We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keylee Sanders Helmich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Keylee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?
My parents told me I could do anything I wanted in life and supported every crazy idea I have ever had! I’ve been a big dreamer since I was a child, constantly creating fantasy worlds in my mind and wanting to live in them. My parents never discouraged me or told me I was dreaming too big… they only told me to go for it!
Around the age of fourteen, I was in high school and really wanted a summer job to earn my own money and be independent. I started going door-to-door in my small Kansas town asking local businesses for job applications. I was pretty proud of my applications – and knew I was willing to start anywhere – so it was discouraging to not receive any calls for interviews. Never one to give up, I went back to the businesses and asked them to give me a shot. I’ll never forget the manager who told me nobody was going to hire me because my parents were successful and they didn’t think I needed the money. My mouth hit the floor. I was a kid who wanted to work, learn, and be independent, and I was being prevented the opportunity because my parents had wanted and done the same? Forget. That. If nobody would hire me, I would follow in my dad’s footsteps and work for myself. I made a list of the resources I had and how I could use them to make money – we had a pool in our backyard, and I knew how to swim… I was about to become the greatest swim teacher Kansas had ever seen! I came up with the whole plan: I would take out an ad in the local newspaper to get customers, create lesson plans for different swimming ability levels, and incentivize price packages with lower rates for more lessons purchased. I presented my plan to my parents, and they gave it the green light.
I had a great summer and taught a lot of kids how to stay safe in and around water, and I even got a tan! I made over $1K that summer, which was a lot of money for a teenager in the early 90s! Years later I found out my parents had to pay almost $5k for the additional insurance they needed on the pool in order for me to teach. I still laugh about this and I love them for not telling me. My dad said they were so impressed with my determination to work that they were going to do whatever it took to help! I will always be grateful to them and aspire to raise my daughter with the same big dreams they allowed me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I grew up on a horse and cattle ranch in a very small town in Kansas. I’ve wanted to work in fashion for as long as I can remember – I was the little girl cutting up Barbie’s clothes and redesigning them into one-of-a-kind Keylee originals. I graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and started my first post-college job as a personal shopper at Nordstrom – it was a dream come true, I was being paid to shop! I loved the job, but I didn’t love having someone else decide my schedule and spending my weekends and holidays on the sales floor. I made the decision to put my degree to work and began designing custom evening wear with my mentor, the late Stephen Yearick. I will always feel honored that Stephen took me under his wing and recognized me as a kindred spirit. We met when I was Miss Teen USA in 1995 and instantly hit it off. I was able to watch his talent as he designed part of my wardrobe for my year of travel and appearances. Stephen and his son became huge influences in my life and helped give me the confidence to fake it until I make it! Speaking of… I moved to LA in 2002 with my then-husband and my career took a shift when an agent talked me into giving the entertainment world a go. After a few attempts at acting, I realized fake it ‘til you make it only worked for me when I could still be myself, so I switched from acting to hosting. This felt much more authentic and ultimately led me to styling as I found myself spending as much time in front of the camera as I did behind it, helping others on the show decide what to wear. When the producer told me he was looking for a stylist for another job and asked if I was one, I gave an emphatic “yes!” before going home that evening and googling “what is a stylist?”.
Once I got into styling, I was hooked. I was exactly where I was meant to be at that time in my life. I was both walking and working red carpets. I spent half my time in front of the camera discussing the latest fashion trends and interviewing interesting people, and the other half behind the camera styling those interesting people! As my connections increased, I began producing fashion shows and events. And once my reputation (the end all be all!) grew, I had the privilege of working with celebrity and private clients for personal styling and shopping. I traveled all over the country appearing on television as a fashion expert. My days were never the same and that was my favorite part!
I have always had a passion for fine jewelry (who doesn’t?!) and soon my personal shopping clients began asking if I knew anyone who created custom pieces. Again, I said yes and then proceeded to figure it out! I stopped buying stock in Advil after I realized toting around diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires was much easier than racks of clothing and trunks full of shoes. After my third or fourth sale in the jewelry industry, I knew there was nothing else I would rather be doing. I couldn’t get enough and wanted to learn everything I possibly could – I took classes at the GIA (Gemology Institute of America), interned with jewelers, researched designers… anything jewelry related, I wanted to know. Soon I had regular clientele and was building my business, attending the national trade shows, and putting my experience in fashion to work by consulting for jewelry designers on designs, marketing, and social media.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I’ve been taught since a young age that reputation is everything and for good reason! The Latin word reputation means “consideration” – your reputation boils down to if people consider you good/positive or bad/negative. Maintaining a stellar reputation has been my top priority throughout my life and career, not only because I want to be seen as honest, kind, and trustworthy, but because I want to live that way as well.
My three pillars of a positive reputation are honesty, professionalism, and accountability.
1. Your kindergarten teacher was right – honesty is always the best policy! While it may feel kind to tell someone that something looks great even if it’s not the best for them, it’s a disservice to them as they are paying you for your expertise and the truth. Never overpromise – it is better to come through at the last minute rather than to disappoint. And do yourself a favor and don’t overcharge, even if you are sure nobody will ever know. I promise… it will come back to bite you every single time! In the jewelry industry, it may seem that the biggest sale is the best outcome but I have learned that doing what is best for your client and being honest will reward you every single time without fail. I have worked with extremely high-net-worth individuals all over the world, but that doesn’t mean I only sell them the most expensive pieces of jewelry. There have been many times I have presented a client with three options at different price points and recommended the least expensive when it looked best, even though it was the lowest commission for me. By doing what is best for them, I know they will continue to be a client and I walk away knowing I am doing the job they are trusting me with well. A few one-off huge sales may sound good at the moment, but that is not how you build a successful long-term business. Honesty leads to trust and building trust with my clients in the jewelry industry (and as a fashion stylist in my past life) has been the key factor in their loyalty to me and being referred to others.
2. Be professional at all times – to a point. In order to provide a great service at such an intimate level, your client needs to feel a connection to you and not feel like they are working with a robot. This can be a delicate line to toe and it’s important to always let the client take the lead. I am a professional first and foremost, but many of my clients have become friends over time (that happens when you are being honest and genuine!). As a professional, I do keep business relationships and friendships separate, but as a human, I have found a way to nurture both sides of the dynamic. When people are spending hard-earned money with you, it is imperative they like you and respect your expertise.
3. Have you ever met someone who claims nothing is ever their fault? If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky! Being accountable and taking responsibility are as important in business as they are in life. As the old saying goes, “the buck stops here!”. When (not if!) something goes wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically, take responsibility, and move forward to remedy the situation. Blaming others or making excuses will never benefit you in the end. Shit happens in the world. When something goes wrong on the job – whether your mistake or a staff member’s – be up-front about it and offer a solution. When I tell you things can almost always be made right and your client will respect you for being honest, I am speaking from experience. A team member may or may not have left $4M in diamonds in a hotel safe post-Oscars and remembered it the NEXT day when it was time to return. We were honest, snapped into action, and learned a lot of lessons!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I am definitely the right person to answer this, I have a Gold medal in the art of the pivot, both professionally and personally! I have walked out of my adult home and life as I knew it, never looking back and starting over from scratch, after finding out my partner was disloyal; I have completely reinvented my business after partnering with someone I no longer had respect for; I have listened to my gut and followed the path of business when I saw it changing, knowing it might be uncomfortable because I had everything to learn.
The most monumental (and rewarding) professional pivot for me was switching from the fashion industry to the jewelry industry. I had been working as a personal shopper for high-net-worth clients and was often asked my advice on jewelry, so I made the decision to jump in with both feet – which also meant leaving behind a successful career as a television fashion correspondent. Most people wouldn’t guess how physical a clothing stylist’s job is, whether on-set or working with a private client. Being at a Hollywood studio at 5 am looking cute and on-trend after hauling racks and racks of clothing up two flights of stairs and across a soundstage is a lot less glamorous than shown in movies! I couldn’t quite picture myself bending down to put the 14th pair of Manolos on a teen actress’s feet when I was 60, so it didn’t feel sustainable (and yes, I have watched 75-year-old women cross the finish line at the NY marathon, but I’m currently 45 and there’s not even a 5K fun run in my future, not my jam!). When I saw the opportunity to switch to fine jewelry, I could see it would be a much more enjoyable and longer-term career. My income was no longer dependent on an hourly wage or how many days I spent on set, and my clientele was basically the same. Go for the Gold and P-I-V-O-T!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.keyleestyle.com
- Instagram: @keyleestyle
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keylee.sanders/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keylee-sanders-6909765/
Image Credits
Headshot & sitting on stairs: Photographer Lisa G Artistry Family Photo: Photographer Alyssa Campbell