We were lucky to catch up with Suzy Paiz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Suzy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I get this question often and it always makes me think about how I want to answer. Pink Shell officially launched as an “Instagram Boutique” in 2019. However, I had already had experience with “pop up events” from back in 2011 before pop-ups were even called pop-ups. Back in 2011, during my first semesters in college, I needed a way to earn and save money faster to be able to purchase my own car. That’s when the idea to sell accessories was born. Thanks to the many college events, and to the opportunities to set up as a vendor, that idea became a reality and even a necessity for me. I loved it. I enjoyed searching for the right products, going to these events and meeting other college students.
After purchasing my car though, I stopped doing the events and it slowly started fading away into something that I felt like I no longer needed to do.
Fast forward to 2019, and the “small businesses” wave got me thinking and dreaming about starting up my accessory boutique. In summer of 2019, I opened my business Instagram account and in posted my first few items for sale and in less than an hour I was sold out!
It was the best feeling in the world, and almost like a confirmation that this was the right time to start on this new journey. Instead of seeing it as something I needed to do, it became something I enjoyed doing and looked forward to. I am thankful for the opportunities this business has opened for me. I have met some amazing, talented and kind women that inspire me everyday.
I always tell costumers at events, it is so crazy the difference it makes when you feel good about yourself. So, if any of my accessories can make a woman feel good about herself, make her feel more confident, and make her brighten up someone’s day, then my mission has been accomplished. And if I can inspire at least one single person, to try something new, then I would feel like I have conquered the world.

Suzy, 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 am the oldest of three daughters, so you can already imagine what our childhood was like. We didn’t have to worry about annoying brothers destroying our Barbie’s or sneaking crawling critters into our beds (I have heard storied from friends). So naturally, I loved dressing up. My mom always tried to buy my sister’s and I dresses with matching socks and a matching hat, bow or headband! Just picture a dark haired 6 year old, wearing a white dress covered in orange daisy’s, wearing a hat with the same pattern. White socks with tulle ruffles at the top, and white dress shoes. That was me. She always taught us to look presentable, and to wear clothes that made us feel confident. That is were my passion for accessories starts. It’s not so much about being trendy or growing your collection, but how the way we dress ourselves can impact our daily mood. I offer affordable accessories so women can step out of their comfort zone, empower their daily outfits, and try new things. For example, something as simple as wearing your hair down for the first time in public can be life changing for a stay at home mom that has spent months chasing after her children with little to no time to herself.
Those are the moments I hope to bring to everyone that comes across Pink Shell.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Strangers on the internet can be more supportive than friends and family. Ouch. This was a tough pill for me to swallow. Don’t get me wrong, most of my friends and family do support me chasing this dream of being a small business owner, but the amount of strangers that have given me words of encouragement is mind blowing. I read a blog somewhere and I liked the way the explained why this happens. When a stranger meets you, they are seeing you at your NOW, and most of the time they only see what you allow them to see (most of the time through social media). We all know that social media only represents a small percentage of our real lives. Now compare this to our friends and family, that have seen us at our lows and have watched us get back up. It can be hard to see someone being so successful when you know you both started at the same staring line with the same amount of tools and resources. Now, instead of focusing on who isn’t supporting me, sharing my posts on social media, or even buying from me, I focus on those that are and I make sure to express my gratitude as much as possible. If you are reading this and have felt this, just remember there is a world full of strangers rooting for you! Including me, because I believe community is more important than competition.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I still don’t have thousands of followers, but I am proud of the little community I do have. If I could summarize what I’ve learned into 4 simple tips, it would be the following: -Be yourself. People are attracted to REAL people. Share your struggles and your victories. Create a relationship with each of your followers, and that will help them transition from a follower into a costumer.
-Stay consistent. I know it can be hard to stay up to date with all the latest trends and algorithm changes, but as long as you stay consistent, your followers will have a reason to keep coming back to you. Which this leads me to my next tip…
-Provide consumable content. Don’t just post, because you have to post. When it comes to standing out in a saturated social media feed, quality beats quantity every time. Put yourself in your followers shoes and think “Do I really want to look at another product photo? Or would I rather see a photo of the product in use?” See the difference?
-Invest in good quality photos. I don’t just mean investing money – even though professional branding photos are super helpful – but investing time as well. Think about what message you want to send through your brand. How can you incorporate you brand colors into your feed? What questions can you answer through a post. Make a plan, make a list, and put a reason behind your content.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shoppinkshell.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shoppinkshell
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shoppinkshell
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/pinkshellbabe

Image Credits
Gaby Pineda Photography https://www.gabypinedaphotography.com/