Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah Azim. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hannah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

My business was a very slow and steady growth until the beginning of 2024 when I began to “crack the code”. Since my online reselling business is done through Instagram, growth and relies on social media presence and the community that allows Styles of Shea to exist. I realized that the best way to reach new customers was to consistently post Instagram Reels and TikTok videos every single day. I post a TikTok video every single day- sometimes twice a day, and have been doing so for the past year. The “viral” ability and reach of TikTok allowed me to reach many people who love to thrift and shop secondhand like me! Those people followed me on TikTok, and in turn followed my Instagram business page to shop my story sales and live sales. This is how I went from 10k followers on IG to over 30k in just a few months.

I will say, numbers mean nothing. Community is EVERYTHING! I do not care if I have 100 people viewing my live sale or 20, I cherish each and every person that follows along my journey and tunes into my sales. It does not matter if you have 100k followers or 20k. What matters is how many of those people actually feel connected to you, your content, your journey, etc.

Posting a video (or sometimes 2) every single day is not easy. You have to “show up” on social media even when you do not feel like it. However, consistency is rewarded on apps like Instagram and TikTok, and social media is such an intregal part of growing a business and personal brand these days. Focusing on growing my social media and Styles With Shea community has also opened other avenues for my business. I am now able to have some paid opportunities with social media that supplement my business as well.

I truly think the key to growing a small business is allowing your customers and community to know the face behind it. As humans, we all strive for connection- especially with those who are likeminded and have similar interests.

Hannah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up shopping secondhand and thrifting with my mom. She showed me Plato’s Closet while back to school shopping and took me into my first Goodwill thrift store as well. At school, the cool girls were always wearing certain brands and styles, but the price tag was not cheap. Circa 2012, I discovered I could find the same iconic Victoria’s Secret fold-over sequin yoga pants at Plato’s Closet for $10 instead of a whopping $79.50 at retail. I was so excited- not only could I wear the pants the cool girls were wearing, but I could get 7 pairs for the price of one? Yes please! I was officially introduced to the world of secondhand shopping and how amazing it was.

The journey continued into high school and college as I found brands like Lululemon and Free People for a fraction of the price. Then, selling app Poshmark came out and changed everything! I was able to make some extra cash by cleaning out my closet- it was so convenient and easy! This snowballed into me helping my mom clean out her closet and sell her clothing as well.

In 2020, during the pandemic, reselling took off. Girls my age were selling thrifted clothing via Instagram through live sales (think modern-day QVC style) and “story sales”. One girl’s account popped up on my explore page, and the rest was history. I already loved thrifting and fashion- so why not make money while doing it? I created my own Instagram page for my new business and got started: Styles With Shea (Shea is my middle name).

I’ll never forget my first live sale because no one showed up. I sat there in front of the camera for 2 hours and did not sell one item. This inspired me to work harder and create a community so each sale could be more successful than the last one.

I posted on my Instagram page everyday- showing my face, sense of style, personality, and love for thrifting in every video I made. This consistency created community and began a slow, but steady growth. By the time I was about to graduate college, I was able to be financially independent from Styles With Shea. I did live sales and story sales every week and was thrifting new inventory nonstop. My online zoom college classes took a back seat- I was fully immersed in this business.

Sourcing and selling secondhand clothing is so special to me for many reasons. For one, you are able to access such amazing brands and high quality pieces for a fraction of the price. Second, most people who work a 9-5 do not have the time to sift through thousands of pieces of clothing and thrift for themselves. I am able to be their personal shopper and cultivate a wardrobe they have only imagined!

Whenever my customers send me photos of them wearing their pieces, my heart is full of joy. I love getting to be a part of an amazing community of people who love shopping secondhand and understand the true value behind it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I grew up playing basketball from the age of 8 years old. I played all through elementary school, middle school, high school, and part of college. It was my identity and consumed my everyday life! I will never regret playing basketball and putting as much time into it as I did. The sport taught me so many valuable lessons that translate into how I run my online business today. It taught me how to preserver through hardships, trust myself, communicate with others, and more.

Sadly though, I eventually let the sport consume me so much in college to the point where I was losing myself and my true purpose. I was going to college to play a sport instead of going to college to learn and focus on my personal path. I became depressed, lost, and overwhelmed. Playing a college sport at any level is extremely time consuming and strenuous; playing Division One was a full time job.

Once I decided to focus on myself and quit playing basketball, I had more time on my hands to explore different passions, study, and spend more time with family. I pivoted away from the college athlete life and towards a path that allowed me to discover what I wanted to do with my life. I worked as a basketball trainer, joined clubs, became a certified personal trainer, etc. Then, I realized I should step away from the sport/fitness world all-together, which lead me to discover my passion for thrifting and create Styles With Shea.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I truly believe I built my audience on social media by showing my face, being my authentic self, and showing others how passionate I am about what I do. I always make sure to post both the good and “bad” aspects of my business- the truth and behind the scenes. It’s boring and not accurate to only post the highlight reel of owning a business. This has built trust and community with my customers. There are so many emotions behind being a small business owner- especially when it revolves around social media. The pressure of showing up 24/7 on social media as a small business owner is so real. We might as well shed light on it to connect with others and show the truth.

I also committed to showing other parts of my life aside from thrifting and business aspects- I let my community in on other parts of my life that I love. I post about food, travel, my everyday outfits, fitness routines, and more. It’s a fun way to connect with your community and unique, refreshing content to switch it up between promoting sales. This has also given me opportunities to work with brands that I love such as BEIS suitcases, Hulken, Girlfriend Collective, and more!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: styleswithshea
• Other: TikTok= @hanazim

Image Credits

Jenny Johnson- Waking Starlight
(For the professional image of me standing next to the clothing rack in my office)