Hello Friend,
My entrepreneurial journey is something that seems to interest many, so I thought I’d take a little time to share it with you. We never know how the information we have could help someone else. I originally started my brand “Lillie Street” in 2013 doing repurposed denim. I would bleach and distress different types of jeans upon request for my friends because they liked the ones I wore. After realizing that the demand was growing for different people, I started posting my work on social media. This gave me an entry into the clothing industry. I have always enjoyed having unique pieces and didn’t like looking like everyone else. I can attribute this to my mother introducing my siblings and I to thrifted clothes and hand-me downs. It wasn’t because she wanted to teach us creativity, it was because money was pretty tight. Creativity became a byproduct of living in survival mode. When I was old enough to dress myself in elementary school, I began to experiment with my style and began to grow a passion for fashion. Just check out my old page to see the beginning process of my journey. After while, the bleaching and tediousness of the projects I was doing started to wear on my physical health….So I stopped cold turkey while simultaneously learning being a mom to my son Zayden. Motherhood was all I focused on for years while working full time in the financial industry.
A year later, I became a thrift store stylist for a handful of clients that needed my expertise. I started styling for dirt cheap because I was doing what I loved, and I had to start from the bottom to build traction within my stylist portfolio. In order to build my portfolio, I began to style my own shoots, picking my own models, collaborating with them on their makeup, accessorizing styles, learning and doing my own photography, scouting locations. I even became a stylist for a fashion designer, and also became the stylist for a few local fashion shows. These experiences molded me into doing what I do now at a higher level. I’m not at all where I want to be, but I’m in the process of getting there. It’s interesting working behind the scenes doing what you love, because it gives you a different perspective of what you could be doing better. God has a way of maneuvering each of our lives. Our lives were already mapped out before we entered into the world. He doesn’t waste any season of our lives. Every season has purpose. You will learn this as you enter into your own entrepreneurial journey, or as you continue to live out your life with purpose. I want to live my life poured out and give back to those around me and teach the lessons I’ve learned. God created us to SERVE, so as we elevate in our journeys, we must always keep others in mind in the process.
WHAT THEY DON’T TELL YOU
Knowing your “why” is so important. If you don’t solidify this in the beginning, your intentions and execution may never see the light of day. As I look back on where I’ve started, and where I am now, I am humbled. Sometimes the road got rough, and I felt like quitting and just blending in with the rest of the world. Sometimes I wanted to just accept life as it was handed to me, instead of exerting energy and effort that was stressing me out. This business can be ruthless and sometimes I ask myself why would I even start this when I feel like I’m too helpless to finish. Sometimes there would be more days that I felt like shutting down completely, then days that looked like a highlight reel. One thing that I realized was that a lot of the stress I had was my own fault. In times of distress, I had to learn that it was important to delegate and not try to do things myself. On the entrepreneurial journey, you will thrive when you allow others to help you that are experts in your field. It will save you a lot of time, stress, and even money if it is done right and intentionally. It’s important to realize that if we want to succeed in our fields, we must eliminate excuses and let go of fear. We can either make excuses on why we shouldn’t, or realize the excuses and figure out solutions to them.
MY WHY
Today, Lillie Street is growing into its own brand and I’m getting more and more hunger from those around me than I ever thought I was capable of. The reason why I started my business extended beyond myself. Being a new mom, I wanted something that my little bundle of joy could someday call his own. I also wanted my extended family to be able to be able to represent something that held meaning to them. So my “why” was more along the lines of building a legacy. Generational wealth for my family, and being able to have my own business that I was passionate about meant a great deal to me. I didn’t want to feel like I was working. I wanted to live and enjoy what I did and be able to share that excitement with those around me that I loved. Family has always been one of my biggest driving forces. Lillie is my grandmother on my mom’s side that is one of my biggest role models and most influential persons in my life. I fashion my life after a lot of the principles I learned from her. I started doing streetwear because as I’ve explained my journey, streetwear has been something that I naturally gravitated towards and grew into a strength. So, the streetwear is where the “Street” part comes in in the naming of my brand, “Lillie Street”.
In 2019, during the plandemic, I rebranded Lillie Street into a luxury streetwear clothing brand. I incorporated pieces that have always interested me such as timeless jewelry, vintage swimwear, and I brought back bleached wear with some of my branded t-shirts.
As I grow through each obstacle, I just want to encourage you if you are wanting to start your own business, or even if you already have one. Tomorrow is not promised, and times are getting real questionable out here. Start your journey now! Enjoy learning through it now! Be passionate NOW! Break cycles now! You never know how your business venture could save someone else’s life or be the key you need for your next season of life. We were made to create! We all may not get to start doing exactly what we want to do, but that’s not the final answer as long as you keep going. I hope this encourages and empowers you to start your own journey. Reach out to me if you need an extra push. If no one else believes in the power of making your dreams reality I DO!!!