We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Constance Nicole. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Constance below.

Constance, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I got the vision for My Girlfriendz Place at a time in my life when I was struggling. I was overwhelmed and grieving the loss of my mother and my grandmother. I was exhausted from trying to be a caretaker for my mother’s only sister and also unemployed, but frantically scrambling to keep my mother’s house and to keep my household going. As the sole provider for my family, I was drowning and I thought to myself if only I could talk to my best friend.

She would know exactly what to say or do to keep me going. She is the one friend who knew everything about me, She knew my dreams as well as my failures. She is that friend who says hold on, I will be right there and will show up with chocolate or wine, tissue, hugs, and prayers. She is the friend who would laugh with you, cry with you, pray with you, and fight (for you and with you) if needed.

I wondered if I could create that kind of space for other women- a space where women can come and be refreshed and renewed by the listening ear or the hug of a good girlfriend, one who only always wants the best for you. My Girlfriendz Place was born in my heart and has now literally become a boutique, cafe, meeting and event space where women support women, and you’ll always find a friend!

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.

My Girlfriendz Place is different from other places you might rent for events for several reasons. First, it’s super affordable and I especially love to work with non-profits and other service-oriented entrepreneurs. Secondly, the space is intentionally set up to be warm and inviting. I was trying to make it feel like you are visiting your best girlfriend and you can be free in a non-judgmental space to be exactly who you are.

You should feel like we did when we were girls and we sat around talking about boys, playing dress up, and sharing our dreams for the future–maybe listening to music and polishing our nails. Finally, I am right there with you during your event, helping set up, serving food, picking up plates, and offering whatever I have to make your event special.

I like to say that I have been adopted into many families over the three years My Girlfriendz Place has been hosting meetings, parties, and baby showers or memorial services. I treat everyone who holds an event like my best friend that I mentioned earlier. When you visit My Girlfriendz Place, you are My Girlfriend!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I use social media to share information and to encourage, support, and promote other women, especially women entrepreneurs. I post encouragement and short motivational videos to inspire women to support one another by sharing information about events other women are hosting. My aim has also been to let people see who I am as a woman, a mother, a friend, and a believer. Because My Girlfriendz Place is based on scriptures, primarily 1st Thessalonians 5:11, I am always trying to share encouragement and hope, while inviting women to do the same within their circles.

If you love people, people should feel that love whether you are meeting face to face, or virtually.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I had the vision for My Girlfriendz Place about 5 – 6 years before it actually was a place. I would go around selling jewelry and journals and anything that I could to support my family, and I would always recite my little speech about one day having a place where women support women. I must have called so many realtors and followed up on so many deadends (people with empty promises :-()), but I never gave up. In the interim, I planned to create a website that would be a virtual place, with a family room to talk about family stuff, a living room to talk about issues that women face, a cafe to share recipes and healthy eating tips, a boutique to sell my jewelry, etc, etc.

I also wanted a Girlz talk column where women could ask for advice and get answers. I actually created this myself using WIX but I am no techie. As a result, the website has been through many iterations and it is just finally at a place where it seems to be gaining traction. Despite all the website stops and starts, I finally connected with the dynamic owner of Visions Clearly Seen. Danielle and her team are professional, knowledgeable, and patient–I’m a baby boomer and sometimes it takes me a minute to understand all these apps, lol, but since I have engaged Danielle and her team, I have been getting a lot of engagement and traction on my website. I have had visitors from all over the country and all over the world, Paris France, Germany, Tokyo! I couldn’t believe it. Now comes the work of creating more content and fostering some genuine meaningful interactions, which I believe will achieve what I envisioned as far as encouraging other women.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mygirlfriendzplace.com
• Instagram: @mygirlzplace
• Facebook: My Girlfriendz Place

Image Credits
These are pictures that I took at different events. Picture in yellow dress by Linda Carol.