It was inspiring talking to Nicole - She is passionate about helping people find the right fashion pieces. After 10+ years in retail management, she built this app to help people boost their confidence by looking great!
"I love to
help people and when I built Stylebar
it was my mission to be the app that is your fashion must have for shopping.
For busy women or men, we are your daily treat to yourself. (your 'I Love
Me')"
Nicole, CEO and founder of @gostylebar
1. When did you realize you
wanted to be an entrepreneur?
I
realized I wanted to be an entrepreneur while I was getting my MBA at Santa
Clara University. I found the
entrepreneurship programs interesting. I had an opportunity to join an accelerator
with a startup. Before the applications
were due, it was a professor who asked me, "Why don't you do your own
business?" That question was so
simple but it sparked that initial fire.
I thought, "Yeah you are right, I should start my own
business.” I always had followed the
traditional path of ‘working your way up the ladder’ in my career. But I have
to say, working as my own boss has been the most fulfilling and rewarding job I
ever had. And it was all because a
professor gave me a different perspective.
If it wasn't for that teacher, I may have never created Stylebar.
2. Is there a story behind your brand and color?
I
wanted to choose a color that represented not just my company, but also our
clients and myself. My logo is something I see every day so I wanted it
to be symbolic.
The
color orange has an enthusiasm for life, the color orange relates to adventure
and risk-taking, inspiring physical confidence, competition and independence.
Those inspired by orange are always on the go!
We needed a company name, so we felt our app should be a place where it is fun, social and a place you want to go back to again and again. Of course, being grad students we said “bar"… Stylebar.
We needed a company name, so we felt our app should be a place where it is fun, social and a place you want to go back to again and again. Of course, being grad students we said “bar"… Stylebar.
3. What has been the biggest challenge in owning your own
business?
The
biggest challenge for me was that I wanted to create a fashion technology but I
wasn’t a software engineer. Much of my
own experience has been in merchandising, sales and personal styling. I know how to build client relationships and
give people excellent customer service.
I had to overcome certain tradeoffs when building our Stylebar app. For example, we started small with a website and tested
out all of our features before investing into a mobile app. This made our development time longer but less risky.
4. What is one piece of advice you could give to teachers or kids who want
to start their own business for the first time?
Make
sure you do your research before diving in.
Make sure there is a real need to the problem you are trying to
solve. Stay away from neg-bombs
(negative people), they will never understand what you are trying to
achieve.
5. If you can earn a KudosReading badge which one would it be and
why?
I
love to learn! Books are like food for the brain. I like to read
stories about adventure, autobiographies of fellow girl bosses and history books
are also my guilty pleasure. Currently I'm reading 'Rework' by Jason
Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, a business book. I usually finish
a book in a week, then I write down some takeaways in my daily planner.
That way I see them everytime I open up my calender (which is a lot!).
It is my motivator to keep pushing forward and stay creative.
Hey KudosReading educators! Want
to 'treat yourself'? download
Stylebar and type the secret code in the chat. You
will be entered into a drawing for $100 to spend on your favorite Stylebar retailer. If you didn't see the email with your code email Beena@kudosreading.com
No comments:
Post a Comment