We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what role has risk played in your life or career?
How many times are we told growing up that the risk is worth the reward? You would think by the time we enter our young adult years and begin our careers this would stick with us a bit better but let’s face it…risk-taking is just flat out scary. You have to be prepared for things to look different than you imagined. You have to be prepared that you might jump and get some bruises or beat up along the way. You have to be prepared to work countless hours to turn that risk into reward. You have to let the fear of failing take a backseat in order to fully manifest success.

When the idea of opening up a boutique first crossed our minds we were just entering into what would be the first pandemic of our life time- the COVID 19 era. Businesses everywhere were struggling to make ends meet, to keep employees healthy, and battling supply chain issues. Hits were coming from all sides. We knew we were crazy to think this would be a good time to begin our journey, yet it still felt like a risk we were willing to take. We were ready for the challenge, the bruises, and the long hours. A quote that stuck with us in the early days was, “Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game”. We knew that we could fail, but we were ready to risk it all to succeed.

From there we moved forward fiercely and never looked back. We opened up The Common Sage Boutique online on August 2nd, 2020 and after months of success and growth we were presented with an opportunity to move into a store front starting in January of 2022. Now make no mistake this is something we had talked about, but it was more on the 5 year plan. We were both pregnant with our first child, both moving into new houses, working full time jobs and the thought of transitioning our small online business into a full on store front was scary. It felt like the timing was completely wrong just as it had felt when we first opened two years earlier. But once again we felt that urge to push through the fear of failing to provide our customers with something more. We knew that by providing an in-store location they would be able to try clothes on and see items in person and that was an experience we had only dreamed of providing just months earlier.

As we sit here reminiscing at our story we still feel like we were crazy, but we also think about how much we would have missed out on if we wouldn’t have been willing to take some risks along the way. There may never be the perfect time to chase your dreams so our advice is to chase those dreams you have today. The risk is great, but the reward will be so much better!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It all started back in 2020. Have you ever heard the quote, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game”? Recently we were hanging out talking about where we were in life and how much had changed in the past year. Lexa is recently married, lives in a beautiful house, and took a new job in Corporate America. I am recently engaged, trying to plan a wedding during a pandemic, and unfortunately victim to a position that was heavily impacted by the virus leading to a long and continuing furlough. As we counted our blessings we talked about how we both dreamed of owning our own side business. Something that would create not only financial freedom, but a place to be a creative, real life GIRL BOSS.

We had every excuse in the book about how there isn’t enough time in the day, there’s too much competition, where would we even start or the overwhelming thought of what if we try and we fail? What if we strike out? At that moment we realized between the two of us we had more than enough time, resources, and knowledge to knock this out of the park! An idea was born! We told only our significant others (who supported us whole-heartedly) and got to work!

We joke looking back that coming up with a name for our new online boutique might have been the hardest part. After lots of brainstorming we settled on the Common Sage because the heart behind our store was to bring common spirits together in a small corner of the internet to discover clothing and accessories that make them feel confident & comfortable.

While purchasing clothes for our Common Sage Sisters we try to embrace a variety of styles, while catering to common on-trend styles. We make it our mission to provide clothes that women actually want to wear and can feel good in.
We are no longer letting the fear of failure keep us from chasing our dreams. We hope you will join us on this wild ride and support our store and mission! We are thankful for each and every one of you who choose to follow along and support us on this journey.
In Common Love,
Ashley Williams & Lexa Bennett

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Eat- Harvest Hall Grapevine, Primos Mexican Food, Joe T Garcias, First Watch Brunch (we love their iced coffee)

Drink- Sloan & Williams Winery, wine bars in Waxahachie or Grapevine, Twisted Sisters in Midlothian, Union 28 in Midlothian

Party- Cowboys Game + Texas Live, Grapevine Wine Tour, Train Trip to Stockyards and stay at Drover Hotel, country music concert at Billy Bobs

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Whoah- where do we even begin? We feel so blessed to have felt supported from day 1 by so many of our loved ones.

To our families- Thank you for believing in and supporting us on a daily basis. Jumping in whenever and wherever we need you, sending encouragement, and even pitching in with manual labor when needed.

To our husbands- Thank you for allowing us to chase our dreams. The slack you pick up around the house or with the kids does not go unnoticed and allows us to spend more time chasing our dreams.

To our models aka our Best Friends- Thank you for supporting us with your time and orders. We are so excited to have been able to launch your model careers 😊

To our employees- Thank you for your dedication to servicing our customers and patience as we learn how to be leaders to you all

To our Customers- We would be no where without your love, support, and word of mouth. Thank you for allowing us to grace your closet with stylish clothes and accessories.

Website: https://thecommonsageboutique.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecommonsageboutique

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShoptheCommonSage/

Other: Join the Common Sage Boutique VIP Group on Facebook to be the first to know about new arrivals and sales.

Image Credits
Bailee Sterling with Bailee Sterling Photography (Group Girl Photo)

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