Young Entrepreneurs and Building Your Brand
Do you hope to open your own brand someday? Do you have no idea where you would even begin? I’m right there with you. I am constantly feeling inspired by the female entrepreneurs that I see making big waves in their industries. I decided to chat with four of my favorite entrepreneurs and learn more about how they got where they are today. Are you ready for words of wisdom from some very successful businesswomen?
Layne Logigan is the CEO of the luxury jewelry brand, Mignonne Gavigan. MG has always been one of my favorite companies—I've always been so impressed at their attention to detail and the loyal customer following they have built. Logigan graduated from Duke University where she majored in economics with a minor in art history. Logigan shares that her degree gave her an overall understanding of how business and international markets run, while her art minor gave her an appreciation for the craft of jewelry making. She started her career as an investment banker before teaming up with the creative visionary and CCO, Mignonne Gavigan, who goes by Maggie. Maggie had started a specialty jewelry company with a loyal and growing following. She needed a strategic partner, and Logigan was the perfect fit. The luxury brand that this dynamic duo built all started in a NYC apartment. Layne worked on the financial side at her apartment in the mornings, and the afternoons were spent in Maggie’s apartment collaborating and shipping out orders. Logigan explains that this allowed them to limit expenses until they hired their first employee, and moved into an office space in 2016.
Logigan and I discussed how their brand, Mignonne Gavigan, sets themselves apart in the industry. She didn’t have any experience in the fashion industry and no preconceived notions of how things “should” run. Thankful for her background with financial institutions, Logigan focused on ensuring that the business ran smoothly. She shares that from an early stage, they set efficiency as a top priority, which allowed them to grow the company without a lot of external resources in terms of capital. I asked what her favorite part of her job was, and I could sense her passion in her response. She revealed that even with the challenges and stresses, it is fulfilling and satisfying to build something from scratch. She also expressed how rewarding it is to provide livelihood to their employees who are on this journey with them, because she and Maggie could not do it without them. I wondered further what she would be doing today if she wasn’t the CEO of MG. Without hesitation she responded, “Oh I can’t even imagine doing anything else!” She went on to share her love for rescue dogs, as a potential other career—she has two rescues herself, and would consider that a worthwhile project in the future.
Logigan’s best piece of advice for individuals who want to start their own business came in the form of personal experience and advice. She claims, “It will be a hard road but you have to have the confidence that you made the right decision no matter the outcome. It's important to find the value in what you learn through the journey. It is essential to have a good support system, because this is the kind of work that you never leave at the office. You have to find the mental space to recharge and come back to do your job well.”
Elisabeth Epperson Farris runs the baking blog and Instagram, Elisabeth and Butter, where she shares recipes and tips to inspire others in the kitchen. I’ve been following Elisabeth and Butter for as long as I can remember. Her aesthetic, style, and relatable character make Farris one of my favorite entrepreneurs. Her recipes are easy for everyone to make and some of the most delicious treats you'll ever eat. Farris also teaches cookie decorating classes locally in Santa Rosa Beach, which I really wanted to attend prior to the stay-at-home orders.
Farris never expected to become an influencer when she started sharing her passion for baking. Ever since she was young, most of her days were spent baking and cooking in the kitchen with her mom and sisters. Farris even quit all sports and extracurriculars at the age of 13 to focus on her baking passion. She started an Instagram in 2014 to show her family and friends the desserts she was making, but never expected to turn it into the business it is today. She majored in Hospitality Management with a minor in Business and International Studies at Auburn University. During her time in college, she learned how to run and manage a business and uses many of those tools today. In regards to why she started sharing her recipes with the public instead of selling her product, she explained that she sold decorated sugar cookies and cakes for over 10 years and people would constantly ask for the recipes. She decided to start developing her own recipes, and fell in love with that process—which led to starting a blog in 2017.
Farris shared what her biggest obstacles were when starting her business, responding honestly, “The constant dishes! I have to run the dishwasher at least 3 times a day because I go through so many mixing bowls, spatulas and measuring cups. It’s almost a full-time job!”
I wanted to hear about her favorite part of the job, and she revealed that she enjoys connecting with so many wonderful people through her blog. She has loved watching people who have never baked a day in their life try one of her recipes successfully. These are the stories that keep her going. As a loyal follower, in the past few months I’ve noticed that Farris has started sharing beyond baking and including more fashion, home, and lifestyle related sharing in her posts. She shared with me that her dream is to write a cookbook and have her own show on the Food Network. Farris claimed she would also love to create a line of oven mitts, aprons, baking pans, and more kitchen tools. The Food Network would be smart to sign on this hospitality queen now.
Elisabeth’s best piece of advice for individuals who want to start their own business was, “Stay true to who you are and what you are passionate about.”
Kathleen Tenner is the CEO of one of my favorite Alabama local boutiques, Soca Clothing. Soca opened its first location in 2000 and quickly became one of Birmingham's favorite shopping destinations. In 2011, they opened a second location and have since expanded to offer online retail site to reach a greater audience. Soca Clothing is known for their contemporary womenswear and designer denim. Tenner has a major in English and a minor in Computer Science. Her background in English gave her the ability to be the creator and editor of Soca’s marketing materials and blog posts. Soca Clothing has always had a very loyal customer base, and I asked her what marketing and rewards tactics were most effective to build the following. She responded that in the past five years, social media—especially Instagram—has been the best way for them to reach consumers. Tenner explains that Instagram rewards and giveaways has been another successful tactic for retaining the loyal Soca customer.
Tenner shared that learning how to communicate effectively with the team has been vital in building Soca’s brand. Working with a lot of different personalities has been a challenge that she has enjoyed taking on throughout the years. Tenner explained that a valuable quality in employees (even at her rank of CEO) is being able to realize your own strengths and weaknesses. She elaborated that someone may be really strong in math and not as strong on the creative side. It is essential to realize where your strengths lie, and be willing to rely on others to make up for your weaknesses. She also validated that asking questions and asking for help is not a weakness. Having a team with various strengths is what will create the strongest team to build your brand. Tenner shared that her favorite part of her job is “big picture thinking and planning.” She enjoys the business and marketing side of the industry as much as the fashion side. The brainstorming sessions, coming up with campaign ideas, and creating other methods to continue to build the brand are among her favorite aspects of the job.
Tenner's best piece of advice for individuals who want to start their own business is, “Planning is very important and creating a good plan with people you trust that will validate your plan is important. We’ve always had mentors throughout this process and I think it's essential to seek the advice of someone who has done this before you”
Lauren Steele is a blogger and runs her social media marketing page on Instagram, @lc_steele. I’ve followed Steele for a number of years, and I love how relatable her content is and how her down-to-earth personality shines through in her posts. Steele studied international business with a minor in marketing, and that is exactly what she is doing as she sells products through her page around the world. She explained that the tools she learned from marketing have been helpful in pitching herself to brands and explaining the demographic of her followers to build her brand. Lauren also has a law degree, and as her business has grown, the ability to negotiate and manage her own contracts has been a bonus. I can’t imagine trying to read a contract on my own, and I was really impressed with this asset.
She describes her business this way, “I just live my life and sponsor brands that are true to me and my lifestyle. It's all about communicating and building trust with your customers. Trust is the basis of any relationship, especially a business to consumer one. It is really important to be authentic and honest about the products you represent.”
I asked Steele how she got into the influencing business and she quickly replied, “It was a total accident!” Blogs were brand new when Steele was in law school, and she spent most of her free time reading them; it was an escape for her. She shared that reading blogs was the highlight of her day, and she thought to herself, “starting a blog would be fun, and maybe I can be that highlight in someone else's day.”
When I asked her about the challenges that come with her business, she shared that you really have to be your own cheerleader. She is the only one running her account, she is her own boss. She has to learn and develop ways to keep herself going strong. She also didn’t anticipate people not understanding what she does when they ask about her work. Steele went from saying, “I’m an attorney,” and automatically gaining respect, to some people not understanding or taking her role and business seriously. This challenge has continued to teach her that it doesn’t really matter what other people think when you are confident in who you are. Steele shared her favorite part of her job is meeting the other bloggers who do what she does. Steele goes on a few trips a year with a handful of other women and says that those trips are a highlight of her job. She feels blessed to be surrounded by so many inspiring, smart, beautiful (inside and out), and positive women who have similar roles in the influencing community.
Steele’s best piece of advice for individuals who hope to start their own business is, “If you don’t believe in it, then no one else is going to believe it. You have to be your own cheerleader, just do it and do it your way. It won't be easy and you have to be persistent and dedicated to the hard work.”
I personally felt so honored and privileged to talk to these intelligent women and learn more about the brands that they have worked to build. Several of these women never planned on having the business that they own today. However, they all had a passion that they followed and were dedicated to the hard work that was needed to build a business. I hope you feel inspired and encouraged by reading their stories, and that you will choose to commit to your passion.