YFE is honored to run two profiles on young women who have very recently started their entrepreneurial journey (See Big Hair Book’s Arynetta Floyzelle Northcutt). They had an idea they loved and made the conscious decision to get started. Setting their fears aside they committed their time, money, and energy into taking action.
Renata Musial’s business, Frock ‘n Roll Chicago is just three months old, but is a great example of “[doing] what you can, with what you have, where you are” (Theodore Roosevelt). Find out more about Renata and her pop-up dress boutique…
Website: www.frocknrollchicago.com Twitter: @FrocknRollCHI Facebook: www.facebook.com/frocknrollchicago
What is your business all about?
Frock ‘n Roll Chicago celebrates a love of daily dress wearing. Wearing a dress makes a woman feel good, why save that just for special occasions? Today IS a special occasion.
Frock ‘n Roll Chicago is a pop-up dress boutique which means I have no physical store location: I pop-up a boutique where and when my customers want! Minimal overhead translates to better pricing on dresses for my customers.
I personally select each and every dress in my inventory and at each event, work to help women find dresses that suit and expand their style. Women are able to try on various styles and sizes along with accessories and take home their purchase that same day!
What does your background look like?
In a past life, I was a lawyer. I have a degree in from Communication from Loyola University Chicago and in 2005, I graduated from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. I worked primarily in commercial litigation representing corporate clients like insurance companies.
I wore a suit to work that consisted of mostly boring black dresses with boring black jackets. I even started my own law firm in 2010. It didn’t take me too long to realize that I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing. So, I did the most logical thing that came to mind: I quit.
I wandered aimlessly about the earth for a little bit of time until the light bulb went off in the Summer of 2011 and I thought, “You know what? I should just do what I love.” So that’s what I’m doing.
Why did you start your business, launch your first product, or build that community in the first place?
My motivation was to create a career that would be fun, creative, and allow me to stay home one day with future children.
I had always wanted to open a boutique but, in this economy, I was weary of investing money in a storefront. Overhead expenses like rent are KILLING small businesses right now. Plus, quite frankly, I wasn’t certain that this was going to be successful or, more importantly, that I was even going to like it. As a rebound career, I was optimistic about Frock ‘n Roll’s future but also keeping myself grounded and realistic.
As it turns out, I’m LOVING what I’m doing and having a great time. I’m inspired and challenged everyday in different ways and I’m getting a fantastic response from customers who like the ability to shop in the comfort of their own home. Not only are they having fun but they are learning about the importance of putting their best foot forward.
Wearing a dress doesn’t mean you’ll be overdressed, it means you’ll be put-together.
What are your favorite things about being young, female and entrepreneurial?
It’s been really fun and exciting to see women responding positively to the Frock ‘n Roll idea and my selection of dresses. I’ve never fully (and so publicly) expressed myself in a creative way and it is intimidating!
But I love the challenges of running this business and I love that every idea or decision, good or bad, is entirely my own to make. I feel very proud of that.
Do you have mentors or people you admire that you think of when making business decisions?
My husband has been an entrepreneur for over 10 years and my parents have been self-employed for almost 20. They have been great inspirations to me and I often rely on them for sage advice.
Recently, I’ve been devouring all of the great advice in magazines like Inc. and Entrepreneur. I also recently discovered and am in love with Marie Forleo’s work, Rich, Happy & Hot. I look up to the women who started successful at-home businesses like Mary Kay, Stella & Dot & Gigi Hill, for example, and look to their stories as inspiration for my own success.
What have been the advantages of being young and female while building your business?
I’ve sort of put myself out there as a “dress expert” even though that was never my intention! Being young and female myself, other young women are now looking to my advice when it comes to dresses. I honestly didn’t expect that!
But, being young and female myself, I realize that simply sharing my experience and insight about clothing in an honest and sincere way is helping my customers to make decisions about what they wear which ultimately turns into sales for my business! Win-win!
What are the disadvantages you’ve faced, if any?
Thankfully, I haven’t faced many BIG disadvantages just yet. However, I know that small businesses have a tough, if not impossible, time getting credit and loans which makes it difficult for them to grow let alone get off the ground.
What is your advice for a young, female entrepreneur just starting out or in the research stage?
My advice to a YFE just starting out is to research her target audience. Why are you reaching out to them and why do they need your service? Ask yourself how you’re going to stand out from the competition and be unique?
Then, once you have an idea flushed out and a basic plan together, I would put your idea out there in the world. That creates accountability and then requires you to start taking action towards making the idea a reality.
Before I bought a single dress for my inventory, I created a Frock ‘n Roll facebook page and began telling people what I was doing. It created a buzz, it got people interested, asking questions and, more importantly, forced me to take action. Because I said I was going to do it. Now I HAD to do it. It was a great motivation and held me accountable.
Not all of your ideas or decision are going to be good ones but you’ll never have that “good one” unless you try. Don’t be afraid to fail. Believe in yourself.
What is your drink of choice?
Grey Goose + Soda with Lime
What can we find you doing when you are not working on and in your business?
I LOVE to cook (and eat) so you can usually find me in the kitchen dissecting elaborate recipes. I love shopping gourmet food stores, I’m like a kid in a candy store with all the fancy ingredients! I also love foreign travel.
I was at the Barnes and Noble Cafe perusing books when the poem came to me of a little girl who is not comfortable with her hair because it’s different than her friends. In less than an hour the girl’s entire journey to loving that which makes her different flowed through me, and that’s how my main character ‘Effie’ and our first app ‘Big Hair’ was born.
