We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Costa recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephanie , thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
When the pandemic first hit my full time job became very uncertain. I think it took that fear to really push me to take a chance on something new, and something that I’ve always daydreamed about doing. I guess I felt like I didn’t have anything to lose during this time. I’ve always loved fashion and felt like it was something I could never get involved in, since that wasn’t my area of study in school, nor did I have any experience in the field. One day I came across a story about Alison J. Prince and was so inspired by her. It really made me feel like if she could do it, I could do it! I decided to take the plunge and follow her program which teaches how to set up an e-commerce website, how to drive traffic, how to pick your products and even how to set up all the legal aspects. There’s even a Facebook group for people that went through the program so I have lifelong support from other small business owners who are on the same journey. Seeing so many other inspiring people who also took that jump really made me feel like this is something that could be possible for me. I started to feel like that daydream about running a fashion boutique was actually attainable. I still can’t believe how much I’ve learned over the past year and how far we’ve come as a business. I know I have so much more to learn and a long way to go, but I’’ll always be so thankful I took that chance on myself and my dream!
Stephanie , 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?
I’ve always been into fashion and used to think that owning a boutique would be my dream job in another life. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and my full time job became unstable, that I came across a program for setting up an e-commerce business and suddenly really believed it was something I could do. I knew immediately that I wanted to run my own fashion boutique and bring people fun and affordable pieces. While creating my brand I started to ask myself “What inspires me the most?” The answer was pretty simple- it was the beauty in nature all around me. Looking up at the sky on our back porch in upstate New York, I’m constantly in awe of those purple sunsets and beautiful starry night skies. I knew I wanted to include pieces in my collection that embody natural beauty. Whether a set of dreamy sky-inspired earrings or a plush animal print blanket, all of our products are inspired by the beauty found in nature. Most of our pieces are also made from a plant based acrylic, are super lightweight and are handmade right here in the USA. I’m so proud to be able to say that and to know I can stand behind my products. When shopping myself I’m always looking for affordable pieces that are also well made, and that I can feel good about. I wanted to pass that on to my customers, and that’s really what Purple Horizon is all about.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I decided to create my own website instead of selling through another platform. It was important for me to be able to make my own rules and not have to worry about algorithms changing or not being in control of certain things. I believe there are pros and cons to this approach, but in the end I wanted to be in the drivers seat when it came to my business.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I went through Alison J. Prince’s program when setting up my e-commerce business and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. She truly guided me through every aspect of this process and the ongoing support I have going forward is something I am truly grateful for. I also am constantly trying to learn more from social media experts, as it’s such an ever changing animal. One of the experts that is always giving such great information is Brock Johnson, who is a great social media growth coach.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.purplehorizonboutique.com
- Instagram: @shoppurplehorizon
- Facebook: @purplehorizonboutique