Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sabrina Colosimo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Sabrina, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I did an Instagram post about this !!
read here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUJNG0Rs6lQ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Ultimately – there’s no other way I could live. I’m exceedingly enamoured with my ‘Provincial’ Solopreneurship. I love living this way. My business is part of my life, and my life is part of my business. Now, as I enter into Micro-Influencing and Brand Partnerships, even more so. My business/brand is truly ME. And I love it. I don’t need “work/life’ balance. The entanglement is joyful for me. To this avail, I’m very skeptical about ever being with a life partner who isn’t the same way. It’s a very disparate life from having a ‘regular job’.
And my idea of the “provinciality’ —– I love that it’s small and self-contained and constantly evolving. I’m the antithesis of “scale” and growth and expansion. I’m only interested in the Small Lifestyle business that I have and not on Entrepreneurship on a grand scale.
Think “the local Butcher, Baker, or Candlestick Maker’.
I’m the local Sabrina.
If I’m exceptionally well known + loved in a 10km radius, I’m happy.
That’s life for me.
(but please read my post )
Sabrina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
For two decades I worked with my father on the Business he started and grew on his own, in the field of Home Interiors/Design/Renovation. When that business ( sadly ) ended in 2018 I was forced to figure out what my path would be.
After several meetings/interviews with Industry Connections it was so clear to me that I couldn’t ‘work for someone’. I never really had. Every day I came into work at my family business, I had Creative latitude to touch every aspect of the business and to see the effect of every decision I made. It was Entrepreneurship that I craved, not the Interiors Industry. I loved being able to affect change in Marketing, and Purchasing, and Human Resources and Advertising ……the whole enchilada !
So – I started my own endeavour – providing Deign Services Independently and doubling-down on my niche passion – Vintage Furniture. I recognized that I had a super power – curation. My curatorial eye was ‘bang on’. People were loving my style – and everything I touched seemed to turn to gold. Instagram propelled my business. And, a year into it, I began ‘showing up’ visually for my brand. I began blogging about Entrepreneurship, posting videos of myself, interacting with followers – I quickly became the brand.
I was worried that my disparate interests would be confusing in my offering. I was a Mutli-Disciplinary creative doing the following: E-Design, Vintage Furniture Sales, Social Media Mgmt for other Brands, Staging, Reupholstery/ Furniture Redux, and more. But, it quickly became evident that all of it had one thing in common ‘me’.
My brand has evolved – I do paid Solopreneur Coaching now too ( + provide tons of free Entrepereneurial Resources for Small Biz Owners )
My fantastic Loft Space Downtown Toronto has become a hub for Creative Energy.
I host events there like my Monthly Networking Event “Lunch at the Loft” and my Monthly Portrait Sessions for Creatives.
The Loft Space has become a huge source of revenue for me, as tit doubles as a “living Showroom’. My inventory rotates in and out of it, creating a fresh space constantly. The space gets privately rented out for Films, Photoshoots, Workshops, Meetings and more.
I live in the Space and I work in the Space, so the Live/Work Entaglement is serious !!
As my Fan Base has grown, I have begun moving into the Mico-Influencing Space and have started Brand Parternships with Businesses in the Creative Living space who want me to endorse their products ( Travel, Entrepreneurship, Interiors, Home Decor, Education )
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
This happened so organically and I’m really proud of it. When I began showing up consistently on social media, I realized that people were really resonating with me and who i was as a person. Yes, they were LOVING the style and curation — my Unique Eye for upcylcing vintage pieces and styling them in a bold, colourful, layered, unexpected way – it was quite different form the stramlined minimalism that was all over the internet. And those that loved it, really LOVED it.
BUT – it was more often than not, ME they were connecting with. My personality is exceedingly forth-coming, vulnerable, and authentic. I don’t stand on ceremony, or have a ‘front-facing’ image. And people really saw that and loved it. They thought of me as more of a friend – as an approachable mentor. I couldn’t believe the level of interaction. People were DM’ing me ( and still do) with all kinds of intimate stories. They felt they could share theirs when they heard me share mine. And the amount of unsolicited compliments for my work – I never expected this. It propelled me to keep showing up. It was confirmation that I was relevant in some way. People were taking the time to THANK me for putting out the free content that I did. I realized over time, I only needed more offerings, more reasons to solicit a sale – I already had an engaged Client Base that was looking for ways to interact with me.
I never outsourced any of my Social – clients knew that if they messaged me, it was ME responding. I was quick to answer all inquiries and to provide articulate suggestions and ideas. This built trust. However, I wasn’t doing it ‘to build trust’. I was doing it because of all of the years of Retail experience I had in my father’s business – I knew what good service looked like.
My Social Presence was more than Funky Furniture – it was stories of my coping journey with my Mom’s illness ( whcih solicited so many personal shares among my followers + comraderie ), failures and mis-steps in my business journey, humour and self-deprecation, Entrepreneurial Tips, Stories of my Nomadic Travels and my move to Mexico during Covid……..etc.
On that note – I was concerned that I would lose followers or engagement by being in Mexico for months and months.
The exact opposite became true.
My followers “followed’ me down there.
Engagement increased.
I began selling local Mexican Homewares from Mexico, on IGLives, to the Toronto market back home ( shipping them back ).
That’s when I knew for sure – my Brand was Myself.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I’m a HUGE fan of Seth Godin. His view on What Marketing Is, has shaped my entire Solopreneur Journey.
I can barely wait for his weekly podcast “Akimbo’ episodes every Wednesday.
“The Practice” is my favourite book of his.
“Big Magic” by Liz Gilbert was also a huge influence of mine, as she speaks honestly and vulnerably about Living as a Creative.
Sir Ken Robinson is, in my opinion, one of the greatest thinkers of our time, with his Ideas of Creative Learning / Education.
Here are a few Round-up Posts of my Fave Books + Podcasts:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnQchp3tknI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9PtIqLcjV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sunday-creative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_sundaycreative/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-colosimo-a120ab53/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbo4_JClqRY
- Other: Giggster Listing for my Loft Space: https://giggster.com/listing/14632-vintage-eclectic-hard-loft-xl-downtown +. My Media Kit https://mail.google.com/mail/u/5?ui=2&ik=9f30836e04&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1757318465004484391&th=18633fd54fd3b727&view=att&disp=inline&realattid=f_ldwh7seo0