Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Connie Tao. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Connie, thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I am sure most business owners have had the thought (usually when you’re up late taking care of some work task) if being a business owner was really the right path. I confess that throughout the years, I’ve definitely spent some time pondering this. Would everything just be easier if I had a regular job?
Three years ago, when we were all suddenly thrust into the unknown landscape of the pandemic, I faced my most challenging time as a business owner. As a nonessential business with a brick and mortar shop, I had to close my doors to incoming customers. The pandemic caused many couples to cancel their weddings which was most of our customer base. There was a real fear whether or not we could survive long enough to see things reopen. It seems like that time was a million years ago, but I do remember still coming into work everyday to keep things routine. I took care of small tasks around the shop and tried to brainstorm ways to pivot our business. We were able to take in some drop off alterations, but without being able to do fittings with customers, it was not an easy task. More than ever, I wished for a regular job where I could be protected by a company or even the ability to work remotely at home. I have a hard time even remembering how I got through those days. We were luckily able to get some grants and loans to keep us going and miraculously weddings slowly started to happen again and then really increase in numbers. We are so grateful to be in an area where there is so much support from the city, customers, and friends / family.
There will always be times when I question my path as a business owner and always be days where I wish for a regular job so I can leave the headache of running a business behind. But sometimes you look around, see the things that you worked so hard for and it all seems to be worthwhile.
Connie, 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 own a small bridal boutique where we custom make wedding dresses and evening gowns. We also do tailor and do alterations on wedding gowns, evening gowns, and day wear. My little shop just had its 9 year anniversary this past April and I could not be more grateful for everyone that has helped me along the way. I was lucky enough to grow up with a grandmother, aunt and mother that worked in the dressmaking business and inspired me at a young age to pursue an artistic field. Years at a large contemporary women’s clothing company taught me what I wanted my own shop to look like. At my little boutique, we try to provide our customers (mostly brides) a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere to have their dream wedding dresses created or tailored. We strive to help brides feel like their best self on their best day, whether we custom make their dress here or help them tailor the gown the bring in.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
This bridal boutique definitely started as a side business. I was in my first year out of college, working in design at a large women’s contemporary clothing company when one of my oldest friends got engaged. She immediately called me up and told me I was going to design her wedding dress. We worked on her dress together, from sketches to fabric choices to actually creating this dress. That sparked an idea that eventually grew into a business where I was able to open a brick and mortar boutique and start creating wedding dresses for other brides. I will always be grateful to her for opening my eyes to this business.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
With every customer, we try to start a rapport so we can better help their custom dress or tailoring needs. This really helps us get to know them and what best works for their body type. This has really helped us get wonderful reviews and word of mouth business. Our best source for new customers has always been and hopefully will always be referrals from the wonderful people we’ve worked with.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.connietaodesigns.com
- Instagram: @connietaodesigns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connietaodesigns/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connie-tao-designs/
- Twitter: @ConnieTaoDesign
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLu9_nuwzNcf0-TOM0bmtw?view_as=subscriber
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/connie-tao-designs-pasadena
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/connietaodesign/