We recently connected with Ola Elkhazindar and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ola thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?
I am a wardrobe/fashion stylist and moving into Denver two years ago in the midst of COVID things were a little slow to start with. I had been seeing a lot of beautiful gown photography and so over the last Christmas holiday I got inspired to start my own gown rental business. The most difficult part was budgeting, sourcing the gowns as well as receiving them in a particular time frame. Once I had a plan, picking gowns I liked was easy. Then came the marketing aspect, which continues to be a learning curve to this day!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Bohofluxx is a small gown rental business for photoshoots. Based in Colorado but ships anywhere in the US. I wanted to bring in a variety of options/looks through my collection. The gowns can be used for many types of photoshoots: maternity, styled shoot, editorial, fine art, birthday or elopment. I am hoping to inspire photographers to grow their portfolio, or experiment with a style they might not have tried before or use one of my gowns in addition to their client closet. Event planners can also use my gowns for their styled shoots. Anyone that wants to do a fun photoshoot is welcome to rent!
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
This is an example of one of the many struggles of a business owner. In this case shipping is really beyond my control, and it was a very stressful situation but thankfully this particular incident has a happy ending. My client had chosen shipping to receive her gown. She is in Colorado Springs and I am shipping from Centennial, which is a couple of hours away. The shipping was supposed to take 2 days, And I ship one week in advance of a photoshoot regardless.
I kept getting messages about delays. The 2 days turned into 6 and at that point I had readied myself to clear up my schedule to drive down with a replacement dress, on the day of her photoshoot.
Thankfully, She ended up receiving the delayed package the morning of the photoshoot, just in time!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Resilience is something that is in us all, it is what keeps you going through the most difficult and busiest times both personably and professionally. In my case like many others, I am a mom of two, I am a wife, I have a home to look after, another job I am responsible of, and a personal business to grow (Bohofluxx) Some mornings, the thing that will push you through a full day, with a long to do list, is pure resilience, your ability to keep going through the failures, the frustrations and the successes. I moved to Denver two years ago, I landed here in limbo not knowing if we were staying or moving to another place, finding a new home, settling down as a family and during that time and not having any professional connections, I had to push through, and keep trying until I was able to start Bohofluxx. Through that journey I met some wonderful people, the ones that will help you grow, but also many people who will push you down, use you or ghost you. Every experience and every lesson feeds your resilience. You have to trust that things will work out for the best, because you keep trying!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bohofluxx.com
- Instagram: @bohofluxx
Image Credits
@thehumblelion_ KaSandra Mitchell