We recently connected with Carly Hlinko and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carly, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

Since bringing Lilla Cavallo from a thought to full fruition, it is overwhelmingly clear that I am living my truth and I am doing exactly what I always *knew* I’d be doing. I wanted to be a business woman my entire life- the draw to the woman in charge, specifically the well dressed woman in charge, peaked my interest when I was younger. I used to practically study women when I’d see them coming down the street, how they held their handbags- Were they wearing a watch? How was their hair done? Did they have colorful nail polish or a pretty light natural shade. I took everything I love about women and created a brand that would cherish these feminine, angelic details. As a firm believer that the right outfit will get you in the door and change your life- I want women to come to Lilla Cavallo or shop online with us and know that I believe in them and no matter what the Lilla Cavallo team is there for them, were here to get you ready to take on the world. I want my legacy as a woman in the fashion industry to be that I believe in women, all of us. I want people to remember me and my Lilla Cavallo stores for being a place where you can pick what you want to wear, not what society tells you to wear. We aren’t trendy, we are classic colorful elegance for fanciful, elegant women.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started a minuscule fashion blog when I was 19. I did all the normal things, showed my outfits, styling videos, worked with brands. What clicked with me was, I was making most of my sales when I was really promoting things that I loved. As Lilla Cavallo began to develop into my own company and I stepped away from brand deals, it was clear that I was selling to women across the world that had the same style as me. Classy colorful. Elegant timeless. Lilla Cavallo started really gaining momentum as I stocked the shelves with things that I wanted to wear. I used to think something for everybody was SO important but- now I carry something for everybody that likes Lilla Cavallo. I had to hone my craft. When I first started Lilla Cavallo online, I was my only employee, and I was available every second. When you hit the chat box on the website, I was responding. I packed and shipped every single one of our first 500+ orders before I even considered hiring help. I managed the website, I created the content, I did everything. As we were evolving again, I started considering opening a brick & mortar store which was never what I had envisioned, but we are opening our doors this summer. Since hiring employees I still am 100% hands on and have a difficult time “stepping away.” I wish I could be everywhere all of the time. I want to be in the boutique. I want to be at the warehouse. I want to help. I want to oversee every meeting and be in every email thread. I don’t think that will ever change. When you believe so deeply in what you have created, you can never get away- and thats fine. I never want to be the boss that doesn’t want to pack a box. I was raised to get up and do what needs to be done every single day to make it happen. I am so passionate about Lilla Cavallo. Even when I had only 600 items on the website, I built it to be perceived as a humongous company. I didn’t want to look like a small business, I wanted Lilla to turn into a monster, and I woke up everyday and pushed and gave every second of my life to Lilla Cavallo so she could grow and bloom. If you are buying clothes from Lilla Cavallo I want you to feel proud. Thats what it’s all about, I created Lilla Cavallo so women could be proud of themselves when they stepped out the door. I believe in women & I am proud of us.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As somebody who was not coming from an e-commerce background, when I started piecing Lilla Cavallo .com together and building my voice across social platforms… I was giving other business professionals probably more credit than they deserved. What it really came down to was, I was running short on time and I started hiring other companies to help me pick up loose ends which, would in turn lead to creating MORE loose ends for me. My biggest regret as a business owner is not believing in myself at the beginning. I thought that if I just threw money at marketing companies (& BOY did I THROW money) it would lead to substantial growths they were promoting in their on-boarding meetings. I thought if I brought on top brand development agencies, they could do me no wrong. I didn’t give myself enough credit and it burned me and my wallet. If I have learned anything since this journey started three years ago, it’s that I can do anything. It might take me longer as I’ll be teaching myself as I go, but there is nothing I can not do. I have learned that you will go to people with all of your best brightest plans and tell them exactly what you want them to deliver to you and they will charge you top dollar and deliver everything you did not ask for. Advocate for exactly what you want when you are doing anything in life. Do not sugar coat your wishes and if you are asking people for what you need and they are delivering a different result or saying “well how about this instead?” Cut them instantly. Find somebody who will do exactly what you need and do not stop until you’ve got it. When I was looking to find a place to put my first brick & mortar I called the number on the side of the building that I ultimately achieved and said “DONT show this building to anybody else, I want it.” Ask for everything you want in life. Don’t waste anytime.

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

The hardest part about growing clientele on an e-commerce website is simply getting shoppers to click that little “check out” button. All day long I watch people across the globe add to cart, add to cart, add to cart. It’s a waiting game getting people to check out. Once we get shoppers to check out, then I have the power back. I know that Lilla Cavallo sells quality items so, I just have to get them into the shoppers hands and they are hooked. Our returning customer base makes up 97% of our clientele. Everybody is a fan once they check out and our pretty little packages show up on our porch. Thats what Im hoping to change about our shoppers when our flagship boutique opens. The checkout speed. It’s going to happen quick because once you come in the door, your eyes will lock on what you want and you’ll have to have it- hopefully instantly.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lillacavallo.com
• Instagram: @lillacavallo
• Facebook: @lillacavallo
• Linkedin: Carly Hlinko
• Twitter: @lillacavallo
• Youtube: @lillacavallo
• Lemon8: @lillacavallo
• TikTok: @lillacavallo