I have been to several blog conferences but this was the first time I have attended The Blog Societies' TBSCON. The convention was in Avalon, GA at an upscale boutique hotel, The Hotel at Avalon.
Upon arriving, I went up to my room and met my fabulous roommates for the weekend, Julia of GlitterandJuls and Megan of BeingMrsFowler. We spruced up and headed on over to the Opening Night Cocktail Party.



There were so many really great activities, cocktails, and brands! The brand networking opportuniteis at this event were amazing!






NO! I was not sleeping. I was just caught mid-blink! For once in a class setting, I was able to keep my brain focused to soak up all of the knowledge that was being thrown at me. I must say, the entire time my wheels were turning and ideas were flying from every angle! Thank goodness we were given a super cute notebook in our welcome bags because I sure did fill mine with all types of creative notions.








After a full day of classes, we attended a cocktail SWAG Grab where there were all types of goodies set up and again, we were able to meet with more vendors.






I was totally amazed at all of the new things I was learning! I have been blogging for over 3 years and honestly thought I knew everything by now. One thing I learned at the conference is that the industry is ever changing and you must do your due diligence to stay in line with the evolution and bend with the changes.


After our lunch and full day of lectures, we broke out into a champagne and creative flower crown making session! What a perfect way to end this fabulous conference! This is BY FAR my new favorite annual blog event and I am so honored to be a part of The Blog Societies' prestigious community.

Are you opening up a shop but have no clue how to negotiate a commercial lease for retail space? In my latest online course I teach you the details on commercial lease length, how to negotiate commercial lease build outs, and so many other very important aspects of commercial lease negotiations.

Now I have 2 courses created! So excited to announce my Boutique Brand Builder course! This is for the shop owner or aspiring shop owner who either wants to strengthen their brand, change up their brand, or actually create a brand from scratch! In this post, I am going to give the deets on this awesome lecture series.

I get constant questions on how I did it? How did I quit my Fortune 100 job climbing the corporate ladder,  and give up the easy 9 to 5 for an extremely risky business endeavor?  I can tell you one thing, I have had lots of failures and tons of successes with my business in the past 6 years but one thing always remains, I absolutely LOVE my job and being my own boss! Yes it was risky, but not because of the nature of my business. Retail is not a new business model, but the risk lies within the skill set and knowledge level of the entrepreneur. Since I had no experience running a retail shop, the anxiety of failure and insecurity of my competency level always lingered over my shoulder.

Announcing my new role with Style Blueprint! I have been a published fashion stylist in print for about 5 years now. It is a side hustle that provides an escape for the month, one that I truly love. I recently accepted the fashion stylist position with one of the south's most popular blogs, Style Blueprint Memphis. Making the transition from print to digital as a published stylist has been a decision that I feel has propelled my brand and in this post, I will explain how choosing digital can help any profession gain the exposure needed to take their business and brand to the next level.

 
Want the ULTIMATE BOSS GIRL OFFICE? Most of you know me as a fashionista but I bet you didn't know that I am a super budget shopper. I thrive on quality products at great deals. Maybe that is why I am so adamant about my boutique, The Ivory Closet, being price sensitive while also offering great quality! With that in mind, I am not a grazer when it comes to shopping. I usually will find a shop that matches my style and buyer criteria and frequent, no, pretty much LIVE in that store. haha When I invested in my creative studio space downtown, it was important to develop an atmosphere that was light and airy to allow idea generation and the creative juices to flow freely but as with the start of any new business, the budget is pretty tight and does not allow much room for frills. Luckily, with the help of interior designer, Savannah Cantrell and the super mod home store IKEA, I was able to get the perfect boss girl office while remaining in my budget!

So I just got back from Atlanta's off season fashion market and boy was it different from Magic in Vegas! If you own a shop and can't decide which market to attend, here are my comparisons.

So, this is the last The Ivory Closet opening of the year...I swear! 3's a charm and you know I always strive to be the charmed one! So here it is! Franchise number 2, shop number 3. Introducing.... The Flowood, Mississippi The Ivory Closet location.

 The past few weeks I have been a little absent on the blog, but I swear I have a really good reason. As many of you know, I own a couple of boutiques in Memphis, TN. I am working on moving one of those shops to a larger location but that's not all that is in the works for The Ivory Closet brand. I am so excited to say that my business has officially graduated to a corporate level. The Ivory Closet is officially open for franchising and we have our first ever franchisee partner, as well as another one in the works!

Have a business idea or even a full blown business model? I bet you have decided on all the ins and outs of your company and how it will operate, but have explored the external environment in which your business exists? Before solidifying your value prop, explore the external environment. Explore the space in which your business was designed to operate.