We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Courtney Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
What do I think it takes to be successful ? Man, that’s a loaded question. There are many things that go into someone being successful but if we are simplifying it, I’d say, be sure that whatever you do it’s for a purpose. Have a clear “why” and a plan that you can follow. Get mentors who have fruit on the tree and are where you want to be in life. A lot of times we take advice from people who have never been where they are trying to advice us to go. Ask yourself “do they have the results that I want?”. Success is also subjective. The way you see success is really based on your vision of what success is. For me, success is being financially free, living my life through my values and getting my time back! Now that’s success. Most folks are work for money and have to give up all their time and that’s not in the success equation for me.
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 was born and raised in Kansas City. MO and went to Ruskin high school. Shout out my 2008 class! I was always interested in fashion and style but growing up I was never really in the position to wear the clothes I wanted to. The biggest thing I remember about fashion in my early years was as a young girl. I would ask for Barbie’s with clothes, shoes and of course, accessories. I would dress the dolls up, style their hair and was satisfied. That’s what I called playing with Barbie’s. I started to hand sew clothes for my dolls and made some awesome outfits. My grandmother gave me a sewing machine and I was able to make them on the machine after that. I would still hand sew as well. Eventually I stopped playing with dolls of course but I never lost my interest in fashion. I would find myself in high school admiring other girls clothes who’s style was unique with a personal flare. This never changed and I still do that to this day as an adult. I finally got into fashion when I started my online business called Courtney Chic. Courtney Chic is a versatile and unique retail and online store that brings Chic style with affordable prices to every household. We solve a problem that most might not think is an issue. Most boutiques have the same type of clothing. Same styles and all. Our customers have stated how our products are different and stand out from others. You won’t find your normal club clothes on our selves or online as our target goal is to attract those who have high end style but need them at an affordable price and that’s exactly what we provide. High quality and versatile styles and because of that, it definitely sets us apart.
I’m most proud of the vision for Courtney chic. The goal is to also give other small businesses who may not be able to afford their own space, a safe and secure place for them to sell their items out of. We have one business in our store now. Being able to help others and be a blessing to them is always going to be in our plans. Even as we grow, we plan on helping more and more small businesses that fit into what we provide our customers.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think what has help me build the reputation we have is providing great customer service. I want every customer to have an experience when they shop with me and it feel personal for them. customer service is huge because we all know that reviews are a big part of how consumers shop and choose to spend their money. Most folks base their decision on what others have to say about a business so focusing in on customer service and providing quality products and or services to your clients should always be number one in your business. When your customer service and products are good, it will keep customers coming back.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
One strategy I’ve been focused on recently is getting folks in our clothes that clientele recognize and trust. From social media influencers to cast from Netflix’s “Love is Blind” season 2. This helps people trust the quality and realness of the business. Because most of our marketing is and will be done on social media, you have to be sure to secure a trusted reputation online and partnering with those who already have trust from customers definitely helps build their trust in you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.getcourtneychic.con
- Instagram: Courtney Chic
- Facebook: Courtney Chic
- Other: TikTok: Courtney Chic