We were lucky to catch up with Olivia Starling recently and have shared our conversation below.
Olivia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?
I started a little homegrown business with $300 and a big dream to a million-dollar company that has even bigger dreams. In the most recent few months, I’ve been asked over and over, “how are you doing it?” And I guess the only thing I can truly say is, consistency, Which is a fairly broad answer, so let me elaborate.
If I could go back, this is EXACTLY what I would do differently to make my business grow faster, but before I tell you what to do right, I’m going to tell you what I did wrong. Because I think most business owners are in this exact cycle. In the past, I would learn a skill that helped grow my company, get really good at it, and then as soon as that skill felt mastered, I would be on my happy path, learning and honing in on the next new skill. But as I dove into something new, the previous revenue channel I had mastered would not be kept up, and the revenue would slowly go down. It felt like a constant cycle that kept my business in the same spot for years. I couldn’t figure out how others could grow and scale a business. How does an entrepreneur do it all? Spoiler alert – they don’t do it all. And shouldn’t. It doesn’t work that way.
This last year, I slowly started to hire for the skill I mastered. It might seem counter-intuitve to hire someone to do something you are already good at, but follow me for a second. Once you master the skill, find someone that can learn it, train them on what you know, and then pass the job on. They will keep up the CONSISTENCY, and since you are already good at the skill, you can make sure it is being done well while you are on to the next thing. Every time you master something new you pass this skill on to a new employee. At some point, you will be shocked because they will eventually become better than you.
Now here is the most important thing to do with your employees. Every month, make sure you have statistics on how they are doing, set goals, and hold them accountable like you would hold yourself accountable to this role. On the first Thursday of every month, my team has a meeting we call our “analytics” meeting. Each person presents their numbers for the previous month. We look at statistics (how well they did) and drivers (what actions they did to get to the numbers). We celebrate wins and find answers when we have a rough month. It will surprise you how quick and efficient your business will be once you master the true art of building and leading a team. That is truly the fastest way to get ahead.
Olivia, 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?
Hey there! My name is Olivia Starling and I’m the founder and CEO of Starlette Galleria. In 2019, with a toddler on my hip and a dream in my heart, I founded my company out of my basement with $300. I help women look and feel good with affordable, quality simulated diamond jewelry. I believe that you shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to look like a million bucks, and my over 20,000 customers would have to agree. When you look good, you feel good, and then can pass the good on to those around you.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media has allowed me to see the best and worst in humanity. Coming from a small town in Wyoming with a population of 5,000 people, the attention that social media brought me was overwhelming at first. Waking up to over 6,000 Instagram followers (literally) overnight was my first taste of reality. For a long time, I wasn’t sure I wanted it. But after trial and error, along with some really hard lessons, I’ve learned to embrace it for what social media truly is, a form of entertainment. Back when I rapidly grew my Instagram account, it came from an influencer. I had sent her some free products for my business. She posted, and BAM, I had more followers than the town I grew up in. The strategy has changed since 2019, but the application has not. About 6 months ago, I decided to become serious about TikTok. In 6 months, we have grown to over 9,000 followers on Tiktok with one video getting over 1m views. So here is how you do it. Pick a platform. Yes, just one. You can use the repurpose app to have whatever content you make get posted everywhere but stick to serving on the platform. For me right now, it is TikTok. Post a TON. Not kidding. Just post. Even if you think “this isn’t good enough”, post it. I have had videos that were sitting in my “draft” folder for months that exploded once I finally posted. Once you see what people respond to, make variations of it. Keep doing the same thing. Be real and honest. People are no longer looking for perfection. And yes, this is a long term game, so don’t give up if you don’t see progress in the first few months. With effort, it can happen.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I own a product-based business and the other day I was meeting with a 3rd party company that wasn’t to work with me. Someone in the meeting asked: “who is your investor.” The look of surprise when I told them I started Starlette Galleria with my very own $300 was priceless. Bootstrapping isn’t easy. It’s constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul for a while. Up until recently, I had to get creative with HOW we buy products, keep our customers satisfied, and pay the bills. Early on, I found wholesalers that were in California. It was more expensive than manufacturing our products, but what I could do was allow products to “oversell” online and then overnight the inventory and ship the next day. When I needed a complete rebrand for my business, a new website, and an overhaul, it was going to cost $20,000. I knew it would be worth it, but with all of the inventory and 4th quarter coming up, I was cutting it close. I knew there was something I could sell to fund my new project, and it was my course. I had made a course called Predictable Profit where I would teach e-commerce sellers how to scale their businesses. I periodically open and close it, depending on how busy I am with Starlette Galleria. Several people had asked about it, and I needed an injection of funds, so I opened up my 8-week course and 35 people signed up, which was more than enough for the rebrand. Understanding that money is abundant and there is always a way to make money is the most important skill for entrepreneurs.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.starlettegalleria.com
- Instagram: starlettegalleria
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestarlettegalleria
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviastarlingwyo/
- Youtube: @starlettegalleria
- Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@thestarlettegalleria
Image Credits
Andy The Daydreamer