We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Washington-Scott. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.

Kristen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

I would do so many things differently! Starting with school and accumulating student loans. Although I learned a lot during college that I can apply to what I do now, I’ve learned that being a business owner doesn’t require a degree. At all. I would’ve instead taken time to learn more about investors and business credit. I would’ve found ways to get my business funded outside of my personal pocket, which can be extremely expensive and not as profitable. I know those things alone would’ve got me to this point even faster, and I’d probably be even further along.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I got into my industry of styling back in college. I competed in my school’s major fashion show as a stylist with no prior experience and I won 2 years in a row. After that I became the Head Stylist of a model organization on my campus before stepping down when I was about to graduate. That lead me to starting my style blog, capturing photos of my looks and recent shopping deals. Long story short, that lead to me networking around the city and beginning to offer my styling services. My services include personal shopping, photoshoot styling and creative direction, closet organization, weekly wardrobe planning and more. I think one thing that sets me apart from other stylists is my faith. It shows up in my work, and how I interact with and treat my clients. I think it’s the thing that keeps them willing to work with me. I also am a bargain shopper and I believe that personal style can be just as attainable as it is affordable. That’s the main thing I’d like for my potential clients and followers to know, is that looking their best doesn’t have to cost a lot. I think I’ve become pretty good at making some of my best deals look expensive, when I’m the person that starts shopping the sale section first. Therefore, I feel I can relate to a client that may want the same. My pricing is very affordable, yet my work is efficient. In addition to my styling, I launched my women’s clothing boutique in 2020. I’m most proud of that. I always said that I wanted my own clothing boutique before the age of 30. I wasn’t sure what that would look like or how it would come about, whether it would be a storefront first or be based solely online, but I wanted it to happen. And I did it, in the midst of a pandemic. It’s not perfect, and I’m still learning a LOT. But I know that it will only get better and I’m trusting God fully with whatever He sees fit for it.

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

Honestly, word of mouth has been the main source of my new clientele. And I’m grateful for it. I always encourage my clients to leave a review after my services are complete, and I’d like to think that helps as well. I’ve learned that people trust you more when someone they trust, trusts you.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I remember applying for a major opportunity with the show Grownish back in 2021. I kept it pretty private because it felt sacred to me, like I had to protect it and I didn’t want anything to jinx it. I had prayed, manifested and basically convinced myself that I had won the opportunity, when in reality I never heard a thing back. So much effort and time went into it, some things aligned perfectly that lead me to feel that it was truly meant to be, and yet it still didn’t happen. Instead of facing that reality, I just avoided thinking about it to keep myself from feeling as disappointed as I knew I would be. As a result, I had to unlearn that even if it feels things are aligning, that may not be the opportunity God has for you or THE door that He will open for you. That instead patience and trusting my specific process will lead me to the opportunities that are for me. That’s something I carry with me daily. It may be cliche, but I truly believe what’s mean for me is for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: SevenDaysinstyle.com
• Instagram: @KriStylesbykristen
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Kristylesbykristen
• Other: https://sevendaysinstyle-boutique.myshopify.com/

Image Credits
@thestronghomie (formerly @drivenimage) @morgancalhoun @thatrawshooter