We recently connected with Randi Wood and have shared our conversation below.

Randi , 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 first started my business by creating a beautiful brick-and-mortar space and from there expanded my online business. Because of the time we are in (2022), my online sales were creating most of the revenue and my brick-and-mortar space was the source of most of my expenses. If I were to do it all again I would have started online and then after creating enough revenue I would have scaled up into creating my dream which was a brick-and-mortar space. Although it is tough to foresee how things are going to turn out, looking back I think this would have been the smarter business decision.

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?

I have a background in business and studied Visual Communications at FIDM. I have always been interested in fashion from a super young age and although I felt at a young age I wanted to be a designer, I realized in my older years that takes a special creative genius that I didn’t have. Styling is really where I found my niche. When I graduated college styling and personal shopping were always the jobs that I enjoyed the most. In styling, you are always exposed to a variety of designers and sources for your jobs and at times I started to feel like all clothes looked the same. This is where vintage comes in. Vintage is special because it has history and a story from another time. Also, no one else is going to be wearing the same thing as you when you wear vintage.

After a few years of jobs here and there I was presented with an opportunity to purchase a consignment store that already had a great client base and inventory. I felt I could take the business to the next level by editing the current inventory and adding in vintage to curate a collection I could be really proud of. I opened a brick-and-mortar space on Robertson blvd in 2018 and started to market to the entertainment industry as I also wanted to provide rentals for the red carpet and high-end events. I created a space that I felt would be an experience and I also wanted to make sure I was providing everyone coming in a personal experience so they felt like they were at a personal styling appointment.

I enjoy helping people feel beautiful and glamorous and also pushing them to explore different choices that perhaps they couldn’t do on their own. My true hope is that they walk away from shopping with me feeling inspired and excited about how they look.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A couple of years into owning Entre Nous, it was clear that the majority of my revenue was coming from online sales and pop-ups and most of my expenses were coming from having a brick-and-mortar space. I needed to make a change as it didn’t make sense financially to continue my current business plan. Therefore, I made the hard decision to sublease my space and downsize into an office/showroom. It was sad at the time as I had invested so much financially and emotionally into my store, but I knew it would be the smart decision long term. I also realized it didn’t mean the end to Entre Nous, it just meant I needed to shift. I think a mistake people can make is being too stuck in their initial “plan” and think if they just try harder and “wait it out”, things will change. I believe that although in some circumstances that can be the case, a lot of the time the universe is trying to show you a different path and you just have to allow yourself to be flexible.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Like in life, not everyone is going to like you. Meaning In business not everyone is going to like your idea or connect with what you are doing. It is a waste of energy trying to convince people that your business is a great idea if they don’t seem receptive to it. Some people point blank don’t like vintage and don’t like second-hand. It realized that there are two groups of people. There is a group that has a reaction to vintage and consignment that goes, “why would I want to wear someone’s old clothes,?” and then there is the other group that says, “ohh vintage I love vintage! It is the best way to find something unique.”

The lesson to me was – don’t focus on changing the first group’s mind, focus on finding the second group and expanding it .

Contact Info:

• Website: www.entrenousshowroom.com
• Instagram: @entrenousshowroom
• Linkedin: Randi Wood

Image Credits
Erica Medenhall Ashley Glassen Kenny Sweeney