We recently connected with Nicole Iorio and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

I do take vacations! I run my business all by myself so I think it is super important to for me to take breaks from time to time. I have and intern that will help out at the store when I want to take a vacation and also my family loves to help out watching the store while I unwind and disconnect for a little bit. Taking vacations are important to me because I definitely need to take some time to myself and relax since running a business it never shuts off. My mind is constantly moving about things to do with my business and it could be mentally and physically draining. Vacation time is a must! Some advice I would give is to do not be afraid to take a vacation because you deserve and need the time off to unwind!

Nicole, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Nicole and I am the owner of MY ROOMMATES CLOSET clothing boutique. I am 24 years old and I graduated from St. John Fisher University with my bachelors in Business Management and masters in Business Administration.

Since I was younger, I always knew I wanted to either own my own business or at least run a business. I always had a more business mind. When applying to colleges I almost went for fashion because it has always been an interest of mine. As I got older, I got more into fashion and also absolutely love to shop.

When Covid hit, I was a junior in college and I was super depressed and felt like I needed something I wanted to be passionate about. I saw online how people were starting online businesses during covid and how much they loved it. After that something just ignited in me. Then I figured out I wanted to start my own online clothing boutique. I had a lot of down time to figure everything out so it just made sense to me this was the time to start it. After I talked to my family and friends about my idea of starting an online boutique, I started to do extensive research and I officially launched my website and brand in June 2021. After graduating undergrad and grad school and running my business online, I decided I wanted to open up a brick and morter store front in Webster, NY. I officially opened doors in October 2022!

At the store, you can find in style women’s clothing, anything from simple basics to staples for your closet! One problem that I help solve for my customers is to help them find something they will feel comfortable and confident in! I am most proud of the community I am building with my followers on instagram and my local customers that come in to the store and are returning customers. I feel like I have built a great connection with my customers. I love being able to talk to everyone that comes in and make them feel comfortable being in my store!

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

Something I had to unlearn is that other small businesses that are similar to mine should be viewed as community and not competition. After viewing other businesses as a community instead of competition, I have met some amazing business owners and they have given me advice and we have built friendships over it. It is not a bad thing to ask for help! This took me a while to get over but once I did, I have received great advice and I have love when people ask me for advice!

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

Other than in person, I sell on my own website through Shopify. Shopify is so nice because I have built my website through there and it also tracks my inventory, analytics, and finances. I also create and send my email campaigns through Shopify. My POS system is also through Shopify so everything I need to do is all on Shopify and it is awesome!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopmyrc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopmyrc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopmyrc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-roommates-closet/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits
Dylan’s Photography