We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Laine recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I came up with my business because I knew I wanted to work for myself, also being apart of fashion is something I knew I enjoyed whether I was paid or not.

I went to college with a major in fashion at the same time I worked retail to support myself. I was in a space trying to figure out what route I wanted to take in the fashion industry and one day there was a Designer that came in my job to drop off their products. At that time something just clicked in me and I knew I wanted to have my own business to sell products.

I felt it was my calling because I was passionate about accessories, I always felt your handbag and shoes told a story when putting together an outfit. I wanted women to have a choice of handbags that were exclusive in design and also functional.

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?

Once I graduated college and had an upstanding of what I wanted to do within the fashion world I began to intern for 2 fashion companies until I landed my first fashion job. After working in the fashion industry for years I began to develop my own brand of accessories. I would go to boutiques and either sell or put my bags on consignment. Once they started to sell I knew I had products to people wanted.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A lesson I learned is the importance of patience. The first time I started my business I failed. I didn’t have a full understanding of the business side or what it requires to stay afloat. I had to go back to working for other companies to figure out how to break through to scale my business. It was frustrating to walk away but I made sure to never lose sight of working for myself.
Through working for others I learned so may lessons on how important it is to have multiple streams of revenue within your business, whether its selling through retail, wholesale, on your website or attending trade events. It is so important to never rely on one source.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source I’ve had to acquire new customers has been attending pop up events. I think having that one on one connection with people in person has opened my business up to a lot of people that didn’t know I existed. They are able to see my product in person to get an understanding of the design and quality I bring to women’s accessories.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elizabethlaine.com
• Instagram: @elizabethlainela