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

Hi Steven , thanks for joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

We started with a low tier Nike store, with official registered and verified Nike & Jordan whole sale accounts. When scaling it to a premium boutique and one of Nike’s highest tier levels, it was definitely challenging!! There is honestly much more dedication and work to be done to reach the highest levels of this business. With Nike opening their program for NBHD (Neighborhood) Boutiques in 2022, we strive to reach the top tier, furthermore elevating our store and really putting us on the map in Dallas, Texas.

Some obstacles we encountered were relocating to a new space and learning how commercial real estate is and the way to make it work for you. Finding the proper square footage, with the right cost per square foot (as well as triple nets that were not too costly) was definitely crucial and even more challenging to find in the Dallas area.

We really wanted to run the numbers and find what worked for us so we could really maintain the business model of Sportshoe Store.

A key to our success in finding the proper spot, was running the demographics and finding a location with a could car count, (traffic), so we could bring walk-in traffic.

We wanted to make our sign very noticeable from the street so people would be intrigued and want to come find out what Sportshoe is all about!

When we found the perfect spot, after running the numbers we sent in a LOI (Letter of Intent) and asked for TA (Tenant allowance) requesting that the landlord give us cash/credit to fix the place up like we needed it to be. After a long and hard negotiation process, we agreed on terms and made a move on the space and signed the lease! It was very important for us to observe the space and the condition it was in, and we based that on our request to ask the landlord for cash to fix up the place. (This was definitely the most important thing we learned during this whole process, was really negotiating a fixed amount $$ to request to fix the place up, this was crucial in making this deal happen and for Sportshoe to be where it’s at today. 3333 West Camp Wisdom Rd. (Suite 124) Dallas, Texas (75237).

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Steven Shipley, designer for the Luxury Streetwear brand “Starlife Fashion Co” and Owner of “Sportshoe Dallas.”

My journey started with the brand Starlife Fashion Co. I started Promoting the brand by traveling the globe, from Dubai all the way to Paris, France, Starlife is featured in shows in London, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, and Milan, Italy.
We did high end fashion shows in all of these cities, putting the brand on across the world.

Falling in love with the journey is truly everything. Don’t be so worried about the results all the time, but sit and realize you are exactly where you need to be. Live in the moment and cherish life, cherish every moment you can.

The money will come and go, but the experiences that last a lifetime is what you really should be in it for.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When we started focusing on putting the luxury brand “Starlife” and incorporating it into the Nike + Jordans Brands, matching outfits and apparel with the newest Nike and Jordan releases, we truly started to see traction.

We knew we wanted to relocate the store and we did not realize how challenging commercial real estate could be.

We searched and searched for our next location and we kept getting bad results time and time again until finally we persevered and found our new spot!

Through the trials and tribulations of finding this spot, we took risks that we saw necessary in order to fulfill the dream of opening a store and selling the newest sneaker releases with our luxury brand.

Never give up on your end goal. You have to be obsessed with the dream, when everything comes crashing down in your life, and it seems negativity may or may not become your new reality, don’t give in, don’t give up. Keep GOING. Find your WHY. And push yourself as hard as you can, Eventually you will find yourself at the top spot.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building our audience on social media was a slow process, until it wasn’t…

We stayed so consistent with posting 4-5 times a day, and we knew we had the product that drew people attention.

After staying super consistent for years on posting the new releases and apparel, we found a product that absolutely launched us into the social media world and our followers grew by 7-8k overnight.

Simply by just staying with the program and not getting distracted. We built our social media to what it is today and we are proud to say it’s a main reason how people know about us.

Instagram: @sportshoedallas and @starlife_exclusive
Facebook: @sportshoedallas

Contact Info:

• Website: Starlifefashionco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportshoedallas?igsh=OTh3M21nb2pjc2tr&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportshoestoreDallas?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Twitter: @storesportshoe
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@starlifefashionco?si=TM5Wyi2pZvPAO9Gh