We were lucky to catch up with Lyndell Werling recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lyndell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
Disruption of the traditional brick and mortar retail store shopping model isn’t new. However, surging online live sales platforms are gaining traction at unprecedented speed with significant stickiness in buyer loyalty, spend, and effectiveness.
This opportunity emanates from a myriad of factors including advances in technology that embed streaming and real-time payment processing functionality in e-commerce apps. Connecting buyers with entrepreneurial sellers, that possess deep passion and desire to thrive in a solo-preneur business on their time and in their unique way, outsells hourly store employee every day of the week.
Specifically, platforms such as Poshmark have upended the retail fashion space across every measurable metric. Poshmark empowers app users to host live sales events around the clock. Sophisticated and savvy sellers offer luxury goods, vintage items, and everything from preowned items to new inventory sourced via wholesale channels. Buyers view items, with the ability to ask questions and negotiate pricing, via direct seller interaction.
I began selling through Poshmark’s live channel in January. Within months, I was sourcing items for my online boutique, High Heels on the High Road, via multiple wholesale channels. Today, I host 2-3 live shows each week. After 80 shows, I identified who my customer is, what they will buy, and how to structure a completely online retail income stream with virtually no overhead nor employees.
In addition to generating income on my own terms, I enjoy the experience and challenges that accompany live streaming. As a wardrobe stylist, I recognized my shopping requirements were impossible to meet in retail environments prior to 2020. Like me, shoppers of all demographics have been forced to explore ways to complete shopping in every category without leaving their homes, wasting time, nor without interacting with store clerks who have little to no motivation to create customer satisfaction. Poshmark recognized this opportunity and answered the call with their online live streaming solution.
Ultimately, economist Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” explains what has transpired in retail settings. The free market, manifests positive outcomes for the economy as a result of self-interest; the same force that spawned Uber, Airbnb, et al. While the trajectory of online selling is far from determined, it is clear disintermediation of old retail processes will be further supplanted by live selling, especially in the fashion realm.
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?
After graduating from college at the University of San Diego, I moved to Los Angeles where I started a software technology career at Oracle Corporation. This experience altered my path in a myriad of ways.
During my time in LA, I not only learned database architecture and application integration but also attended the University of Southern California and earned my MBA in USC’s evening program for fully-employed students. I knew I had to continue to work in technology for several years until I had established myself further both personally and professionally. I always dreamed of becoming a wardrobe stylist yet there wasn’t an easy or clear way to initiate this objective.
Personal wardrobe stylists gained traction in the mid 2000s. It was then that I spread my wings and ventured out of the proverbial cubicle to pursue my dream to work as a stylist.
As a personal stylist, I elevate the appearance of men and women by collaborating with clients to create a signature style that is characterized by an appearance that stands out from the crowd.
Many women over forty are highly concerned about their appearance. The thought of looking old causes significant stress. The challenge of remaining relevant style-wise, and age appropriate, results in anxiety. Finding time to prioritize wardrobe requirements can tax time constrained professionals, who are often juggling the pressures of parenthood and professional demands. While my mission is to assist all professional, entrepreneurial women look extraordinary, differentiate themselves, and create a uniquely individual style, many of my clients are in their forties and fifties. Most of my clients are self-employed and own businesses and understand that their appearance reflects on their brand and credibility. These entrepreneurs, execs, and every day people, who recognize the importance of crafting a visual image that precisely represents their brand, trust me to manage their wardrobe needs.
My two decades of business tenure differentiates me many other stylists. In addition to my love of fashion and style, I faced the same challenges that my clients tackle. I recall the juggling act that maintaining a work and life balance becomes while expending extraordinarily long hours in the office.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
My business was self funded. Because I spent decades working in jobs that I didn’t love before embarking on this venture, I was able to save the capital to fuel my current career. Additionally, I always sought out and exploited side hustles that generated funds to contribute to this entrepreneurial nest egg. The side hustles often entailed doing work for which I was overqualified. But, setting ego aside, I focused on what I wanted more. That was freedom, success, and the ability to use my creative skills.
I built a financial model to determine how much it would take to survive and thrive in a new wardrobe styling career. The figures felt daunting at times. But, stepping outside the comfort zone is always where the magic happens. It is also important to realize that being hungry results in motivation and determination that may be absent when money isn’t an issue.
For me, funding my own efforts was the most important decision that I made in shaping my business.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
We live in a hypercompetitive world in which we are only granted 24 hours in a day. It is imperative and unconditionally necessary to fill our minds with uplifting, actionable, and motivating content each day.
Technology enables us to do this at little to no cost. I leverage podcasts to stream motivational, novel, and autobiographical stories that force me to elevate my goals and address challenges. Once you find creators that resonate with you, AI suggests additional relevant sources of similar material. The extent of such content is virtually unlimited.
I spend approximately 25 hours / month in my car. That’s time that must be leveraged to grow my personal and professional skills. Audio content is an extraordinary way to make productive time from unpaid wasted time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lyndellwerling.com
- Instagram: lyndellwerling
Image Credits
Sofia Sanchez