We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kayla Chamberlain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kayla , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

A huge risk I have taken is starting Loua+Lumi which is an online women’s clothing boutique. It’s been a life changing risk with so many unknowns both rewarding and challenging. My main profession is a Mental Health therapist and launching this boutique was a passion project of mine. I wanted to create something outside of my profession as a therapist that brought me a sense of joy while still serving others, financial freedom, and community. I call it a baby boutique right now as it recently launched the end of November 2022. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts as I continue to grow as an entrepreneur. I’ve chosen to step into a field that I don’t have years of experience in and am figuring it out along the way. I think a part of taking this risk was to model to others that you can do anything you desire at any stage of your life. That you don’t have to wait for the perfect moment and don’t have to have it all figured out. Just get started and stop waiting. Life is too short and precious to not take risks. As much as I love being a therapist it can be very mentally draining. I felt I was at a place in my career where I needed something to fill my own cup up. I took a risk to create something that I could be selfish about. Where I could be my own boss, make my own schedule, start to create financial freedom and use my creative skills for fun. I’ve always loved clothes but was never in a financial place to just buy whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I could never justify spending hundreds of dollars on a pair of jeans or shoes. It just never made sense to me so with Loua+Lumi I told myself it would be quality pieces that you could mix and match all day long, and weren’t going to break the bank.

I am so glad I took this risk and am excited to see where this business takes me. I have high hopes for Loua+Lumi to become a brand that people love for decades to come.

Kayla , 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?

Hi Everyone,

My name is Kayla and I grew up in Southern California. I moved out to Arizona for college and graduated from ASU with a BA in Sociology. I work as a Mental Health therapist. I enjoy helping others and have always had an empathetic and serving spirit. In November 2022 I launched an online women’s clothing boutique called Loua+Lumi. I wanted to marry my two passions and that is what I have built my brand around. I’m here to showcase affordable, trendy, comfortable pieces of clothing that can be mixed and matched with things you already own in your closet. It’s all about getting creative and being authentically you. I’m most proud of the fact that I’m doing something outside of my comfort zone with an industry I have little experience in. I hope to inspire others to believe that they can do hard things, take risks, and create their own happiness. You get to be scared of the unknown but you step into it anyways.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell on Instagram and also have a website through shopify. Shopify is a one stop shop and saved me sooo much time and money. It literally has everything you need and tutorials and experts that can help you as well. I absolutely love it!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Social media platforms have been a great source of acquiring new customers to my website. I would also say attending networking events, being a vendor at pop-ups and word of mouth have all been helpful too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.loualumi.com
• Instagram: @loua.lumi
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/loua.lumi.shop