We were lucky to catch up with Suzanne Najem recently and have shared our conversation below.

Suzanne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

Most people start a small business based on a dream, an idea or have an entrepreneurial spirit. I was working in the corporate world as a graphic designer and seeking a way to earn a little extra cash on the side. I started to sell hair accessories on Etsy which later led me to selling embellished hats. Today, I have a full blown women’s apparel and accessories e-commerce and physical boutique inside one of the largest malls in Texas. I never had a business plan or mission but as I scaled my business I quickly learned I was going to need one.

To be honest, I didn’t know I was really capable of scaling a hobby up to a full time business. It wasn’t until I developed a sincere customer fan base who believed in me that led me to start believing in my own potential.
I always joke with friends, that even if I wanted to walk away from my business now, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Owning a business is like spinning an ever growing web. You watch something so small build into something much larger and meticulous and it’s not easy to walk away.

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

I’ve always considered myself a creative person. Coming out of college, I wanted to get a job as a Graphics Artist. I really struggled with finding a job, no one took me seriously as a fresh graduate. I eventually did get hired as a graphic designer making graphics for trials in the courtroom. It wasn’t a dream job by any means and only suppressed my creativity further. I knew I needed a creative outlet! Making girls headbands was just a side hobby that later led me to embellishing hats and fascinators and I quickly became known as “the hat lady”. Definitely, not a title I found flattering and I knew I needed something more. I decided to try my hand at curating looks from head to toe that included these beautiful hats I was selling. And the rest was history, Pippa & Pearl was born!

I put my all into Pippa & Pearl and really honed in on developing the Pearl Girl persona. Im really proud of the business I’ve built in that it’s not just another women’s boutique. But its the identity of a girl who is unapologetically extra and wants to showcase that through her fashion choices.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a mom and a wife is a full time job. Ask any mom out there and she will tell you how mentally exhausting it is to be in her shoes. Being pregnant with a toddler while trying to start a business is just a full out circus. It will test you time and time again. It would have been easier to walk away from it all and just concentrate on being the best mother I could be. But I knew I needed this business in order to be that best version of myself. As much as I love being a mom, I knew I wanted to pursue something that I could be proud to call my own. Being a mom in itself is resilient, being a women is resilient. We are constantly molded and confined to these boxes society puts us in. It is up to us to break down those barriers to show our resilience and that we can conquer anything.

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

Prepare to be lonely. Owning your own business is a very lonely place to be. You can’t stay there long or you will fail. You need to share your ideas, you need to network and you need to find your tribe. Sometimes that might be as simple as turning to your family but most of the time you’ll have to do some leg work and get yourself out there. The crazy thing is once you start networking with fellow minded business people, you will not only grow your friends circle but your business will start to flourish as well!

The loneliness played a big part when I wanted to give up. But I didn’t. With the encouragement of a couple friends and meeting the right people I found myself thriving and happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pippaandpearl.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippaandpearl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PippaAndPearl
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-najem-0a73a134/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PippaAndPearl
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe78JU0OHViE_pF42HtWgvw

Image Credits
Cameron Huerta