We were lucky to catch up with Vicky Quach recently and have shared our conversation below.
Vicky, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?
The most important lesson I learned at a prior job that has helped me as a business owner is not a skill that could be taught, but a valuable life lesson that has not only impacted my career, but my everyday life. I’ve learned how important it is to truly love your work and to do your work with love and passion.
Right before running the business we have now, I was working in a corporate job that over time started to feel mundane, but the work load felt “easy.” Over time I began to realize that this was not my forever job, but knew this was a part of the journey. I had worked in other jobs and industries and thought I would be really happy at this point in my career. The job logically made sense, and the workload felt easy so why wasn’t I happy? I was essentially in a job that was helping other people, I was managing a team and working with individuals to help them search for their dream job. I earned top sales awards and competitions between over 50 offices nationwide, I received recognition from executives, had great relationships with my peers and my work tasks were not super difficult or challenging. But as time went on, I felt that working this job was actually not “easy” anymore. Staying in this job that I wasn’t excited and passionate about became harder. It became harder to get through the work days no matter how positive I tried to be. I spent years of time and effort moving up in the company and knew I’d have job stability if I continued. I started to feel lost. I’ve always been a creative mind, but I prioritized job security over finding a job that would align with my creative interests. I battled with myself if I should take a huge risk and run a business. I questioned a lot of things like “what if I never find a job that I truly love?” and “are there jobs out there that people actually enjoy?” After lots of crying, praying, contemplating, and seeking advice – I knew in my bones that I was ready to take a leap of faith. And now looking back, I am so happy I did.
Fast forward to now, I work in the bridal industry and genuinely look forward to coming to work every single day. Some would even say I am “obsessed with my job.” My work fulfills me in so many ways I never thought it would. I get to help create life-long memories when brides find their wedding dress, be a part of one of the most special and memorable experiences in a person’s life, empower and uplift women, employ a wonderful team of like-minded and passionate individuals, give back to our local community, donate to organizations I’m passionate about, apply my creativity daily and the list goes on… My current job is a lot more demanding, time-consuming, and challenging than my previous jobs, and there are plenty of days I feel mentally and physically exhausted. But at the same time, because I have so much love and passion for my job, I have never been more motivated, energized, and fulfilled in my life. Our industry is so rewarding and every detail has importance. I don’t see our sales as just an order or service – it’s going to be a life-long lasting memory and keepsake. There are so many emotions, stress, pressures, and oftentimes adversities when it comes to planning a wedding. Having deep care and understanding are requirements in this business. If you miss a detail – it can affect a person’s entire experience and damage a memory that’s supposed to be exciting and special. I love what I do, the people we serve and the people I work with. For most people, a job is where we spend most of our time. Everyone deserves to spend that time pouring into something that fills them up. I am so grateful for all of the previous jobs I’ve had because the gratitude I have for my work now would not be as significant if I didn’t endure those experiences. They all have impacted my career in some way. If I didn’t experience feeling unfulfilled in my previous jobs, I don’t think I would be where I’m at today. I have so much more gratitude and appreciation for the business and work I do now because of it. My happiness and love for my career has poured into all other areas of my life. I hope and pray that every person reading this has the chance to work in a job or industry that they truly love and that fulfills them. Because when you pour love into everything you do, the doors that will be opened can exceed your wildest expectations. There’s an endless possibility of life-changing plans waiting for you that you can’t even fathom.
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 Vicky Lynn Quach, and I am a proud first-generation Asian American born and raised in the United States. My parents immigrated from Vietnam in hopes of creating a better life for their future family and better opportunities. Growing up, my parents always worked extremely hard in efforts to give me a better life than they had. They instilled the importance of hard work and gratitude for every opportunity we have in this country. I was fortunate enough to get into the business because of one of the most important people in my life, my mom. At a young age of twenty-one, my mom decided to open her first bridal store. I grew up spending most of my time at our small shop. As a young kid I’d help with anything I could. From folding boxes, windexing the showroom, refilling my mom’s pin cushions, filing invoices and occasionally trying on a few dresses for fun, I was always involved. We spent late nights and long days there together and from a young age, I’ve been able to watch my mom pour love and dedication into the business. With hard work and determination, she eventually expanded her first store to a bigger location and then later sold the business. A few years later, she made a comeback in the bridal industry and opened an even bigger store, which we still currently own and operate as a family: Bridal Gallery of Orlando.
Bridal Gallery of Orlando is a premier luxury wedding dress and formalwear destination boutique that specializes in in-house alterations and custom design. Our store prides itself for top-tier customer service and striving to give all of our clients the best, most memorable experience possible. Our store carries world renown bridal and formalwear designers, hand-picked styles for every client in mind, an array of accessories and custom design services making our store a one-stop shop. What makes us especially stand out from others is our highly-skilled team of industry experts who all have a deep passion for the industry and dedication to help every individual that walks through the door. My role within the business consists of managing and conducting all of our marketing and events, buying our products, merchandising, assisting with operations, hiring, working closely with our vendors and partnerships and overseeing our team.
During the wedding planning process, it’s almost inevitable that some kind of issue will arise. From problems such as a dress getting improperly altered elsewhere, a poor shopping experience that has discouraged a bride, family loss and adversities, pressure from loved ones or society, a vendor canceling at the last minute… the list can go on. But no matter the issue, our team strives to face challenges head on. When everyone else tells a bride, “it can’t be done”, we team up with them and say “let’s make it happen.” This is what makes me the most proud of our team and company. Problems that we help solve for our clients can be super unique and a situation we’ve never faced before. There’s been many cases where our seamstresses have put everything aside and worked very late hours to help save a bride’s dream, even in a one day turnaround. When our sales team is aware of difficult situations such as a bride suffering loss or are unable to have a loved one during their dress shopping, a bride needing to find and alter an entire new dress days before the wedding, a bride’s family member giving them an extremely difficult time about their dress or wedding decisions, our team treats them with compassion and how we would want to be treated. We do everything we can to turn every difficult situation around. When a bride feels defeated and loses hope, we strive to uplift them and make their experience exciting again. We face the challenge with the bride, even if the easier option may be to not get involved, but that is not who we are. There are many other stories unseen and I know our team’s significant impact on our clients all come from our giving hearts, serving attitudes and love for our job and people.
One of the main things I’d like our potential clients, followers and peers to know about our store is that we strive to make every person who walks through our doors feel special and are treated with care. Our team feels like family and is so diverse with different backgrounds in the industry, which brings a variety of skills and knowledge to our store. All of our previous jobs in the industry have led us to our true calling in helping brides and clients find their dream dress. We see every bride, Mother of the Bride/Groom, and guest as a special person who deserves to have the absolute best dress shopping journey. We love what we do, who we serve and hope everyone can feel the deep love we have within our Bridal Gallery family.
Bridal Gallery of Orlando is a premier luxury wedding dress and formalwear destination boutique that specializes in in-house alterations and custom design. Our store prides itself for top-tier customer service and striving to give all of our clients the best, most memorable experience possible. Our store carries world renown bridal and formalwear designers, hand-picked styles for every client in mind, an array of accessories and custom design services making our store a one-stop shop. What makes us especially stand out from others is our highly-skilled team of industry experts who all have a deep passion for the industry and dedication to help every individual that walks through the door.
During the wedding planning process, it’s almost inevitable that some kind of issue will arise. From problems such as a dress getting improperly altered elsewhere, a poor shopping experience that has discouraged a bride, family loss and adversities, pressure from loved ones or society, a vendor canceling at the last minute… the list can go on. But no matter the issue, our team strives to face challenges head on. When everyone else tells a bride, “it can’t be done”, we team up with them and say “let’s make it happen.” This is what makes me the most proud of our team and company. Problems that we help solve for our clients can be super unique and a situation we’ve never seen before. There’s been many cases where our seamstresses have put everything aside and worked very late hours to help save a bride’s dream, even in a one day turnaround. When our stylists are aware of difficult situations such as a bride suffering loss or are unable to have a loved one during their dress shopping, a bride needing to find and alter an entire new dress days before the wedding, a bride’s family member giving them an extremely difficult time about their dress or wedding decisions, our stylists treats them with compassion and how we would want to be treated. We do everything we can to turn every difficult situation around. When a bride feels defeated and loses hope, we strive to uplift them and make their experience exciting again. We face the challenge with the bride, even if the easier option may be to not get involved, but that is not who we are. There are many other stories unseen and I know our team’s significant impact on our clients all come from our giving hearts, serving attitudes and love for our job and people.
One of the main things I’d like our potential clients, followers and peers to know about our store is that we strive to make every person who walks through our doors feel special and are treated with care. Our team feels like family and is so diverse with different backgrounds in the industry, which brings a variety of skills and knowledge to our store. All of our previous jobs in the industry have led us to our true calling in helping brides and clients find their dream dress. We see every bride, Mother of the Bride/Groom, and guest as a special person who deserves to have the absolute best dress shopping journey. We love what we do, who we serve and hope everyone can feel the deep love we have within our Bridal Gallery family.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
There are multiple different factors that I believe helped me build my reputation within my market. I give a lot of credit to my mom’s legacy that has helped paved the way and the knowledge she has been able to pass on to me. My mom, Ellie Shackleton-Jones, started the business at a young age and became known as an innovator in the bridal world. When she opened her first bridal store, social media didn’t exist and most stores didn’t have websites. She was one of the first to have a website leading clients to visit us from all over. With her having over 30+ years of experience in the industry, she’s taught me so much and continues to until this day. With that, when I came into the business full-time, I knew the pressure was on, but I was excited. I’ve grown my reputation by developing and maintaining relationships with our partners, vendors, team, clients and others in the industry. I love to learn, innovate, and collaborate with others. I’ve always had a passion to improve our business. Listening to feedback from others and being open-minded are essential to a successful business owner. Over time, I’ve learned how important it is to adapt to changes efficiently, especially since we’ve seen many changes within our industry. I also like to have involvement in all areas of the business. That does not mean being an expert in every area, but being able to jump in and help a bridal appointment, answer the phones, place orders, assist in shipping and receiving and lead the team, which all helps me have a deeper understanding overall. It also shows the team and others that I am willing to put in the work and do whatever I can to maintain our reputation and make the business as successful as possible.
There are multiple factors that I believe have helped me build my reputation within my market. One of those factors is my mom, Ellie Shackleton-Jones, who has 30+ years of experience in the industry. She has taught me to always stay ahead of trends, adapt, communicate, and build relationships. With that, when I came into the business full-time, I knew the pressure was on, but I was excited. I’ve grown my reputation by developing and maintaining relationships with our partners, vendors, team, clients and others in the industry. I’ve always had a passion to improve our business; I love to learn, innovate, and collaborate. Over time, I’ve learned how important it is to adapt to changes efficiently, especially since we’ve seen many changes within our industry. Listening to feedback from others and being open-minded are essential to being a successful business owner. Another factor that helped me build my reputation is being a team player and putting in the work wherever I can. Although I am not an expert in all areas, I believe it is important to be involved and offer support wherever needed: whether that means jumping in to help a bridal appointment, answer the phones, place orders, or assist in shipping and receiving. I believe having the knowledge of all aspects of the business helps build trust with my employees, customers, and partners.
I give a lot of credit to my mom’s legacy that has helped paved the way and the knowledge she has been able to pass on to me. When she opened her first bridal store, social media didn’t exist and most stores didn’t have websites. She was one of the first to have a website leading clients to visit us from all over. With her having over 30+ years of experience in the industry, she’s taught me so much and continues to until this day. With that, when I came into the business full-time, I knew the pressure was on, but I was excited. I’ve grown my reputation by developing and maintaining relationships with our partners, vendors, team, clients and others in the industry. I love to learn, innovate, and collaborate with others. I’ve always had a passion to improve our business. Listening to feedback from others and being open-minded are essential to a successful business owner. Over time, I’ve learned how important it is to adapt to changes efficiently, especially since we’ve seen many changes within our industry. I also like to have involvement in all areas of the business. That does not mean being an expert in every area, but being able to jump in and help a bridal appointment, answer the phones, place orders, assist in shipping and receiving and lead the team, which all helps me have a deeper understanding overall. It also shows the team and others that I am willing to put in the work and do whatever I can to maintain our reputation and make the business as successful as possible.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for us is word of mouth. Relationships are extremely important to all of us. When you build trusting relationships, your clients will naturally spread the word. We are fortunate to have clients that travel from all over the country and internationally to visit our store and work with our talented team. Our social media presence is also another great source of new clients for us. We’ve had international clients reach out to us from seeing our social media, whether its on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and other platforms. There are plenty of stores that exist, but choosing the store that you trust and know has a dedicated team of industry professionals that care is so important when finding your dress. We welcome everyone to visit us and are truly honored to be a part of this special time in one’s life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bridalgalleryoforlando.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridalgalleryoforlando
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridalgalleryoforlando
- Other: info@bridalgalleryoforlando.com
pinterest.com/bridalgalleryoforlando/
Image Credits
Romero Photoworks