We were lucky to catch up with Christina Duzan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

If I could go back in time and make a change, I wish I had started my business sooner. I started Fox & Flamingo Creative in late 2022 for the virtual assistant work and Fox & Flamingo Clothing in January 2023 for graphic tees. I was working full time as a communications specialist, still am actually, and my daughter was almost 2-years-old. I started both of these businesses in hopes that the combination would generate enough revenue for me to leave my full-time, corporate job. I wanted to work fewer hours and specialize in the areas I like most about working in communications while also getting more time with my daughter.

I was so sure in my early and mid 20s that I wanted to be a mom that still had a career, not one who “just stayed home with the kids.” Now in my early 30s and as a mother myself, I realize was very shortsighted. Parents who take care of their children full-time do so much more than “just stay home”, and it turns out I would love to be in a place financially to stay home full-time with my daughter. Starting my business sooner, before I was every pregnant with her, would have given me time to focus solely on growing my business when I had the extra time and resources to set it up for consistent income and growth. Then once she was born I could have left my corporate job and gone full-time in my two businesses while keeping her home with me.

If I had the foresight to think more long term four or five years ago, it could have made all the difference with where I am at now.

Christina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I run two businesses. Fox & Flamingo Creative offers virtual assistant (VA) services for individuals and small businesses. My niche is email newsletters and creating systems for organization and content scheduling, but I also offer copy editing, social media management and content creation for those that need it. Fox & Flamingo Clothing curates collections of small batch graphic tees that I design (sometimes purchasing from an artist) and press in-house. The emphasis is on parent + mini matching sets and motherhood. In 2024 I hope to add more for dads, accessories, and blankets.

As a VA my job is to help give some of your time back to you. Sometimes outsourcing even 5-10 hours of work can make a huge difference. Don’t want to hand over creative control? Let me work with you to develop and implement systems to maximize your efficiency. Each business/individual is unique and there shouldn’t be a one-size fits all approach.

My graphic tee business gives me a creative outlet. I love creating designs to match with my toddler (who gets so excited when Mommy makes her a new shirt) or that create some humor surrounding motherhood. I’m still in the trenches of toddlerhood (and currently an only child), and sometimes all you can do is laugh at the chaos.

I am most proud of the example I’m setting for my daughter. Starting these businesses, my goal was never make six-figures or $1M. It was always to eventually make enough to be able to leave my 9-5 corporate job, work for myself, and spend more time with my daughter.

I currently have availability for some VA clients and release new graphic tees on a quarterly basis. If you’re interested in hiring a VA, my advice is to find someone that understands your needs and will be able to fulfill them in an authentic way. Authenticity is my goal for my clients. I want what I create for them to be true to their voice and mission.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell through my website for Fox & Flamingo Clothing. I built it through Shopify. They had a ton of free resources for how to build an ecommerce business as well as tutorials for building a website through their platform. For me it was more user friendly for ecommerce and my specific needs than trying to build a website from scratch like WordPress or Wix and then adding a plug-in for a sales component. Because Shopify is built for ecommerce it also makes it easier to track sales, inventory, and any other metrics I need. Plus the basic plan is pretty affordable at $39/month. Still being a new business this covers all the features I need to run my online store. It also interfaces seamlessly with Shopify POS so I can easily accept credit/debit card payments when I do pop-ups and craft shows.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

One of the biggest things for me is following other content creators/professionals/entrepreneurs who have similar businesses to me or similar goals. They don’t all have to be the same industry either. Some of my favorites are an RN/influencer who shares fashion, DIY home projects, health/exercise; a new mom who has started and run multiple businesses and is now making a transition from owning an online women’s clothing boutique to digital marketing consulting; and a family who has built and runs multiple businesses but challenges me to think about the long-term, generational legacy/impact my current choices have for my family. There are also a few accounts and pages on LinkedIn I like to follow for articles on current marketing trends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://foxandflamingoclothing.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: @foxandflamingoclothing @foxandflamingcreative
• Facebook: Fox & Flamingo Clothing VIPs
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-duzan-44916a18/
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Photo credit: Christina Duzan