Question: Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Answer: Sisterlee Boutique is a sister owned boho chic womens clothing boutique located in Neptune Beach, Florida. Our goal is to bring you versatile collections that are as classy and sassy as the wearer herself and most importantly make her feel her best! We believe that a great day starts with sisters and a great outfit. At the heart of Sisterlee are two sisters that live by the motto…. Life is too short to wear boring clothes. Our shared love of fashion and shopping is what brought life to Sisterlee and we will always bring you unique and trendy pieces that will make you feel beautiful without breaking the bank.
Question: Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Answer: Brenna spent the last 14 years in the financial technologies industry and Lala is a stay at home mom with a background in merchandising before kids. We both have a PHD in shopping.
Question: What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Answer: We have always had entrepreneurial spirits and always knew that one day we wanted to own something together that we could grow and one day pass onto our kids. We have always shared a love for fashion and getting dressed up (even though our styles could not be more opposite) so it was just natural that we opened up a clothing store for women.
Question: What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Answer: First and foremaost make sure you are up to the task because starting a new business is NOT easy!! If you go into it thinking that you are going to find success quickly you are going to be disappointed. You make your success and that will be determined by what you put into it. YOU HAVE TO BE ALL IN!! Also, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and make them early on. We learn from mistakes and from those mistakes comes growth. So if you have an idea take a chance and if it doesn’t work out then you learned a valuable lesson on what not to do again. And lastly always have a mentor or someone you can call to bounce ideas off of. I highly recommend a business coach or a group of peers that operate successful businesses within your niche. As an entrepreneur there is no playbook on how to do things so having a person that can guide you will be priceless.
Question: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Answer: You have to be Self Motivated, Driven, and resilient. There is nothing easy about taking a leap of faith and starting something new and there are really high days and really low days. You have to be able to push through the low days.
Question: How many hours do you work a day on average?
Answer: Every day is different, but we both have families so on average we work 5-6 hours. Somedays are longer than others but being present is important to us so we try very hard not to let work bleed into family time.
Question: To what do you most attribute your success?
Answer: Each other! We keep each other grounded although we have so many differences we are also very much alike. We are sisters and best friends and it’s been that way our entire lives.
Question: Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Answer: We did not take out any loans or receive any funding to start Sisterlee. It was important to us that we did not go into debt so we pulled from savings and have reinvested ever dollar back into the business.
Question: What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Answer: Have a plan and stick to it. Sometimes it’s easy to get off course but if you have a plan and refer to it daily it will help.
Question: Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Answer: Our vison is that our children and Sisterlee are thriving. We truly are the epitome of a family business and hope that one day our children will take over. We envision Sisterlee becoming a trusted brand and household name that will connect women from all ages and backgrounds.
Question: Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Answer: Our boutique “crush” is Ruthie Grace! We have been following Tara Austin on social for a few years and we just love the brand she has created and that her family and faith is at the center of her business.
Question: How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Answer: We have always had a hard time giving up on anything. We are both pretty competitive (especially with ourselves) so we often times stick to our ideas longer than we should. We typically have a 3 month rule. If we give something our full effort and it’s still not working 90 days later we will shift and make changes.
Question: What motivates you?
Answer: Our children are the reason for everything we do! It is important for us that our children know that no dream is out of reach with a good work ethic and hard work.