Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Rudison. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

When I think about my definition of success, I always refer back to the quote by Booker T. Washington, “Success is not measured by the position someone has reached in life, but the obstacles he has overcome while trying to succeed.”
The road to any successful journey is without a doubt going to have some bumps along the way. It’s how you handle those bumps that makes you successful. Success can be established with preparation, a strong sense of faith, patience, resilience, grit and passion. On your personal road to success, you have to really go all in for what you believe and choose what makes you happy. When you have your heart set on accomplishing a goal you are going to do everything in your power to see it come to fruition.

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’m a southern girl born and raised in Louisiana. I grew up with many examples of strong women in my life. They encouraged me to be bold, independent, and confident. I always dreamt outside of the box and sought to achieve the unimaginable.

At the age of 16, I defied many odds, having my firstborn before graduating high school. This only put my dreams in overdrive and pushed me even further to achieve my goals. Shortly after giving birth, I enrolled in college later obtaining multiple degrees in the fields of Education and Leadership & Administration. Over the last 16 years, I have served as an educator working with early learners and students with disabilities. I enjoyed what I was doing but also desired to tap into my love for fashion. It wasn’t until two years ago, that I started moving forward with feeding my passion for fashion; establishing a plan to launch a women’s online boutique.

In November of 2019, I launched Myelle Monroe Chic Boutique, online with the purpose of creating a legacy for my daughters as well as a mode of connecting with other women through the art of fashion. The art of fashion is a mode of communication that speaks to one’s confidence and mood. I love the mantra, if you look good you feel good. So many women get lost in their day-to-day hustle and bustle that they lose their identity and confidence. I wanted to connect with women and educate them on how they can maintain their confidence with the assistance of fashion, despite what they may be faced with. There is nothing like putting on that favorite flattering outfit with your staple accessories. When women get dressed, I want them to feel like royalty and have a positive mindset about themselves.

Women deserve to look and feel good in whatever facet of their life they are in; whether it’s going out for cocktails with girlfriends or commanding attention in an executive boardroom meeting. Women desire to look and feel like the queens that they are wherever they go. Our goal is to build long-standing relationships with our clients and leave a personal touch in the fashion world.

This year we have extended our brand offering swimwear exclusive to our boutique in addition to Wardrobe Styling Services. Clients have the opportunity to request consultation and styling for everyday wear, special events, and travel. Our goal is to assist women needing a little more assistance with accomplishing their personal style goals or looking to be more adventurous with their wardrobe.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I truly believe that with the correct mindset, resources, and tools anyone can be a successful entrepreneur. Before launching my clothing boutique, I owned an extended hours childcare center for 8 years, in Illinois. We opened during the recession. It was a huge accomplishment( at 12 I knew I wanted to open a center) and also extremely challenging. There was not a financial institution at the time that would grant us a small business loan despite what they tell you. The denial did not stop us from moving forward. We saved $60,000 and didn’t look back. In November of 2009 we opened filling the needs of the nontraditional parents who worked past 6:30pm and weekends.

It was rough at start, but after about 2 years we were finally out of the red and making gains. As we begin to see and feel the growth, the economy became even more rocky impacting us financially. The state began to feel the deep shift of our struggling economy as well and would constantly default on sending childcare payments in a timely manner. This led to us not meeting payroll on time. Meeting payroll is vital in the child care industry or any business because you rely heavily on your staff to keep things afloat.

The first few missed payrolls the staff were understanding but that could only last for so long. It continued to be a burden and very stressful to worry about if we would get paid so that we could in turn pay our employees on time. It continued to be a domino effect which eventually led to us making the decision to close the doors. In the end it was a difficult but peaceful decision.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients has been through a multitude of systems and platforms. Instagram and Facebook have been the biggest sources for me. It allows me to reach and capture the attention of potential clients all over the world. You also can never go wrong with word of mouth. I’m very appreciative of my friends and family who have not only supported my business through purchases but also shared with others. With all of the contacts and data from these sources, I have increased my communication through email marketing and SMS.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopmyellemonroe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopmyellemonroe/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/myellemonroechicboutique-111373017007318/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shopmyellemonr1

Image Credits
RTW Photography https://ridethewave.co/