We recently connected with Jacklene Creekmore and have shared our conversation below.

Jacklene, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I wish that I had started my business sooner, but I also think you have to wait until the timing is right. I spent years working in a corporate advertising job that I was very unhappy in, but it gave me a great experience that I would later utilize to build my company. After the birth of my first son, my husband convinced me to take some time off work and think about doing something that brought me more joy. It took me over a year to finally take the leap into starting my own business with a friend. I knew that I always wanted to work in a more creative field and also have a job that gave me the flexibility to be a present Mom. Part of me wishes I had started earlier when Instagram and social media wasn’t so demanding and competitive, however that break from work allowed me to realize how much I really wanted to work in fashion and run my own company. It also gave me time to educate myself and build up courage to put myself out there. As a business owner you definitely need a lot of courage!

Jacklene, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growing up I always wanted to work in the fashion industry, but felt like I needed to go the more practical route of working in the corporate world. I ended up spending years working for different corporate advertising agencies before finally taking a pause after the birth of my first son. I spent a year daydreaming of how to make a career working in fashion before making a leap to start this business five years ago. When I first started thinking about my business, I knew I wanted to do something creative, it had to be low cost, and something that still allowed me to be a present Mom. Initially I launched the company selling statement earrings, as they were easy to ship out of the house and didn’t require a large initial investment. We had some great early success with the earrings, but I always knew that I wanted to do something more. After launching the earrings, we launched our table linen collection. It allowed me to be creative in a new way and introduced me to the world of fabrics. Launching a clothing collection was always my end goal, but it took some time to find the right manufacturer, a designer to help sketch my designs, and investment to expand the company. This past fall we launched our first clothing collection and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how everything turned out. This year I hope to continue to expand our clothing collection and would love to expand our accessory and tableware offerings.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Launching my first clothing collection has been one of the hardest things I have done. I made many mistakes along the way and getting the first collection out the door seemed impossible at times. When you are manufacturing products, there can be many unpredictable delays that are out of your control. I initially had planned to launch my clothing collection in September of last year and the inventory didn’t arrive to me until mid November. I had to change my entire marketing plan and quickly put together last minute photoshoots. Luckily I have amazing customers that patiently waited for the clothes to come in and an amazing photographer that can do a quick photoshoot on short notice. This delay forced me to push myself to figure out new ways to style the clothes and come up with new ways to market the clothing to customers late in the selling season. I also have had to think creatively about how to create new sales verticals in order to move the inventory outside of the website. It has made me a stronger business owner and more prepared to handle what may come next.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have built my following on Instagram through staying consistent with posting and partnering with other brands through collaborations or giveaways. It has taken time and sometimes it doesn’t seem like it is growing much at all but I think having the courage to show up on social media every day and providing valuable content keeps your followers coming back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://modafleur.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopmodafleur/

Image Credits
Jessica Amerson – photographer