Her Story
About Stacie
My career journey has taken me through multiple industries over 20 years. I started with my bachelor's degree in retail and consumer science from the University of Arizona with the goal of being in fashion as a buyer. I worked in various management roles for corporate, where I was the person they'd hand the keys to and I had a show. I became an assistant buyer for a luxury resort acquisition company, and while I achieved my dream position of being a buyer, they quickly found out - and I found out - that I was better suited for being the corporate project manager. In that role, I traveled to different resorts and properties, trained teams, helped with merchandising, and did communications to all the locations for a big multi-billion dollar corporation. From there, I went to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess as the retail and event director with a team of 150 employees, 6 shops on property, and we did a big event called Christmas at the Princess. Between all of my career, I met my husband who worked for his family's construction company. After a series of events, we ended up acquiring the construction company and took it from a 6-figure business to a 7-figure business, really changing the landscape of that. It's not his company, it's our company - I'm partners in the company with him. I decided to open my own company, SH Business Stylist, supporting small businesses. I worked with the Coachella Valley Women's Business Center to start and grow my own company, and we really liked working with each other. They saw a need and I saw a need, so I became a business counselor for the Coachella Valley Women's Business Center, one of 200 women's business centers throughout the U.S. supported by the Small Business Administration. I continue to teach classes continuously and support other entrepreneurs in their journey, whether they're just starting out or they've been in business 10, 20 years. What I am the very best at is being a brand strategist - that's my number one thing. I excel at taking a brand and understanding how to elevate it, how to change it, how to adapt and grow. There's really no typical day because every day is very dynamic and ever-changing. My role within the construction company is similar to that of my own business - supporting others, taking a look at where we're at as a company and what we can improve on, and also some boots on the ground. I walk construction sites before we start and after, meet with the owners or property managers, make sure they're happy and understand the scope of work, and I'm there to wrap things up and check in on the team. Every day is pulled in multiple directions, but I have a plan before I go into the day. The day is always filled with community, filled with opportunity, filled with challenges, but with family and community at the center and the core. It's dynamic and always changing, absolutely bonkers, but it's really fun and I love the challenge.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Stacie
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think really, just first, planning - have a plan. I always have a plan, and I think that that is really critical to success. You can't just wing it, although I think a lot of people think of winging it. I'm not winging it, this is very calculated. Even with Leadership Coachella Valley, I knew about it and I waited for a while - it was 2015 I found out about it. I sit and I wait till everything's right, it's the right moment, and then I'm able to really fully commit. So I think it's like a two-fold. You need to plan, but then you also need to take action. You need to not be scared and take risks, because sometimes you never know. I always tell my two young kids, what's the worst that can happen? Most of the time it's you get a no, and that's it, or it's not the right time. You will never know if you never tried. So you've got to have a plan, but then you also have to be willing to take risks and put yourself out there.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now with tariffs, cost of labor, expenses, insurance, everything is just crushing small business owners. It's a really, really, really tough market. We're on very slim margins, from having our best year ever last year to not even back to 2020 version of this. It's a very different market, and I don't know how long this war's gonna go on, but as long as it does and drives up the cost of everything, it's tough for a lot of people. Which is scary, but we have to be very, very, very tight with everything until it's not.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The day is always filled with community. It's always filled with opportunity. It's always filled with challenges, but with family and community, like, that's the center and the core. Everything revolves around family and community for me - that's what drives my work supporting other entrepreneurs in their journey, whether they're just starting out or they've been in business 10, 20 years. I love the challenge and the dynamic nature of what I do.
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