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

Kelly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

While my business, Rollick, used to be a traditional online boutique, I recently transitioned to offering casual, affordable capsule collections for the busy millennial mom.

During the pandemic, our clothing needs drastically changed. Many of us went from being in an office five days a week and going out often, to spending all our time in our homes or in very small groups. During this time I also became a first-time mom, which also has a huge impact on the items I like to wear (hello comfy, versatile, and easy!) and gave me a new perspective on how I dress.

Once things started opening back up again “post” pandemic, I started noticing tons of content online from millennial women and moms asking the question “What are we supposed to be wearing??” Our age group is no longer driving the trends, and many of the places we used to shop are no longer working for our needs (I’m looking at you, Target). This led me to a major “aha!” moment, where I realized that not only should I be offering the types of clothes these women want to wear, but to offer them in a way that makes getting dressed as easy as possible. Many of us are completely swamped with work, family, and life responsibilities, and many women simply don’t have the mental capacity to try to put together outfits that they feel good in.

In researching capsule wardrobes, I realized no one was really offering this type of collection for this specific demographic. Most capsule companies are either very expensive, built more for business-wear, or are simply not right for the millennial mom. And while there are plenty of capsule wardrobe “guides” out there, they require shopping at endless stores, where often, items are no longer available. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

By offering highly-curated capsule collections, my customers can now buy an assortment of items that are completely interchangeable, so they always know they have something to wear and don’t have to think too hard to put together an outfit that makes them feel great.

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?

I went to college for Apparel Merchandising and always thought I wanted to work for the corporate side of a big fashion retailer. After working for a couple of different companies after graduation, I ended up with a terrible boss and desperately needed out. This led me to interviewing for a ton of different companies, where I faced rejection after rejection, and couldn’t help but feel this sense of pretension and mean-girl attitude within the industry. It made me question everything and wonder if I really wanted to be a part of this – but instead of changing my entire career path, I decided I would do it my own way.

I started my online boutique, Rollick, with the intention of building a friendly, approachable, and inclusive shopping experience that didn’t try to sell things by telling women they weren’t enough. I wanted the clothes to be casual and affordable, and for my customers to always know I’d have their back (so to speak).

After the pandemic and after becoming a mom, my business’ focus has slightly shifted to curating capsule collections to simplify women’s style, but my intention and core values remain the same!

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think the biggest word in business during 2020 was “pivot”. The onset of the pandemic changed just about everything for everyone, and required rethinking what would work in business.

For Rollick, I had been offering clothing that would take women through different life events, from work, to dinners, to friend gatherings, etc. All of these things immediately stopped in March 2020, so I had to get creative with my assortment. I began shifting to more lounge-wear and masks, as that’s what people wanted to wear at this time. These things were wildly successful and I ended up having my best year yet in 2020.

I could no longer safely do professional photo shoots, so I began modeling and shooting the photos myself in my apartment (something that was actually extremely popular and that I’ve continued through today).

Sometimes, going through something completely awful can lead to breakthroughs that can help you see clearer and take steps to try something new.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

This has shifted over the years. Word of mouth was critical when I first started (never burn those bridges!) and eventually I started seeing pretty good traction on Instagram. This last year, TikTok has far and away been my best driver for new customer acquisition. The ability to *potentially* reach hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people for free is unlike any other platform, and has truly leveled up my business this year.

As soon as I started having genuine conversations on TikTok and relating to my customers’ struggles with shopping and dressing, I began to see massive growth and began converting followers into customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: shoprollick.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/shoprollick
• Facebook: facebook.com/shoprollick
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rollick/
• Other: tiktok.com/@shoprollick