We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Gay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.
Lauren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?
I think the one thing Corporate America gets wrong in my industry beyond the importance of marketing a concept or product is their employee experience.
The employee experience should be a part of your company’s platform as a factor of how your company is growing to scale. Without a good team to support your concept, help is run, and be innovative to build a solid environment to feel safe to help you expand your brand beyond their role.
You have to be concerned about what their measure of success is within your company, communicate where opportunities of growth are, be honest of where you need help, and be consistent with them with the income structure in place. Overall, most people just want to be seen and heard when it comes to concerns in the workplace. They want to know their CEO or company will take accountability and show change when needed.
I believe when your employees are happy your ROI will show through higher sales, better customer experience, and return customers and lower turnaround on one’s hiring percentage. There are so many advantages to making sure your team is happy and it’s so easy to do so.
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.
For those who may not know me. My name is Lauren Gay and I am an 42 year old, Midwest women form Detroit, Michigan with over 20 years of retail experience from big brick and mortar such as Barneys New York to smaller boutiques and startups. I have spent the past 6 year solo directing small boutiques and startups that have supported over 30 small business throughout the DMV giving them a space to grow their business inn locations where they may not have had the opportunity. Within this time I have coordinated my own markets supporting businesses outdoors in high traffic location accompanying music environment and food & drinks to help generate more visibility and growth for all parties involved.
Now, I am a Strategic Partnership Specialist, Sales Direct, and Retail Consultant and Business Developer. Yep, it sounds like three company different careers within the same industry of Retail because it is.
As a Strategic Partnership Specialist for Garmmetry a marketing company that through data manufacture and sources throughout the world ethnically to make any products for you consumer and branding needs. I help connect the company with businesses who are looking from someone to help the company grow through a marketing strategic, branding, or physical product. We do it all!
As a Sale director is love being able to give my team and client an experience they won’t forget when shopping in the space. I have always loved the way you can make a person feel by just one piece of clothing or accessory. The confidence one get it’s amazing and truly brings me joy. Seeing my team take information I have shared about how we conduct ourselves around clients or the every procedures of the store flow run seamless is the best because I know I am doing my job as a director leading the team as my CEO or boss sees fit.
Retail consulting and business delvolpment is where I get to put the business and creative side together. This is where I will contract to merchandise a small boutique, wardrobe & style, closet and space organization, social media content and growth, and marketing media content.
Pretty much when is comes to the retail industry .. I am shopping, sharing, selling, manufacturing, sourcing, and marketing a product, concept, and business for a client.
I think the problems I solve for client when it comes to marketing is how to reach the client via Instagram with storytelling, a consist routines, and getting into people faces. When it comes to being a director I think its understanding what the client needs for the day to make their experience one that is beyond their dollar. Sometimes its just being a good ear other times your a cheerleading. If you take time to think past the transaction or goal of the day the money will come.
I am most proud of my career overall and the opportunities that have presented themselves through each work experiences or chance I took on myself to try something that felt uncomfortable. To be able to do all the things I love in different ways have been challenging when it come to work life balance and even income, but I wouldn’t change a thing because it might have taken me off course for what I am doing now and will do in the future.
What I want a client, follower, or fan to know about me is that I am a hustler is the best way, lol. I am going to hustle to support my family, friends, and business I believe in. At the end of the day I want everyone to win around me. I alway told myself that if I was in a position where I can help others while still being to support myself I would. Whether if that a referral, adding them into a contract I am already in, hiring them for a position when I am in a role to do so, or just promoting them so other will show up, that what I am going to do.
My brand : People call me little hustler because I am not a big brand yet, but I have left a big impression on the work I am done and the companies I have worked for. From the outside I would says people think I am a super supporter of my friends and their ventures in life, an expert in client experience, expert in sales experience and hard worker in any role, passionate when I love a project am involved it. I will go above and beyond at times
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Omg, there is so much I wish I knew early in my journey. Main thing writing a contract, suggesting retainers, and bargaining your worth, and getting experience.
When you are new and just trying to get experience so a person will pay you is crazy hard. I learn quickly to start assisting others in the field I wanted to be in and to learn how they move, but with my own twist. I asked a lot of questions about what people’s measure of experience looked like and how much they have paid for a service that I would be providing.
I did have to fake it to make it in the beginning but once I absorbed myself with knowledge and experience, you couldn’t tell me anything, lol I just keep on connecting, assisting and growing my network within the DMV.
One fake and make moment (within my first year working at Barney Newyork Coop):
I definitely took my first closet organization client with zero experience other than my friends and family. I am such a neat freak at time, that making other spaces have a flow and balance is something I enjoy very much. So I thought of course I can do this for a client aka is a complete stranger who will be paying me – really money lol
I got the opportunity presented to me by knowing the client purchases so well I could tell her if she had something like it or would go with something else she owed from conversations. Thanks to assisting others with photos shoots and fashion show help with decision making and style her. I googled the rest with the invoice for $500.00, I was 24 at the time.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
My energy and love for what I am doing when I am doing it. I truly love what I am doing to help clients find confidence through clothing to assisting building something brand and making them a successful business. I just want to help as many people as I can and be able to pay my bills as I do it
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @littlehustler83
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/lauren-gay-878761a1
- Other: https://wjla.com/good-morning-washington/small-business-spotlight/the-hustler-hunt-helping-you-find-the-best-small-businesses-in-the-dmv?fbclid=PAY2xjawJiUcZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp6TuaD6OJinKxul-64NxkcICTJWKkVQkTEd5eX-cS_gg7N2aw2zwBP0P7qpt_aem_nF4ik1km0TqRwbWclYwn1Q
Image Credits
No Credit Needed