Her Story
About Tina
I'm a serial entrepreneur and business owner who has been in my field for almost 10 years. I decided to go to college and get a degree in business administration so I could know how to run my business and do everything I need to do to be successful. I started my boutique because I was a single mom of three boys, and my youngest son was diagnosed with autism. It was really hard for me to stay at a job with him having special needs, so I had to do something that would accommodate him and be beneficial to myself and my family. My main expertise is beauty, health and wellness - I love to make women feel good about themselves, give them an overall different look if they want to, style them, and do consulting for skincare. I'm like a beauty and health professional. I wear all the hats in my business - I do inventory management, modeling, sourcing, everything. I'm a one-man operation. I open up my boutique just like a regular retail business - I put out the register, count the money, and handle all aspects of the business. I'm most proud of being able to sustain a business by myself for this long, and I'm proud that I'm making my sons proud of me so they can see that it's possible for them to do anything they want to do. I've made connections here in Roanoke and have been participating in Roanoke Fashion Week every year.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tina
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, I attribute my success to my children. I was a teen mom - I had my first at a young age. I just attribute that to wanting to be the mother to my children that I didn't have growing up, to give them guidance, and just not wanting them to have to figure it out on their own. So I really attribute my success to my kids.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to be true to herself. Don't follow trends or compare to someone else - you don't know their journey, you don't know what they're going through behind the scenes. I would just stay true to yourself, and just live out loud, you know, don't be afraid.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some challenges in the fashion industry are that there are a lot of different types of people, like different boutiques, different designers, so it's hard for you to stand out and stick out. I don't really want to kind of blend in with everyone. I want to be noticed, and I want to do something outside the box, so that's a little challenging. The upside about it is there is a lot of people in the industry, so there are a lot of connections. I made some connections with people here in Roanoke, so I've been participating in Roanoke Fashion Week, which is like the fashion shows for our city. We just had one, April 26th. So it goes both ways.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely honesty and integrity. People will not do business with you if they think you're shady. And the same way in my personal life, it's hard to trust people if they've wavered in their thoughts about you. So integrity and honesty are the top priority for me.
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