Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Vaccaro. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Erin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

This is always been a tricky question for me. I thought when people found out I had a small business they would just jump at the chance to be like “ Hey I have some clothes I don’t wear anymore so do you want them?!”. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for me. And that’s okay. Do I wish it was different, yes. Are there things I could do differently? Of course ! I tend to keep my business pretty separate from my personal life. I see where the support I am looking for is a me thing in a way. I let my view from interactions with one family member who I had high expectations for influence how I engage with everyone else. I am definitely trying to give others the chance to be there for me now. When I started to let my guard down. Some have been.

Erin, 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 have been thrifting since I have been in high school. My son is going into high school, so it’s been a long time. I have always loved finding good deals and unique items. As I got older I realized I could also supplement my income when I was in college my selling the items I thrifted online. I was starting my masters in psychology and just had my son and money was very tight. Something that was just a hobby some 14 years ago, I never thought I would still love to do. Some areas have different items in the thrift stores that someone across the country or even the world is looking for. It helped me be able to step back when my full time job which had a crisis on call component was causing me to miss so much as my son’s life. Being able to give a new life to something from the thrift store to someone else, teaching my son it’s okay to re use something, and helping even if just a little bit for the planet makes it a good day . Yes it’s a business. But the stories of how some thing I have found that other have looked for in other states is amazing.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media was an accident for me. I was on medical leave from a surgery and had a lot of free time. I started to post more and pay more attention to my reselling. And it started to grow. I still get stuck in my head at times “should I post this ?” And most of the time the answer is yes. Being yourself is what people want to see. Who you are. What is your voice. They can tell if you’re trying to be someone else!

Have you ever had to pivot?

I talked about this a little already. At one point my full time job was so overwhelming. I was on call all the time and worked unconventional hours. I loved being a therapist with a crisis component, but I was burnt out. My business took a big hit a times and so did my time with my son. After almost 9 years in that position, I had a surgery that had me on medical leave for 3 months. This gave me to really pivot in everything. I focused a lot on reselling while I was off, and social media. My immediate family was a huge support during this time. I then called my director and switched to a different position that I didn’t have to be on call. I took a huge pay cut. This was the motivation I needed to really invest in my business, my son, and myself- not just my clients.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @erinbellashopping