We recently connected with Viola Esdaille and have shared our conversation below.
Viola, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I have always dreamed of owning my very own shoe store. I would daydream about what it would look like, smell like and most of all what brand of shoes would I carry. I even had aspirations of designing my own shoes one day. But the cost of a start up like this would cost more than I had in my savings at the time. I needed a plan, so like any self-starter I went back to school! Going to school put vocabulary/terminology to what I already knew. Which capitulated me into another dimension. Life goes on and I began to save money so that I could open my first brick and mortar. But then life does what it does best, and a life event takes place, and I needed that savings for something else. It seemed like every time I was going to make a move on opening this store something would happen and the funds would have to go elsewhere. I felt like was in arms reach of my dream, but I could never grasp it. The love and passion that I once had was fading away. Until one day I said to myself life is always going to present itself with challenges and if you really want this you need to move now. So, I stopped what I was doing and begin to place phone calls to vendors that I had previously searched out on the internet and placed my very first order. And no, it wasn’t a brick and mortar, but it birthed Sugarfoot Shoetique an online shoe store. It was all mine (I eventually opened my brick and mortar too)!
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?
You could say that I’ve been an entrepreneur since a young girl. I can remember selling pencils, sheets of paper, test score sheets, peachies, and anything else kids wouldn’t bring to school. I quickly learned what supply and demand was all about. My first day becoming the “plug” I made a whole $24.50 and for a young kid back in the 80’s I was rich… lol! I eventually added snacks to my sell list and the rest is history. The creative side of me was awakened and begin to teach myself skills such as calligraphy which became the gateway into graphic design. One summer I had a job at Seattle City Light and one of the ladies was making a layout for a campaign for the company and she saw me staring and asked if I wanted to learn what she was doing, and I nodded as any teenager would respond and made my way to her desk. And from that very moment I knew that I needed to know more. So, I begin this quest of researching what graphic design was. Researching design programs for beginners and self-teaching myself how to use these programs. But I didn’t realize at the time that this would be the launching pad for me to begin my own graphic design company.
And yes, I still have the business. I’ve lost count how many designs I’ve created from assisting other entrepreneurs with their start-up materials, to wedding invitations, programs and the list goes on.
What I love is being able to take someone else’s ideas, thoughts and concepts and bring it to life. There’s nothing like hearing “this is exactly what I imagined”. Just gives my heart butterflies.
One of my least favorite things to create is one of the things that brings me much joy. “Celebration of Life” programs. The fact that I am entrusted to create a full color printed announcement about their loved one is something that I take very seriously and consider it a privilege. I get to celebrate their legacy in print!
I am most proud that I am able to assist with a concept that often exhibits the next chapter in someone’s life.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
If, you can’t tell by now I am a serial entrepreneur and my business intertwine within each other (Retail and Graphic Design/Marketing it all goes hand in hand). The five-letter word that I am sure no one wants to hear ever again… COVID! When the pandemic was creeping upon us no one knew fully what to expect. I was a few steps away from a photoshoot that was going to launch our next roll out. But I just had an uneasiness of bring together a team of people who would have no choice but to be in close proximity of each other. So, with a heavy heart I called all the models, photographers, make-up, well you get the point to cancel the shoot. I am so glad I did. Within a week we were in lock down! Now, what do I do? What about the staff, payroll, rent and so and so on?!? I had to think quickly because if I don’t come up with a plan all of this is going to go away. After all people weren’t having weddings, or purchasing shoes, or having a need for business cards.
But what I did notice is within our community people where bored and needed something to occupy their time. So, we started filling the needs of our community with at home beauty products. Which the team was able to do from home. We set everyone up with the ability to ship from their home and produced Blaque Sugar (Beauty products that consisted of handmade lashes, press on nails and designer mask – cause after all you needed to look at the top of your game on those ZOOM meetings lol.) These three items kept our team and paid throughout the pandemic. Who knew!
We never missed rent and most of all payrolls.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe the number one thing that helped build my business reputation is our customer service. We go up and beyond for our customers even when it is convenient. I believe customer service can break your business or catapult it to the next stratosphere. We live in a society that wants everything automated. And a there are somethings that a computer can do.
People want to know that they are important and that their concerns and experiences matter.
And I believe that is what sets us apart. They need to feel that human connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopsugarfoot.com
- Instagram: shopsugarfoot
- Facebook: shopsugarfoot
- Twitter: shopsugarfoot