We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tahirah Goins-Nall. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tahirah below.
Tahirah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
My business began as a blog. It started because I, as a college graduate, had gone from volunteering in fashion shows to wondering how I would pivot from my initial track of becoming a lawyer, into someone who worked in the corporate office of a fashion or beauty company. As a youth, I had always been an advocate—a storyteller—and I realized in my senior year of undergrad that I could channel that same storytelling in the creativity and artistic expression of fashion.
And so, I began a blog.
In 2018, I began by showcasing the up-and-coming designers and brand owners making waves and hoping to grow their names in the immediate spaces I was in. Over time, as I grew and expanded my own relationships, I had immediate designers and brands I could recommend to clients seeking to shop for themselves and all of life’s special moments. With that, the styling portion of the brand evolved.
ClothesPetals has grown quite a lot since its inception five years ago. At the start of 2023, I decided to take a leap and lean into my business growth full-time, which is quite a different space to be in than operating a side-hustle. It’s a lot more time involved, a lot more networking, a lot more energy invested at weird hours of the night…but it’s coming together. I spent almost four months on a full rebrand of the business, I invested in a number of communities and groups for female entrepreneurs, I invested in marketing agencies to grow my clientele. I have leaned into more succinct communication strategies. I have begun quarterly planning for revenue and marketing content! I spent three months recording for the first season of our podcast.
We’ve accomplished a lot in the first six months of this year.
And still, there’s more. That’s the thing about moving past the idea phase of any business; there will always be more. After the first step will be a second, and then a third, and so on. There really is no end-goal unless you decide at one point to sell your business. At the end of the day, entrepreneurship is a journey and the destination seems to be back to the self. My constant reminder is to find joy in the process of goal-setting.
I’ve always been a “doer.” And with doing there is often no clear path to follow. I do not believe I had a clear path laid out for me when beginning my business outside of setting up an LLC and a business bank account. Outside of that, everything else happened based on trial and error, and so because of that, there are only lessons from failures. I have a number of lessons I have learned from failures; from money spent; from time expended. And here we are. Five years later, here we are. And there’s so much still awaiting us as far as growth.
Tahirah, 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?
My name is Tahirah, and I am the founder of ClothesPetals, a leading fashion styling company in Los Angeles, CA. I introduce ease into the lives of busy boss women by elevating their style and, in turn, increasing their visibility and growing their personal brands. And with that in mind, I believe that every single moment deserves to be celebrated, so why not dress like it? ClothesPetals offers unparalleled expertise in bringing fashion moments to life, and we create unforgettable experiences for clients and their audiences alike.
At ClothesPetals, we understand that every special event is an opportunity to create a lasting impression. From dazzling couture showcases to breathtaking bridal affairs, our meticulous attention to detail and innovative approach consistently exceeds client expectations. With a passion for perfection, we focus on best fit when transforming ideas into reality.
Our comprehensive range of services goes beyond the runway.
ClothesPetals specializes in photo shoots, custom made-to-measure fittings, creative direction, and branding. We work closely with our clients to understand their specific needs and visions, tailoring our approach to create specialized looks that capture the essence of their individual style.
Every detail is meticulously attended to, ensuring that our collaborations result in extraordinary and captivating fashion moments, in and out of the dressing room.
Because brand elevation is at the heart of everything we do, we host a shopping party in partnership with diverse women helming fashion and beauty brands and a podcast, entitled “Brands in Bloom,” that also champions female entrepreneurship.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
What an incredible question.
As a type-A, high-achieving oldest sister of three incredible women, I have found that throughout my life I often find myself being reminded of my Achilles’ Heel; perfection.
Which, let me tell you, is unattainable.
The end.
And in entrepreneurship, I had to unlearn the fact that ‘perfectionist patterns’ often only leave us overworked or underpaid. Because that book you want to launch? You think it has to be perfect before you do it, right? Wrong. That freebie you want to put out? That funnel you want to try? You think it has to be perfect, down to the clicks, before you release it to clients, right? Absolutely completely wrong.
We spend so much time ruminating and thinking and tweaking and ideating that a lot of times we stifle our momentum simply because we’ve halted action. We’ve stopped the actual doing, and doing is where we learn. As a Confidence Coach, one of my greatest lessons and teachings is the idea that confidence is often nothing more or less than our willingness to try, because, as I mentioned before, with each effort, no matter how great or small, we are guaranteed to grow closer to our end-goal, our greatest desire, simply because we took that step forward.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Yes! I am an avid reader, so I am quick to suggest a book!
One of my all-time favorites is We Should All Be Millionaires, by Rachel Rodgers, a brand-builder and female entrepreneur who helps historically excluded founders build wealth and scale to seven figures.
She starts with tackling mindset.
Because it’s so interesting how so many of us who grew up in communities of color have extremely limiting beliefs when it comes to amassing wealth. So many of us don’t charge enough for our services. So many of us are afraid to target potential clients. So many of us believe we aren’t worthy of helming a business. So many of us are locked into a belief-system of perfection; that we have to work fifty times harder to be noticed. That money-making is a difficult process.
No, no, no, NO.
And I found myself combatting a number of the issues she pinpoints, but what I love? She provides her own backstory and a series of steps to challenge our lack mentality and take the steps to move out of it. Instead of telling you why we have allowed our minds to become our own worst-enemies, she provides a game-plan with actionable steps to shake ourselves from these limiting beliefs and become that multi-millionaire boss babe right now.
And I love that.
I suggest the book to all of my friends; and every female founder just starting out. If I had her book when I launched ClothesPetals, I think I would have been even farther along than I am now. But, I’m so glad I found her and all of the resources she provides to grow and scale that side-hustle into a six-figure business!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clothespetals.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/clothespetals
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tahirahnall
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tahirahchristine/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NQLr0bNNutbwtc2n0pGj3
Image Credits
Kenzie Rich