Entrepreneur Life 101
My entrepreneur story & advice for aspiring boss babes
Hey y’all! So I figured with all the new followers, clients, and friends, it would be a good time to tell the story of how I started my business. If you’re an OG Blues Babe you probably know a little of this, but if you’re new, welcome! Throughout this blog I’ll also give any aspiring boss babes (or dudes) some advice from my experiences.
So I guess we’ll start with introducing me, for anyone who doesn’t really know the face behind the brand! My name is Laura — I’m currently 23 years old, and a lifelong Delaware-ian (woohoo *eyeroll*). When I started my business, I was 21. So it’s been almost 2 full years of learning, growing, tears, and joy.
It was 2018, and I had just graduated college that May with an associates degree in drug & alcohol counseling. I bought my first deck of tarot cards around that time, and was starting to open my mind up to new ideas and this new chapter of my life that I was so eager to begin. During my last semester I had been interning for an agency under the state of Delaware (which I won’t name), and got a job through them once my college graduation had passed. I thought this was what I always wanted — maybe it’s because my parents always instilled “school and career” in me, or maybe because I was ready to finally be an “adult” (over-rated), I’m not too sure. All I know was that ever since I was a little girl I wanted to help people, especially people with addictions and mental health issues. So I was excited to start what I thought would be my career in this field; I was ready and determined to give it my all!
Little did I know, the work environment I had been in, paired with the stress of that career field, was too much for me to handle. I’ll say this, I’m a strong person and I can adapt to almost any situation — but an unhealthy work environment was something I couldn’t just “get used to.” I tried my best at that job, and I do feel like I connected with some of my clients and was able to help them through their situations, but my heart wasn’t in it. I went home everyday stressed, depressed, and often in tears. I couldn’t see my beautifully planned out future anymore, and I was terrified.
Around October of 2018 I started making jewelry as a hobby. I taught myself through YouTube videos how to wire-wrap crystals and began creating necklaces. At first for myself, then for family, then for friends. I was also getting more into my tarot readings and my spirituality began to grow. I was changing as a person, and creating a new vision of what my future would be like, with or without my job.
I believe it was November 2018 when I released my first set of wire-wrapped crystal necklaces for sale under The Gypsy Blues name. This is when everything started to change — I began to daydream about my business! I would sit at my desk at work and research everything I needed to know on how to start a business. I’d go home and spill an ocean-full of ideas on my fiance’, who has always been supportive of my dreams. I got The Gypsy Blues name trademarked, and in December I got my LLC with the help of Harvard Business Services because I had no clue how to do any of that paperwork or what it really meant at the time. In December of 2018 I put in my resignation at my job, after debating for months (even before TGB became a real thing). My fiance’ supported my decision to quit, knowing that I was miserable, and seeing how passionate I was about my new business. So I did it — and this is when I truly learned not to care about anyone’s opinion but my own. My own happiness was (and still is) more important than what other people thought about my choices.
2019 feels like a bit of a blur as far as the business is concerned, but in a good way! I started applying to vendor events, created a website through Big Cartel (I’m obviously now on Squarespace, but I hadn’t discovered this platform yet), started putting together branding ideas, and so on. Everything from my products to my packaging was obsessed over and carefully chosen, because I wanted my business to be perfect. It became more than just a daydream, and was forming into reality!
I want to take this time now to thank the heck out of Liz Martinez (@lizmartinezcreations) for her Vision Sessions which have truly taught me so much on branding, marketing, social media, and overall brand presentation. I had my first session with her in May 2019 and ever since I implemented what she taught me, it has helped my brand and business grow like crazy!
Throughout all of this branding growth, I was also growing as a person. My journey with tarot had turned into researching witchcraft, Wicca, and other cultures, and my spirituality blossomed. I started offering tarot readings online, which is now one of my favorite things that I do! When I first started expanding my beliefs, I was shy about it and was a little afraid of judgement. But now I’m open and proud of who I am, because I’ve been able to help so many people with my intuition and abilities!
August 2019 I started my job at Petco, which honestly wasn’t something I wanted to do at first, but now I really enjoy my job! I felt sort of silly for going back to retail and part-time work after graduating college and getting a shot at a big career field. But I ended up getting over myself and applying. I knew I wanted part-time work so I could still have time for my business, and we needed the extra income since we had just bought our first home. Now I’m a dog trainer, and I get to play with animals all day, so I’d say I lucked out big time!
So there it was, 2018 fading into 2019 and quickly crashing into 2020. In such a short amount of time, my business has grown, and so have I! Making the decision to follow my dreams has changed my life in a million ways. I didn’t want to be 50, still sitting at that desk or one like it, wondering what my life could’ve been like if I’d have went for it. I don’t think anybody wants to live with regrets, and I encourage anyone who wants to start a business to just go for it! You’ll never know what could happen until you try.
5 Things for Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
1. Branding is Key!
To me, branding includes every little detail of what your business is, and what it stands for. This is not something you have to have completely figured out at the start! I’m still growing in this area, along with all the other businesses out there. As a creative person, I’m constantly designing my little Gypsy world in my head, and finding ways to bring it to life!
Once you know what you want to offer the world, choose your business name! Make it unique, and special to you. Create a Pinterest board under this name and start adding in colors, aesthetics, fonts, product inspiration, etc to make a little vision board for yourself! I’ve gone through so many different ideas and aesthetics for my business before narrowing down to one (and not even really one, I mix and match some things!), and that’s totally normal and okay. The goal is you want people to be able to look at your posts and know it’s you before seeing the name. So do some research, look at other brands you love, and don’t copy but just get inspired!
For example, The Gypsy Blues is a lot of boho tones with pops of color, feathers, warm photos, handwritten fonts, and what I like to call “everyday magic”! When people see my Instagram or website I want them to get the vibe of myself & my business right away.
2. Get Personal!
One mistake I made in the beginning of TGB was not showing myself enough. Yes, your products/work should speak for itself in a way — but it is so much more successful when there is a real voice behind it!
Post yourself more! People want to support small businesses because they know it’s a real person with a dream. They’re willing to pay the extra money for a handmade, unique product versus something they may find cheaper at Walmart — and that support/loyalty is because they like you!
I honestly love talking to my followers and customers because I feel like we’re a community and friends, even if it’s just via internet! Ever since I started showing my face on my posts and stories, my brand began to really form. Yes, at the end of the day, you want to make money and sell your products/services, but it’s also about building a following, a community, and a platform. Tell your story, share your daily life, show behind the scenes — people love it, and will love you!
3. Don’t be a copycat!
I will say this again: do not be a copycat! It is one thing to be inspired by another brand/business, and admire their work and their hustle. But it becomes a hot mess when you copy exactly what they’re doing!
Yes, trends are a thing. Honestly, a lot of brands incorporate hand-written fonts and boho styles, but I’ve always tried to add my own spin onto the trend! When it comes to the way your brand is presented to the world, you want to stand out and be creative. That’s where you can really shine.
As far as products go, there will always be someone out there doing similar things as you. Imagine how many candle makers there are, how many jewelry makers, how many tarot readers! But none of that stopped me. I’ve always tried to come up with unique ideas, collections and designs. I want people to see my products and know they’re from The Gypsy Blues, not anywhere else! Try to use your inspiration as fuel to create awesome, one-of-a-kind things. Nobody likes a copycat.
4. Network and Support!
One thing that I’ve been really working on the past year is networking with other small businesses! You are not in competition with everyone else. Community is a beautiful, much more important thing!
Anytime I do vendor events, I always walk around and check out other tables, and often buy things from them! This is the same for the internet, too. I am big on supporting other small businesses, and showing off what I got from them on my own business Instagram. Not only does this help them get some new followers and possibly another sale, but it helps our relationship! I have built real friendships with people all through networking, being open, and being supportive.
Let this come in a natural, non-fake way. You’ll find people who you can talk to, ask questions, share ideas, and all the things! It just takes time. I admire so many people’s hustle, and ever since I started outwardly showing my support, I’ve gotten the same in return. The more we work together, the further we all get!
5. Educate Yourself!
This is super important as a business owner. Whether you sell products vs services, you operate online vs storefront, and so on, you should always stay up to date. Business licenses, taxes, fees, and your money flow in general is what keeps businesses going behind the scenes. 2019 was a lot of trial and error in the financial department for me! I definitely over-spent at times, but I learned from my mistakes and have been keeping way better track of my businesses’ financial flow the past few months.
Honestly, the legal part of being a business owner can get a little confusing, and it varies state-by-state. When I started out I had to do a lot of research on what I needed for Delaware, and I didn’t know anyone else who owned a business! I kind of winged it and just did what Google told me lol. Like I said, so much of entrepreneurship is trial-and-error, and learning from experiences!
I hope this blog helped you guys get to know me a little better, and helped anyone trying to start a business! I’m not an expert on anything I talked about above, but I do have experience and wanted to share my advice just in case.
Thank you all so much for believing in me, supporting me, and helping me change my life. It scares me to think about where I would be if I had never started my business. The Gypsy Blues has made my life exciting and beautiful — and so have all of you!
