Fridays with Flea Style: Recent Episodes
Flea Style
Step inside the world of Flea Style — a hub for handmade, vintage and one-of-a-kind lifestyle goods from hundreds of makers and shakers — and join founder Brittany Cobb as she interviews established and budding business owners, operators and influencers about their creative companies. On each episode, Brittany and her guests kick back with a coffee or cocktail and dig into start up stories, business pitfalls, regrets, lessons learned, advice they want to share and plenty of funny stories along the way. Get ready to laugh out loud and take lots of notes!
Design and TV star Thom Filicia fills this funny podcast with poignant advice and on-point comedy that will leave you equally inspired and in stitches. From his early days as a design intern to starting his own business and building a booming lifestyle brand, the New York native walks us through his wild journey and big break — in a broken elevator of all places. “Take your business very seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously,” says the 50-year old CEO. Learn more from this insightful entrepreneur on our final episode of season six.
This week’s podcast guest is a perfect reminder of why supporting movers and shakers is so important. Hannah Skvarla is the co-founder of The Little Market, a nonprofit fair trade shop featuring ethically sourced products that are handmade by artisans around the world. Learn more about how our guest is changing lives every single day!
This week’s podcast features a very special guest and someone who Brittany has known almost her entire life! Shannon Houston is the owner and creator of Pink Dust Cosmetics. With over 12 years of experience as a makeup artist, and working with TV stars to drag queens, she has an in-depth understanding of the kind of makeup that real people want and need. She has created iconic looks for several OC Housewives and HGTV star Christina Anstead and has been recognized nationwide for her talent and development of Pink Dust Cosmetics. Learn more about this amazing working mom — and how Brittany knows this boss babe.
Dani Goodman taught herself to bake for fun as a student at the University of Michigan for fun. Post college while working full-time at a digital marketing company in Dallas, her culinary talents brought her big buzz that eventually led her to quit her job to figure out building a cake business from scratch. Today the 27-year old has been featured in BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan and Yahoo and is frequently asked to create her eye-popping desserts for celebrities such as Drake and Keith Urban. Learn more about this recently engaged, mom of two Australian Shepherds, self-professed Bravo super fan and her sweet journey.
To celebrate a decade in business and the opening of our second store and new restaurant Heirloom Haul, we flip the mic on our founder to talk about the past, present and future of all things Flea Style. Get ready to hear untold stories, behind the scenes scoop and solid business advice in this candid Q+A style interview fielded by the Flea Style team.
Daughter of American radio host and television personality, Kidd Kraddick, Caroline grew up having a famous father with a larger-than-life personality. When he suddenly passed away, her life's path instantly changed and she had to pivot her career, mindset and life's mission. We sit down with the inspiring singer/songwriter and CEO of Kidd’s Kids -- a foundation her father started for children with life-altering/life-threatening conditions -- to learn about her journey, ways to find positivity in the face of tragedy and how she's finding her footing in the business world.
Courtney Kerr says it like it is, and this candid — and hilarious! — interview is no exception! The popular influencer and former Bravo star opens up about her humble Texas roots, formative retail career, reality tv fails, blogger life, online haters and so much more. In this open conversation you’ll learn business advice, beauty tips and everything in between.
Jencey Keeton has worn many career hats. She understands how to leverage experiential and social media to generate brand buzz and successfully convert an audience after years at Clear Channel Radio and doing digital marketing for companies such as the AT&T Performing Arts Center and Fossil. She’s a musician at heart and her band Smile Smile has toured with or opened for major acts from Bob Schneider to Loretta Lynn and Ryan Adams. She’s even spent time in commercial real estate. All of these roles laid the foundation for Sweet Tooth Hotel, an experiential creative incubator that flexes her eclectic skill set, creative spirit and deep contacts in the art world. We sit down with the entrepreneur to talk about her seat at the booming Dallas-based business where she handles artist curation, marketing, merchandise and operations as well as her plans for national expansion.
Jason Castro always felt like an outcast. But after trying to fit the standard mold, it was the dreadlock loving crooner’s unique voice and look that made him a finalist on American Idol. We sit down with the popular musician to learn about his formative childhood, an attempt at college, breakout American Idol moment, life as a traveling musician and his ultimate decision to start his own real estate business to be close to family. This inspiring interview is proof that there’s a lot of power in listening to your gut.
Former CPA Ashley Torres is a social media genius after working for brands from Revolve to Nordstrom’s HauteLook for years. Today she runs a website and podcast that opens the conversation about lifestyle topics important to her. She’s built a big and trusted community of followers online and through social media by being smart, open and authentic. We sit down with the Venice, California based businesswoman to learn about everything from her eclectic career path to tips for being a social media boss and building a community that supports your voice and dreams.
Tanya Taylor started her popular clothing brand at 25-years old after working with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and their label Elizabeth and James for years. She’s breaking the traditional fashion brand mold from offering unprecedented sizes and painting all of her own textile designs to employing out-of-the-box social media and marketing techniques (she leaned on our host/Flea Style founder for a recent campaign instead of solely seeking out famous influencers, for example). We sat down with the smart designer to talk about her company’s early days, current challenges and ways she’s found success in the entrepreneurial world.
Detroit native Melanie Elturk always thought she’d be a lawyer. But after starting her legal career at 23-years old, she quickly found her true passion in her hobby selling hijabs online for fellow Muslim friends and fans. Today the business is based in New York City to support the demand for the booming brand that has cornered the market for beautiful headscarves. We sat down with the CEO and popular fashion influencer to talk through organically starting a business to finding funding and staying ahead of the uncertain retail curve.
Lesli Marshall grew up an athlete, not an artist. But after burning out on sports in high school, she tapped her creative side in college and fell in love with art. It took her years to find her creative stride and says she’s still far from the best. However, she’s figured out the art of the sale and how to pitch herself for huge projects, murals and curation work and has found major success calling Facebook, Coachella, Tom Thumb, 7-Eleven and Virgin clients. We sit down with the business savvy creative to learn about her starving artist days, rock bottom moments and how she’s now designing the life of her dreams.
After graduating college, Kyle Noonan followed his gut instead of his degree and worked in the restaurant world because he loved it. While his mom was initially disappointed by his decision, he got his hands dirty on the ground level of the food and beverage industry for years. He took that experience -- partnered with a pal’s serious business skills -- to launch FreeRange Concepts, an experiential brand that blends food, drinks and things people are passionate about from pets and sports to live music. Today their company, which includes The Rustic, Bowl & Barrel and MUTTS Canine Cantina, has grossed over $60-million. We sit down with the CEO and founder to learn about his small business journey and how he’s now managing the highs and lows of a huge company with over 1,000 employees.
Sarah Wilson’s life is a best-selling book waiting to be published. From her Mormon childhood (she’s one of 13 siblings!) and impulsive move to New York with $40 to her name post college to her difficult divorce, ditching Dallas for small town Texas and road to happiness and fortune, the married mother-of-two tells it all while offering tons of inspiring advice in this episode.
Over the past seven years, 37-year old Josh Zad has built a coffee and tea empire with a dozen locations and 180 employees spanning from LA to Japan. He’s also the brilliant creator/owner of popular trademark "But first, coffee.” Another cool accolade? He’s our podcast host’s former landlord. Yes, it’s true! Do not miss this episode where the old pals powwow about how Josh went from landlord to budding commercial realtor to culinary genius cashing in on both good bites and good vibes.
Clarence Greenwood (aka Citizen Cope) is a highly-acclaimed American songwriter, music producer and performer. He’s also a savvy small businessman after years of learning on the road and through multiple mistakes. We sit down with Cope to learn about his childhood (his first jobs will surprise you!), early days in the music industry, creating his own record label and how he figured out how to run a successful brand and company while staying true to his passion and beliefs. “My success was built by one small step at a time… it was a result of a lot of failures and continuing to push along,” says Greenwood. Tune in to this poetic episode to be inspired and energized by this candid creative chock full of sage small biz advice.
Carson Kressley stole our hearts when he splashed on the scene in 2002 as a fashionable fixture on Queer Eye for The Straight Guy. But before his big TV break, he worked his way up the fashion ranks starting as an executive personal assistant at Ralph Lauren. We sit down with the hilarious TV star to learn about his childhood, early career, climb to fame and how he balances it all — with style and humor. Tune into this hilarious episode to learn the backstory and some serious small biz skill from this fun-loving style setter.
LunchboxWax is one of the fastest-growing franchises in North America. We sit down with the visionary behind the specialty fast-wax empire to learn how a small town aesthetician turned an idea into a booming business in the middle of the quiet Northwest. Tune into this fascinating episode that explores small business life, the importance of self-care and how to build the biz of your dreams from nothing — anywhere.
Kameron Westcott may be best known for her Real Housewives of Dallas gig, but the California native is also working hard on her small business owner role. She recently started Sparkle Dog Food, a healthy alternative for pups made with top-notch ingredients and eye-popping pink kibble. We talk to the mom-of-two about the show and balancing her personal life while trying to build a company that’s close to her heart.
Charlie Price makes women beautiful for a living as a celeb hair stylist with over two decades in the business. But his Pittsburg childhood and 20s were far from perfect dropping out of school and battling drug and alcohol addiction between hair gigs. We sit down with the inspiring entrepreneur to learn about his blue collar roots, stumbling into the hair styling world, road to sobriety, life-changing decision to move to Dallas (where he didn’t know a soul!) and building the business of his dreams.
After years in the restaurant consulting business, Travis Austin followed his passion for one-of-a-kind style and started a rock-inspired fashion line. After his hand-painted clothing and accessory pieces landed on some influential musicians and deejays, his business took off and he decided to take his side hustle full time. Today he owns Travis Austin Customs, a fashion company known for its bespoke hats, leather jackets and vintage tees that he paints, embellishes and distresses by hand. We sit down with the entrepreneur to talk about his humble roots, startup journey, expansion plans and business advice for people looking to pivot into their dream job.
Over the past two decades, Jenny Grumbles has owned a retail store, painted furniture business and custom art company. During that time, she even squeezed in a buyer gig on A&E’s hit series Storage Wars Texas for 36 episodes. After giving birth in 2014, she slowly closed her brick and mortar to focus primarily on her painting. We sit down with the working mom to learn about shifting with the seasons of life while staying fulfilled creatively and professionally.
Catherine Lowe stole our hearts on Season 17 of The Bachelor. But now she’s doing so with her cheeky greeting card company LoweCo. inspired by the love notes she penned to her now-husband during filming of the ABC reality show. We sit down with the working mom to discuss her childhood, days as a graphic designer at Amazon, ditching her career to find love and what her life looks like today building a business from scratch at home while raising two young boys.
Sarah and Natalie Knowlton were born in Louisiana but spent their childhood living all over the world — Singapore, Australia, France — thanks to their father’s oil and gas gig. After completing college, they both eventually settled in Dallas and founded We The Birds as a side hustle to fulfill their creative spirits. Today the company is a growing lifestyle brand and full time job for the sisters that spans for content creation for social media and websites to a specialty macaron bakery. From the early side hustle days to current struggles and successes, we sit down with the Knowltons to learn all about their inspiring small business journey.
Flea Style Founder Brittany Cobb: Building a Business with No Funding and Lots of Heart by Flea Style
Cary Deuber may be best known for her no non-sense personality on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Dallas, but she’s also a decorated medical professional and accomplished businesswoman. Along with her husband, she runs Lemmon Avenue Plastic Surgery and handles everything from hiring new talent to managing back stock and her long client roster. We sit down with the working mom to talk about how she handles juggling two careers, growing pains, personality conflicts and her hectic personal life.
Kylee Kimosh has a pretty dreamy gig: She books musicians and talent for Dallas-based FreeRange Concepts that has 10+ venues across Texas. Recent musical acts she’s worked with include Lukas Nelson (yes, as in Willie’s son and A Star is Born phenom) and Margot Price. When not scheduling stars, she’s tracking down agents, planning brand activations and brainstorming set designs — all while being a mom to a 7-year old boy. Listen to this 30-something talk about stumbling into her career and constantly connecting with others to make her dreams come true.
Since 1998, this dynamic sister duo has built a cult-following business — in a town of 90 people, no less! — on a whole lotta heart and hard work that today includes a television series, book deals, major brand partnerships, giant retail store, online operation and so much more. Listen to these fearless women as they tell their startup story that includes a major fail out of the gate. From celebrity collabs to their current challenges, tune into this candid episode that dishes all the small biz details you really want to know.
Rachel Lindsay is best known for her Bachelor and Bachelorette screen time, but the 33-year old attorney has a wildly impressive resume under her belt, too. We sit down with the Dallas-based girlboss to discuss her time on the ABC series as well as life after the final rose and how she’s pivoting from the courtroom to locker room. Tune in to learn her feelings about the show, inspiring career path and career advice for people seeking out their passion — plus tons of Bachelorette scoop!
After dropping out of college and a short modeling career, small town Georgia native Gigi Howard landed in the public relations industry that included gigs in Europe, New York City and Dallas. While promoting other companies, she started thinking about creating one herself to solve her long-standing issue with chest wrinkles caused by side sleeping. Fear, lack of direction and life kept her from making it happen until her mid 40s when she decided to take the plunge after meeting some key players to help her make her dream a reality. Tune into this episode to learn how a single mother with no business background is building a giant beauty brand while staying true to her roots.
Lauren Essl has had an incredible calligraphy and custom wedding invitation design career; she even calls several lettering phenoms/artists former students. Last year, she picked up her life and moved to Seattle with her husband and dogs to follow their dreams of exploring a new city. Over the past year, she’s experienced some life highs and lows and is currently pondering a pivot from entrepreneur to employee as her business has hit some bumps in the road while away from her client base and comforts of home. This candid podcast is a wonderful story of success, perseverance, reflection and rebirth. Don’t miss Lauren’s inspiring story that reveals the real side of a self-employed creative person looking for what’s next.
Daniel Blaylock-Napolitan grew up in a single-wide trailer in a tiny Oklahoma town. Today he is a Dallas-based hairstylist and makeup artist to the stars after a fateful series of events and tons of hard work. We sit down with the wildly-talented creative and learn how he coiffed his dream career from scratch and by following his heart.
Alex Halbardier left a cushy corporate consulting job to follow her dreams of working for a startup after her personal life took an unexpected turn. We sit down with the Chief Customer Officer (and second employee) of ride share company Alto to discuss life in the fast lane of starting a new business. From expert advice from her days at Boston Consulting Group to life now running an early stage startup that raised 13 million in funding, the Princeton grad and mother-of-one offers loads of juicy small biz advice.
She was born and raised in Nashville, honed her professional chops in Dallas and now calls Waco home. Why? Because Joanna Gaines gave the 32-year old a fateful call that changed her life -- and location -- in a flash. Today Hilary Rose Walker is Magnolia's Director of Photography and Styling and helping make everything Joanna touches turn into pure magic (and gold). We recently visited with Hilary on her home turf -- the day she was moving into her new office! -- to chat about her recent role change with the company, life in small town Texas and everything in between. Don't miss this amazing podcast with the inspiring and open girl boss.
Longtime stylist Joanna Gott spent her entire life in Washington state making things pretty for brands from Esprit to Nordstrom. In her late 30s, she learned about the show Fixer Upper and her life changed forever upon discovering Magnolia was hiring a visual position via Instagram. After several months of persistent follow-up emails and a 24-hour interview trip, she landed the gig. Today Joanna calls Texas home and is helping spearhead all things visual for Magnolia’s brick-and-mortar concepts. We sit down with the 40-year old style expert to learn about her long career in retail and ways for creatives to follow their dreams — even if it means making a crazy lifestyle or location change.
In 2009, Adam and Alicia Rico left New York to put down roots in Dallas and start a family and small business. What started as an intimate brick-and-mortar floral shop and event space has morphed into an international traveling design biz focused on far flung weddings and fresh floral designs. The cool couple talks to us about the early days of their business, current challenges, hopes for the future and ways for others to leave the comfort of their current situation and start a dream business from scratch.
We all feel defeated or low, but Luxury Garage Sale CEO Trish Lukasik is a big believer you can’t let people see you sweat. This information-packed interview with the storied Fortune 500 company exec — that’s now happily in the start-up world — covers everything from ways to fund your idea to leadership tips, hiring hacks and ways to be successful in retail today. Do not miss this episode if you’re building a brand or considering the idea!
At only 29, Alanna Sarabia is the co-host of Good Morning Texas, a top media market morning talk show. The former Miss San Antonio and NBA dancer talks candidly about climbing the tough-as-nails TV industry ranks through good old fashion tactics from a relentless work ethic and willingness to ask for advice to always being nice and avoiding burning bridges. She also digs into the art of the media pitch and ways to get your message noticed and on air. Tune into this episode to get a deep look into the media industry and ways to break into the biz whether as a career or small business owner looking to get noticed and in lights.
To toast our 50th podcast episode, we invited some of our most riveting past guests to pick up where we left off and dive into their small business journey updates. From deals with the Dallas Cowboys to national art murals and major hotel commission projects, these gals have a lot to talk about and will leave listeners inspired to slowly but surely keep fighting for their dreams!
Depressed at her day job in the insurance industry, Shelly Kim searched for inspiration to raise her spirits. Uplifting phrases and quotes online helped her feel better, so she started writing them down — and eventually teaching herself calligraphy to make them pretty and post around her desk. Today Shelly is happily paving her own career path as a professional brush lettering artist with a robust product line and frequent workshops across the United States. We sit down with the Southern California native to learn about her rocky road to entrepreunership and how she’s building a successful business for herself in a crowded creative space.
Kate Levering was born an entertainer and starring on Broadway before she could legally drink. From her lead role in 42nd Street (which she landed a Tony nomination for!) to playing sassy attorney Kim Kaswell on the long-running Lifetime TV show Drop Dead Diva, she’s stepped into the shoes of several diverse characters while building a successful career for herself. Today the 39-year old is a mother of three young boys and figuring out her next role in life after taking a pause from her gypsy lifestyle as an entertainer to focus on family. Tune into this honest conversation about failure, fear and taking time to reflect on your next act.
Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas Charlotte Jones-Anderson never dreamt of being an NFL exec. But when her father bought the Dallas Cowboys after she graduated college, her career path changed forever. She left her post in politics in Washington D.C. to help turn the football team around with all of the stakes against her. From finding ways to cut costs to developing charitable opportunities and growing the company’s fashion footprint she has tackled tons of aspects of the business to create the cult-favorite lifestyle brand it is today. We sit down with this inspiring businesswoman to learn about her early days building the football empire and some of the fumbles and big wins along the way.
Maryam Montague believes success is a game of perseverance, solid time management skills and manifesting your destiny. During this tip-filled podcast, the American entrepreneur talks about her life in Marrakech and how she’s managed to build a career off of heart and hard work. From building a boutique hotel from scratch to penning a book and fighting for human rights, do not miss this episode that inspires, empowers, and proves that you can do whatever you put your mind to — even from the far corners of the world.
We chat with the YouTube star, author, designer and self proclaimed “creative weirdo” to learn how she’s built a business and brand by following her passion for crafting and designing pretty things. From managing tips and small business pitfalls to creating content that monetizes big time, we talk candidly with the former actress about everything it takes today to make it as a small biz operator in the creative space.
Multiple revenue streams is the name of the small business game according to Austin-based interior designer, realtor and hotelier Allison Crawford. We sit down with this busy girlboss to talk about how she balances interior design clients and a booming high-design vacation rental business. From her early career days selling copy machines on Wall Street to living out her daydream decorating beautiful spaces today, don’t miss this candid episode that is heavy on tips, advice and humor!
Mel Remmers' life story could be a blockbuster movie. After finding out she was pregnant unexpectedly with twins in her early 20s, she dabbled in various creative roles while raising her young family all over the west coast. In Seattle she discovered she had cancer and everything changed. While enduring a long recovery process and depression, she explored painting at home with simple store bought supplies as a last ditch healing method. During this time she not only found her spirit again but that she had an incredible hidden talent as an artist. Only a mere three years later, Mel’s work flanks the Dallas Museum of Art to walls of famous interior designers and fashion editors. Listen to her incredible tale of rebirth, resilience and persistence — all after turning 40.
Emily Ray-Porter and Zac Porter are realtors by trade. While working a commercial real estate deal out of town, Zac stumbled upon Royal Blue Grocery and was hooked. With a lot of gumption and hard work, he brought the concept to his Dallas hood without any experience in the grocery business along with his wife and a third partner. We sit down with the Porters to discuss their journey into the food and beverage world while keeping up their real estate day jobs. Their story is a modern day career tale that will inspire you to fight for your daydream.
Brittany Barnett’s name has recently been in lights thanks to Hollywood fans like Kim Kardashian and Diddy. But the attorney known for recently freeing notable women in prison for unnecessary life sentences still sees herself as a small town East Texas girl. Do not miss this podcast that follows Brittany’s life story that starts with a normal childhood until her mom ends up in prison. That pivotal life moment charts the course for Brittany’s incredible and inspiring career path that spans from big wig corporate gigs to her life’s passion fighting for human rights.
In between college courses and exams, Jonathan Meadows was a barista or sitting in his local coffee shop studying. He discovered a deep love for coffee culture by his late teens and at 19 decided he wanted to work in the industry full time instead of sitting in school lecturers. His parents weren’t thrilled, but he knew he was serious about his life’s next steps and dove in — deep. Today at 30-years old Jonathan is the CEO of Cultivar Coffee, a Dallas-based wholesale and coffee shop concept with 22 employees. We sit down with the business owner to talk about his early days living off ramen noodles and slinging beans at local flea markets to running a budding business today with three locations, 50 wholesale accounts and lots on the horizon.
A trip to Morocco changed Kale and Aubrey Butcher’s life forever. What was supposed to be a romantic getaway turned into an endless hunt for the perfect cement tile for their bathroom remodel. After leaving the country empty handed the couple worked with their guide from home to create the product they were looking for. That product turned into a company as the couple sold extra stock here and there and noticed a need for transitional, affordable encaustic tile. Today Kale runs the business full time while Aubrey consults on tile colors and design while operating an interior design firm. Together the couple discuss starting a business from scratch with zero knowledge about the product and industry. If you dream of starting your own business but don’t know where to begin, this episode is for you!
At 16, Texas native Jane Aldridge cut and paste together stories for her fashion blog way before the online platform was popular. More than a decade later (in only her mid 20s!), she’s considered a pioneer blogger and still at the top of her game in an industry that has become highly saturated. Jane talks to us about the early days of her company — including a Teen Vogue spread and phone call from admirer Kayne West — and how she’s staying relevant today while keeping her eye on what’s next as the industry quickly evolves. She also discusses her love for vintage style and keeping true to her roots in an industry that banks on big brands.
Judy is the founder of mega-popular website and Instagram account Atlantis Home, which highlights her layered bohemian lifestyle to perfection. She got her start in retail a few decades ago and has carved a niche in the interiors world while staying current with the evolution of social media. We sit down with the 55-year old mother of two and talk about her inspiring career and how to keep current — and perspective — with so much noise today.
We sit down with the founders of mega-popular Instagram account Target Does It Again and fashion lifestyle label Ascot + Hart to talk about their booming businesses they run remotely from their California and Texas homes. From the early days when they were shipping orders from their living rooms to monetizing their social media accounts and landing national partnership deals today, they candidly talk about their wild career ride — all the while raising three boys between them and having no full-time employees.
Our team sits down to talk the good, bad and downright dirty sides of opening our new store and studio space. We answer each other’s pressing questions while puling back the curtain on some inside stories and info about the six month process. From our long nights to move in day alongside an ex-president (yes, it’s true), we don’t miss a detail in this juicy podcast.
India Hicks was born in London to famed interior designer David Hicks and English royal Pamela Hicks. Instead of just riding her bloodline’s coattails, she trail-blazed an inspiring career path. Today the former model owns India Hicks, a growing lifestyle brand with thousands of ambassadors that directly sell the company’s gorgeous island style goods. India lives in Harbour Island with her partner and their five children.
We sit down with the entrepreneur to discuss her life, exploding business and how she balances an international business while raising five children from a tiny remote island.
Follow Brittany Freed’s journey from fashion PR and retail buyer to representing tenants and landlords in an ever-changing consumer marketplace. She discusses the past, present and future of retail as well as ways to succeed in the uncertain brick-and-mortar scene today.
Tips and tricks
Have your finances buttoned up if you’re considered opening a store. A broker can assist and advise on lots of things when searching for a space, but finances is something they can’t change or help out with much.
Think local. Retailers are catering to their community to make it today. Go to the nearby coffee shop, yoga studio and other outposts to connect with potential customers and learn about their behaviors, needs and desires.
Stores are necessary (just look to online giant Amazon opening brick and mortar). But to succeed today, you have to authentically attract shoppers from beautiful branding to experiential offerings that online shopping can’t dish.
East Texas native Carley Seale started a small retail store after leaving her cushy medical sales job in 2007. Today she runs six stores across Texas and Colorado and oversees 60-plus employees. The entrepreneur candidly discusses startup life, the future of retail, following your passion and the importance of thinking big.
Tips and tricks:
Build a business plan with a "break-even analysis" before you start anything to make sure you’re on the right track with your idea. (Listen to the podcast for her step-by-step tips!) . Your business should be profitable enough to pay yourself. If you don’t have enough profit to pocket some cash, take a serious look at your company and financial plan.
You have to be adaptable in retail. The market has changed more in the past year than prior nine according to Seale. To survive, you have to be flexible in your ideas, buying habits, employee structure and more.
Desha Peacock had 40 jobs until she created her dream career as an entrepreneur. Today she balances writing books for creative small business people as well as coordinates retreats and speaking engagements to talk about turning your passion into profit. We sit down with the 42-year old to discuss her eclectic career path and ways to help budding professionals break through the noise and live their daydream.
Tips and tricks:
Ask yourself lots of questions to seek out what your dream career really is. From what makes you tick to what makes you feel stressed, these answers help you narrow down what you really want and don’t want from your work life.
Financial stress kills creativity. Creatives can get caught up in the clouds with ideas. At the end of the day, don’t forget to follow the path that will also turn you a profit to make your dream actually work.
Office style matters! Create a workspace that inspires you to get cracking every day. Think candles and fresh flowers to cute organizational tools and even essential oils.
Heidi Androl-Guzman left her Michigan hometown for the summer to live on a boat with a friend in Southern California that they rented for $300. That fateful trip put her on a crazy career path that spans from waiting tables and selling helicopter parts to being a finalist on the Apprentice and a nationally recognized sports reporter. Last year the television personality and producer launched a small business called Tinseltot after becoming a mom and finding a major need in the home design market for littles. Listen to this innovative and smart business woman as she tells the story of her inspiring and non-traditional career path.
Tips and Tricks:
Fail Fast. If you feel your business is failing and beyond a pivot or revival, move on and shake it off. Don’t waste time trying to make something that won’t succeed work.
Put yourself out there. More times than not people want to help budding business owners and will answer your questions or assist in achieving your dreams if possible!
Create a business out of something you’re passionate about or see a need for. You’ll be eager to work for your dream when you are personally attached to its success.
Jody Olivier’s motto is “If I can’t find it, I’ll make it.” From pegged jeans in high school to global textile lampshades, she’s always taken matters into her own hands to fulfill her fashion and decor dreams since her teenage years. She didn’t dream of starting a textile business, but by following her gut and figuring things out along the way, she’s built a booming brand and shares all from working from home tips to delegating tasks to grow.
Tips and Tricks
If you’re starting a business that sells products, take a deep look at shipping costs and challenges. Jody shifted stopped selling lampshades after learning the difficulty of safely sending them to clients across the country.
Passion is the most important ingredient to build a small business. Be sure you’re extremely excited about your idea or company to stay motivated even when times get tough.
Know what you’re good at and what’s holding your business back. Find somebody to help with things that aren’t your forte to free up your time to grow the biz.
After seven years working her way up at Mattel, Rosie O’Neill decided to follow her heart (and tummy) and started her own business that is now a multi-million dollar international company. Rosie chats with us about Sugarfina’s early days and what it takes to be an entrepreneur and find your company’s sweet spot today.
Tips and tricks
The quickest way to grow a company is through dedicated, smart people. Hire people for longterm growth in mind, not the now even if you only need temp work at the time.
Starting a business in an old school category — candy, flea markets, mattresses — can be smart if you know how to stand out and be different since the public is familiar with the product.
Come up with a marketing campaign or product that’s catchy for instant press to break through the marketing noise. Upon launching, Sugarfina released treats for the broken hearted instead of sweethearts on Valentine’s Day and landed in the pages of US Weekly.
Junk In The Trunk Vintage Market’s Coley Arnold and Lindsey Holt: The Power of Passion, Perspective — and Patina!
In 2011 Coley and Lindsey finally hosted a backyard shopping event selling vintage decor after ages of daydreaming about the idea. When 600 people showed up to the casual affair, they knew they were on to something and slowly started to grow the biz into the wildly popular Arizona and California junking pop up it is today. From their early start up days to real talk about work/life balance, #momlife and the difficulty of expansion, the women expose the good and bad about small business life.
Tips and Tricks
There’s no such thing as balance. It’s a total myth that we can juggle it all — all the time. Face that fact to relieve some of the pressure and guilt and move on to figure out your best version of “balance.”
To grow your social media channels and increase engagement, talk about things your audience craves. Don’t post a workout photo and caption if you’re business is junking. It won’t jive with your audience.
Babysitting is the best investment personally and professionally if you’re a working mom. You simply can’t run a household and business at the same time.
After high school, Kelly left her tiny Texas hometown for Dallas to attend fashion design school. A class project revealed that she actually loved photography and she started to slowly teach herself and take on small shutterbug jobs while working other 9-5 gigs. Today Kelly calls the shots at Kelly Christine Sutton Photo + Films taking on projects close to her heart from intimate family portraits to shooting her sister Kacey Musgraves’ album covers.
Tips and Tricks
When capturing images, it’s the moments in between posed shots that are often the most beautiful, engaging and frame-worthy.
Confidence is key as a creative. It’s often best to put blinders on when comparison creeps in to keep your morale and creativity high.
Find somebody to shoot you straight when valuing yourself. You don’t want to cheapen your skills or price yourself out of the market; lean on this person for two-cents.
Contracts are important! Use them to protect yourself and manage client expectations if you’re in a service industry.
The former nightclub owner and model agency exec open up about following their heart to open a hip hideaway in Round Top, Texas. Today their lodging company includes retreats, workshops, an online shop and private hotel apothecary label. Learn how they’ve built their business with intention slowly over time for longterm success thanks to their passion and past work experiences.
Tips and tricks
Work for somebody — or some companies — for 5-10 years before starting your own to gain invaluable business advice, lessons and experience on their dollar.
Show me the money! You must understand your expenses, how to value yourself and your perfect price point to turn a sustainable profit to make it in business — period.
Pay for the best employees or help/freelance work you possibly can. You get what you pay for and it will grow your business quicker even though your pocketbook might suffer in the early days.
Lighting is everything from how you shoot a product to how somebody sees themself in your store or business. You can create a mood or feeling from the right lighting that will ignite sales and user experience.
We sit down with our go-to girlboss lawyer to get easy-to-digest answers to legal questions and scenarios budding business owners often face. From handling copycats to candid contract and trademark tips, she walks us through all the things to keep your business protected and on the right side of the law.
Tips and tricks
Write a contract to the best of your ability and send to a lawyer for them to tweak and fine tune to save on legal fees.
Registering your company entity (i.e. an LLC) not only makes you look more professional, but keeps your personal property protected.
Read through contracts! Ask lots of questions for clarity or seek legal advice before you sign something that doesn’t add up or smell right.
Five years ago Tori and her sister Desiree founded the personalized hand-stamped fashion accessories label to tell people’s stories. Today the company is in stores all over the country and has outfitted celebrities from Miranda Lambert to the Duck Dynasty ladies. Tori gets real — real fast — to talk about the good, bad and ugly sides of small business life and how to push through to find success, authentically.
Tips and Tricks
Create a dream list of influencers to talk about your company and then design personalized product for them, reach out to them via email or social media and send care packages to them directly.
Plan to pour every ounce of your self — and often your savings — into your dream to have a chance at success. You must spend money to make money.
Be prepared to do every single aspect of small biz life yourself for a long time and always be a student of your own company to grow.
The fashion blogger and YouTube star sits down with us to talk about growing her various small business platforms to create a full time job in the noisy influencer space. From her early blogging days in 2007 to pausing her biz to have children and now playing dress up for a living on social media YouTube, Beth Jones talks through all the highs and lows of the fashion world and how to carve out a corner that’s authentically you and pays the bills.
Tips and tricks
If you rely on social media for your business, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and be candid with your audience. If you were a realtor, you’d be plastering your face all over town and talking to every person you could!
Sometimes you have to take a break and regroup. Beth reflected on her place and perspective in the influencer space while pregnant with her second child and came back refreshed and with a new business plan post-delivery.
Direct message, cold call and email people and companies you want to work with to start collaborating with brands and monetizing your company. Many influencers use agencies but Beth still uses the good old fashion forms of communication.
Have the right tech tools in your handbag always. Listen to the podcast for her specific gadgets that get the best photos and footage.
We sit down with this wildly smart (and sassy!) trio to talk all things small business from startup advice and stories to the beauty of drowning a bad day in a good brownie.
Tips and tricks:
Sweat equity is the name of the game in the early days. Direct message influencers, craft your own public relations campaigns and network tirelessly until you’re ready to pay for services and help.
Try lots of things while you’re young. Your 20s and 30s are a time to experiment various professions and fields to set you up with a wide range of skills for future success.
Support your company’s early adopters — neighbors, friends, social media followers — and shower them with info (and product if possible) to help spread the work authentically about your biz.
Taylor Madison is living the dream. The 29-year old has re-invented the old-school travel agent profession to own her own small business while traveling the world in style. But through her extensive treks she’s learned what’s important in life and imparts that advice on us all.
Tips and Takeaways
· Do not rely mostly (or solely!) on social media to build your company. Instead, think of it as a portfolio to showcase your work and focus on face-to-face interactions and human conversations (phone calls, emails) to build a lasting and longterm profitable book of business.
· Reflection, mediation, prayer – whatever helps you get centered and focused – is an important part of professional growth. Some of Taylor’s best biz deas came from time of pause and setting intentions.
· If you work from home it's essential to find ways to stay connected to people, build a healthy routine and keep motivated to be successful. For Taylor that ranges from working at local coffee shops weekly to limiting social media check-ins and setting a regular bedtime.
· Traveling teaches so many life lessons culturally, socially and personally. But most importantly it’s taught Taylor the importance of work/life balance and putting down roots near the ones you love.
The Flea Style team sits down to talk shop about their new store and studio opening spring 2018. From their wild ride to retail to tips for people considering brick and mortar, they dish it all!
Tips:
Brick and mortar is all about experiential. You have to offer something that Amazon and online shopping can’t — pop ups, exclusive product — to make it today. The commercial real estate road is tough. When searching keep an open mind, be flexible and don’t get discouraged if a deal falls through. It took Flea Style five years to land its dream digs. Be patient with finding your forever home.
Lauren Scruggs Kennedy turned a tragic airplane accident into a pivotal moment that changed her life’s path instantly. After a long recovery, she went on to marry the man of her dreams, write books, start a popular blog, build a charitable foundation and more. We talk with the New York Times best-selling author, blogger and entrepreneur to learn about her life’s inspiring journey and how she’s building a brand and foundation all about inspiration and positivity.
Travis Weaver is living the American Dream. The native Texan sold candles door to door and grew his lifestyle goods business over the past six years to include a brick and mortar store, wholesale label and online shop all about well-made products from the U.S.A. Travis candidly chats about the company’s early days, pushing through failure and the importance of slowly growing a lifestyle brand.
Tips:
Failure and copycats are inevitable. Don’t let them get you down; shake it off and move forward. Find your business’ sweet spot. The bigger the company, the bigger the problems and headache. Sometimes staying small is best. Don’t overthink your idea. Try to launch it the best way you know how to get momentum going and figure it out along the way.
Mary Padian is a pint size powerhouse. After a big breakup with her boyfriend, the former Architectural Digest writer followed her heart back to her Texas hometown and opened a vintage decor and junk shop. In 2012 after a TV producer visited the shop, she traded junking for retail for picking storage units for television and has been a fan favorite fixture on Storage Wars’ long running series sever since. From her darkest days to highlight reel, Mary walks us through her crooked career path spit-firing solid advice and hilarious stories along the way.
Tips:
Embrace the bad days with humor and grace. Mary reveals some of her darkest days and how her funny bone got her through it — and eventually to Hollywood.
Be authentic. Yes, the word is overused but it’s true. Mary got the Storage Wars gig because she was 100-percent honest and living her life’s dream and the talent agent recognized it instantly.
Being broke is part of the journey sometimes. Don’t get down if your finances aren’t stellar. The life lessons you learn during those tough times can build the character it takes to make it big one day.
Jon Tutolo is the king of reinvention. The 42-year old has worked in the editorial, styling, retail and advertising worlds and even served as President of Trump Model Management. Learn how the former model agent, shopkeeper and art director took his collective experiences and crooked career path to land his dream job as creative director of One Kings Lane.
Jen Harrison — aka Flea Market Fab — has helped put boho-chic interiors on the map. Her custom decor and interior design businesses and booming Instagram account have helped homes across the globe become dreamy, layered, spaces one shaggy Moroccan rug at a time. We sit down with the style setter to chat flea markets and thrifting to all things business and social media.
We flip the mic on our founder to hear her untold story about her early journalism days, famous ex-boyfriend, running a major interior design company and eventually giving it all up to found Flea Style. From celebrity interviews and traveling the world in her 20s to trusting her gut and giving up a fairytale romance she spills it all and reveals the importance of following your heart and head.
Tips -Trust your gut. It isn’t always easy to follow but it’s the best advice you’ll ever find if you are open to it. -Happiness is different for everyone. Don’t get caught up in what happiness should look like. It’s all about what it feels like. -Reach out to people you want to work for. The worst thing that can happen is they say no. The best thing? They hire you!
Cammy Miller and her best friend Cologne are the brains behind the cult-following fashion brand Show Me Your Mumu. We sit down with the California designer and co-creator to learn about the company’s early days, secrets for cultivating a devoted customer and how they’ve survived and thrived in the cut-throat fashion world since 2009.
Taylor Sterling created the job of her dreams as founder of Glitter Guide, an online lifestyle and media company. But a lay off and a ton of hard work had to come first before she found personal and professional success. We sit down with the working mom to talk about the early days of her website as well as the power of positivity, supporting others and self care.
Use your precious time to propel your company or idea forward and outsource busy work that stunts growth. Copycats are maddening, but don’t let them get you down. Use that fire to stay fresh and in front of the pack. Protect your brand legally the best way you can from trademarking to a having a noncompete or cease and desist letter at the ready.
Learn how Blaine Jakubov left a lifelong equestrian career to follow her passion for fashion with no formal training. Today Blaine Bowen (coined after her first and middle names) is a nationally recognized lifestyle label that includes apparel, denim, jewelry and more. In between business tips ranging from hiring hacks to trend forecasting, this spitfire talks about breaking the rules and being a boss in your job role to push ahead and succeed.
While volunteering with the International Rescue Center Paula Minnis met a refugee woman that changed the course of her life. Eight years later the mother of four is running a blooming accessories business that employs refugees resettled in Dallas. The former retail maven has carved out a unique career path that is profitable and passionate. Listen up to learn her tips for starting a social enterprise as well as juicy business tips to keep you on track and succeed.
We met Kelly Ann Sutton last year and were instant fans. This woman has worked her way up the Anthropologie ladder for the last 12 years and now manages hundreds of employees for the coveted company. Kelly Ann’s people skills are off the chart and have led her to the position she now holds.
Liz Kamarul – the Portland based interior designer that ditched her day job to travel the US with her husband in a 180 square foot Winnebago for four months – visits Flea Style’s office while on a weeklong pit stop in Dallas. Brittany sits down with the free spirit to learn about leaving your comfort zone, life on the road, monetizing social media and how to make every minute count.
Brittany gets real with her dear friend and Read Between the Lines founder/CEO Melinda Jones. The two talk about Melinda’s popular paper company and retail shop and how she created the booming business – that has more than 350 accounts! – with no skills in the stationery world. They also dish about RBTL’s early days, working on shoestring budgets and hiring tips. They leave time for fun stuff from personal life balance hacks to dream dinner party guests.
We sit down with the artist, wall muralist and How to Draw Modern Florals author to learn how she got her start (with no art degree!), lands new business accounts and scored the Dallas rewardStyle wall mural. Alli opens up about mustering up the courage to put her ideas and business in the public eye and also staying true to her style and mission – and the changes she has had to make along the way – to create the job of her dreams. Learn more about this incredible girl boss at Flea Style Summit in Dallas 9/23/17!
For the first "Fridays with Flea Style" podcast, Flea Style founder/CEO Brittany Cobb interviews her team and together they real talk about small business world highs and lows and how they landed their individual roles.