We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angelique Walker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Angelique, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I think the tools to become successful is being organized and realistic. For myself I am a wife and mother first, so with those responsibilities I try my best to handle everything I can with my family. My business is a priority as well but having exceptional time management helps me.
Angelique, 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?
Hi my name is Angelique, but everyone calls me Jolie. I curate luxury denim pieces. I elevate your regular Levi’s jeans. My custom pieces have been seen on celebrities, Cardi B, Lala Anthony, Keyshia Kior, Taraji P. Henson and a host of others.
I started my business almost 8 years ago. I worked in a department store name Dillards. At the time there was a huge all white patty going on in the city (Memphis, TN). I worked in the lady shoe department. I witness a lot of women buying the same exact outfits. I went home and literally made my dress and took a pair of Jessica Simpson heels and embellished them.
I wore that same outfit to that All White Party and literally felt like Cinderella. I had women asking me to make them clothes and that was the beginning of 1 of 1’s by Jolie.
I feel that my business sets me apart from everyone else is that I don’t follow trends. I also do something completely different than what’s current, but with a successful business comes a lot of failures. While running a business I have failed several times some privately some publicly. I also pride myself on being resilient and making sure I take accountability for my mistakes.
I had to learn that I can’t do it by myself. I need to have a team. I need to be organize and to always remember this is a blessing. I had to really become disciplined on my time and make sure I was using it productively.
However with failures comes huge success. I just did my first New York Fashion Week 2022. I am so proud of myself. This experience was unbelievable. I showcased 6 new Spring 2023 looks and sold every piece right after the show. I am still speechless. That moment was overwhelming with love.
For all my new potential client please check out my website, ShopJolie.net . I would love to put you in a pair of Jolie’s.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In 2019 I was pregnant with my daughter and still running my business full time. I also had a 2 year old son and life was getting the best of me. I didn’t know what to do or how to do things. My body was always tired and I just had so many orders I was drowning. I also never told my husband about my business problems because I was ashamed.
I had to take a lot of public humiliation to get my business together. I had to focus on my improving my customer service skills. Once I improved that and took accountability, my business thrived.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The initial capital for funding my business came from my personal pay checks. I would work 40 hours and put every single cent into getting fabric, buying a sewing machine, spending money on shipment. My husband also helped a lot with funding. My husband truly believed in my goals. He would take care of the home bills and will help me with the business.
Contact Info:
- Website: Shopjolie.net
- Instagram: @shop1of1sbyjolie
- Facebook: Facebook.com/1of1sbyJolie.com
- Twitter: Shopjolie2
Image Credits
Photographer: Jenil Askew