We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful HaileyAnn Russell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with HaileyAnn below.

HaileyAnn, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Where to begin? My life has been a complex journey and struggle between paving my own way through life’s obstacles and not letting my past get the best of me – yet making it my daily motivation to grow in ways I always imaged. Growing up, I had a far from conventional childhood, my parents were addicts and tried to provide the best life they could while being in and out of the system. We grew up finding a new motel or storage unit weekly to live in. I remember my Dad tried his best to give us a “normal” Christmas in the motel room and handed us marbles to play with. Unfortunately it was only a matter of time that my sister and I we were taken into foster care and separated at a young age. I vividly remember the white government car pulling up in front of the house and my sister and I were instructed to gather our belongings in 5 minutes without being able to talk to my mother. My father at the time was incarcerated and unable to help. I remember throughout all the years of hurt, nothing damaged me more than this moment, never knowing it would have been the last time I ever truly saw my mother. At 10 years old everything I knew regardless of how bad it was – was gone. Being placed in the foster care system exposed me to a life I never wanted to entertain nor continue down the path. Fast forward a few years later, my father finally showed up for my sister and I. He was clean, found God and knew he needed to provide a better life for us, a sustainable one. My father was able to gain custody of us and bought a home with the loving help of his now wife. My mother, never returned and still has not. She is homeless and still using. Throughout all the years of trials and tribulations, the only thing I ever become attached too were animals and learning. i excelled in school, I loved to learn, it was evident that all of my academic achievements were a cry out for attention and desire to be loved. In high school, I was given multiple academic scholarships that helped fund my undergrad degree at Chico State. I was so happy to have obtained my Bachelor’s of Science in Agricultural Business with a minor in food studies within 3.5 years. Due to graduating early, I was then able to use the rest of my scholarships along with the MBA programs academic scholarship to obtained my Master’s in Business administration within 1.5 years. After college, I moved to the Sacramento area where I found my passion for construction and the components that go into building beautiful structures with impeccable detail. Fast forward a few years, I moved back to the greater Bay Area where I found my escape from the fast paced city life through exploring the outdoors, specifically Briones on horseback getting lost in the pure beauty of the green rolling hills, songs created by the birds and luminating presence of the open spaces. These instances influenced my vibrant perception of life through variations of patterns, textures and shapes. The natural tones of untouched stones, fields of wild flowers and grasses while breathing in all the fresh air have given me a keen insight on the flow we can bring into our homes and Feng Shuai that creates a sanctuary. Along with being in the construction industry, I was able to find passion in the architecture and assembly of buildings, which allowed me to delve into my passion of interior design further. Piecing different mediums together in various spaces is where I find most of my enjoyment, for me it is a puzzle of aesthetic appeal. This décor shop brings together my passion and love for interior design and beautiful objects. My perspective through life is that you should always be doing something you love, that will support you, that gets you up everyday & you feel passionately about. I always strive to be an enthusiastic person that will provide motivation and drive to others around me. I have felt the pain of parent that has left, I HAD to create the life I wanted because, for me, there was simply no other way. My achievements are a representation of my journey of growth & healing. I have manifested the life I deserve & this is finally a way I can not only express myself through the different pieces in my shop but a legacy for my future children.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I believe I covered this in my last section.

I provide timeless and elegant home décor to people who love to express themselves through interior design. I love investigating and researching unique pieces that you just don’t see everyday – conversation pieces I like to call them. For me, every room should speak out who you are, what you love and represent. My shop is different from others because it comes from a place of passion and hope, not only for myself, but for those that have been in similar situation. My goal is to spread the notion that you can achieve great things, no matter the struggle or constraints in your life. You have all of the resources and tools at your fingertips, literally, Choose how you spend your time wisely, because everything in life will be hard. So pick your hard. One of my favorite quotes I always reference to people who doubt themselves is ” nothing in life worth having comes easy and nothing in life that’s easy is worth having”. The objective of my brand is not only to purchase my lovely decor but to be apart of supporting the dreams of people not big conglomerates. It creates a community of togetherness and hope, which we all need.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Before I found The HaileyAnn Collection, I had a few other business ventures I wanted to pursue, refurbishing vintage furniture and another I called Burro Brew Company where mini donkeys were outfitted with pack saddles and walked around weddings with coolers to pass out refreshments and take photos with. While at the time these were both great ideas, they were heavily time consuming and COVID-19 also had a major influence on how I could achieve any business. I put in alot of energy to both ideas, I would run and grab free furniture weekly and try to sand and flip.. This method was just too hands on and it wore me out, it wasn’t long term for me. As for my Burro Brew Co. business, COVID impacted the number of weddings and events that were able to be held and after two years, the costs exceeded what was feasible for me resulting in selling my precious donkeys. It seemed like all of my ideas just weren’t meant to me, I daydreamed about these goals of mine and when I wasn’t able to conquer them like I did in school it really crushed me but with a small change in my mindset I used those instances as learning opportunities and drive to find something that I was more passionate about and what will help me in the long term. With internet use increasing, ecommerce being more and more relevant, it was only smart to follow the road I was being guided on. That is when I founded and created my eCommerce home decor shop. Never give up, each failure is a lesson learned and opportunity to grow.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

Right now I sell on Shopify, however, I created my own domain name which is TheHaileyAnnCollection.com. I chose Shopify because it was an all inclusive platform that provided the necessary tools to succeed, it has; automated emails, banking balance cards, ways to import products, customize your website, ability to integrate multiple apps in a useful way and has the absolutely best customer support. For any business, that’s what retains customers, right? The pro’s list goes on and on, from deciding what products you want to sell or even make, its simply universal and gives you access to the ecommerce market. As for Cons, it can and was very complex to jump into as a newbie. I was a bit overwhelmed with what could be done on this platform and truly needed to dive deeper into how to use the system, but I’m a much more hands on and learn through trial and error.

Contact Info:

• Website: Thehaileyanncollection.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehaileyanncollection/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090996515202
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hailey-russell-31913a121
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thehaileyanncollection/