We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lorraine Campos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lorraine below.

Hi Lorraine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Before I began my business, I faced some tough hardships, and I didn’t discuss many of them openly. I started selling clothing and handbags of my own online as a side hustle, since I was an educator and needed a second income. That experience really rebuilt my confidence in myself and gave me something to look forward to each day; it helped me get back up on my feet again. I realized that two of my great loves were fashion, and the western lifestyle. Every time something would go wrong in my life I would jokingly say “I can handle it, this isn’t my first rodeo,” so I chose the name for my business honestly out of sarcasm and humor—but I knew that the meaning was deeper than that. If you know anything about the rodeo world, competitors really risk and at times face defeat each time they get out there but they keep getting back up because they find passion in what they’re doing. My mission was to convey that message to my customers as well—so that every time they shop or engage with my brand, they’re reminded that living passionately is worth the risk.

Lorraine, 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?

Third Rodeo Boutique offers distinct, high quality clothing, jewelry, accessories and branded merchandise for men and women with a western, bohemian vibe. We are not only an online boutique, we also have pop up shop events throughout Arizona. I also have done 1 on 1 styling appointments for customers to help audit their closet and find new pieces from Third Rodeo to add to their wardrobe or jewelry collection. I also do personal shopping for corporate clients or businesses if they need help with gifts for employees or clients. One thing I am most proud of is that I built this business entirely on my own, from the ground up. I sacrificed to save for start up money without taking loans and without any investors. It has taken a lot of discipline and grit to start a business in a pandemic and also stay in business in a very turbulent economy. Another point of pride for me as a business owner is that I’ve met many amazing people from everywhere through my business, including other entrepreneurs, and the influence and connection is something I truly value. I’m also proud every time I see someone wearing clothing from Third Rodeo, for special moments in their lives or just everyday. Making others feel beautiful and special has been a gift.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first decided to launch my own boutique, I completed all the steps to become a licensed business and started my own website. I purchased inventory. Two weeks later, the pandemic started. I was unsure how this would change my plans, but I was unwilling to let it deter me. For one year I couldn’t really do pop up shops or in person events, so instead I pivoted and sold exclusively online. I would do try on videos on my Instagram and Facebook stories, and that’s also when I started a TikTok, which ended up getting a bigger following. Social media really was a huge blessing during the pandemic. I definitely learned from that experience that when faced with adversity you don’t throw in the towel, you just learn how to pivot and keep on going.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Before starting my business, I sold my clothing and bags on sites like EBay and Poshmark as a side hustle. I realized how much I loved it and that I was good at it, so I started to save every dime I earned after paying my bills to invest in my business. It was definitely not easy, but I’m actually grateful that I did it this way because it taught me how self-sufficient I am.

Contact Info:

• Website: third-rodeo-brand.myshopify.com
• Instagram: @thirdrodeobrand
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/thirdrodeobrand
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thirdrodeobrand

Image Credits
Photographer: Ruben Campos