We recently connected with Paul Julch and have shared our conversation below.
Paul, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
I had spent 6 months researching how I wanted to run my business – I created my own website, I asked a friend to design a logo, I developed my client process, etc. But I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to launch my business, outside of just networking with friends. Then a close friend offered to throw a ‘styling party’. She invited a bunch of mom friends to her house and I did a presentation on how to take your outfits from okay to extraordinary. I met a bunch of people at the party – and within a week, I was receiving calls from a couple of the women at the party. It felt pretty amazing to actually have a client that was asking me to help them enjoy clothes more.
Paul, 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?
My name is Paul Julch and I’m a personal wardrobe stylist. This is my second career – my first career was in retail. I worked in stores and in corporate, mostly within the visual merchandising and marketing functions. And within that career, I learned a lot about how stores work, and how to make them work for you. And I’ve always loved clothes – from hand-sewing clothes for my own dolls growing up, to always giving advice to friends and family on what to wear. So, becoming a stylist felt like a natural evolution – of what I always loved, of my career, etc. And even though this is my second career – I think that all my experience put me in the styling world at the perfect time.
I work one-on-one with clients who want to elevate or evolve their style. My main goal is to demystify the entire notion of ‘style’ – it’s not some unattainable goal that only the rich or famous can have. Everyone has style, because everyone gets dressed – and I help my clients do it with intention. So, even if you’re a stay at home mom, or you work from home part of the week, or you have a very casual lifestyle – you deserve to feel great in clothes. And I’ll help you get there. I provide practical, actionable advice for real-life situations – we’re not just getting you ready for a holiday party or special event. We’re getting you ready for the office, for date night, for casual weekends with the family. So you can get dressed, feel great – and then forget about what you’re wearing and have a great day.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Starting my styling business was a big pivot point in my life. I was laid off from a company that I had a long (14+ year) career with. And it was somewhat unexpected. They asked me to look at other opportunities within the company – but after so many years, I felt it was time to move on (I just wasn’t sure where). I was honestly at loose ends, not sure of my next move. I thought about another corporate job – but we were facing a challenge as a family. My older son was going to college, and my younger (autistic) son needed someone at home with him after school. So, I needed to figure out a job/business/career move that would enable me to make my own hours – or at least be at home by 3pm everyday. So, I eventually figured out that I’d try a styling business. And I essentially built my hours based on my son’s school hours – and then later on his work hours.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I remember when I thought having 300 followers on Instagram was a big following. And at the time, it was a big deal for me. I had never been active on social media, I had never used it for work – I really wasn’t even active on Linked In from a career perspective. Social media was sharing vacation photos and pictures of my dog. When I started, I wasn’t sure that I’d find clients on social media, and it definitely took time to do it. I went through many different strategies, had multiple marketing/Instagram coaches tell me what to do. And nothing was clicking (or clicking the way I wanted it to). And what really made the difference was showing my face on social media. And showing up consistently. And by consistently, I don’t mean posting 5 days a week (I did that, and it was too much for me). I now post in my feed 1-2 times a week, and I’m active on stories 5-6 days a week. But when I started showing my face regularly is when it all took off – using my image in a feed post, as opposed to a fashion/style photo. And talking to the camera in my stories. I realized that people want to connect – and especially since my business is so intimate and so personal, people want to feel like they know who they’re working with.
Another piece of advice (given to me) regarding consistency is to ‘find your minimum’, as I mentioned above. You don’t need to be on social media all the time – but you need to show up regularly to build an audience.
And one more piece of advice – it’s about collaboration, not competition. Support other people in your space and you’ll get supported in return.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://urbsuburbstyle.com/
- Instagram: @urbsuburbstyle
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/urbanite-suburbanite-personal-wardrobe-stylist-san-francisco-bay-area