damn am I grateful I did it. I am so happy in both my businesses. I love the pace my salon is at. I love the time LuLaRoe allows me with my family. I love the relationships I have built with both. And I can’t wait to see where all of this takes us in the future.
So all of this to say—if there is some crazy big dream in your heart, GO FOR IT!!! Life is short. I didn’t know if it was possible for one of us to always be home for the kids without sacrificing, and now we don’t have to think twice about putting family first. I don’t know, maybe for someone reading this, LuLaRoe will help you live your crazy dream. Send me a message, DM me, text me, call me…I’m here to answer ALL of your questions. Stay safe, be kind, and dream big!
xo,
Katie
The Pearl Pages 