Meet Daisy J | Online Boutique Owner

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

Hi Daisy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first thought of starting my own business, it kind of came natural to me. A little back story, I started e-commerce awhile back before thinking about my business now. While I was in high school, to make a little extra side money besides my regular part time job, I started to re-sell my used clothing. I used apps such as Poshmark, Mercari, Vinted, Etc. I was already familiar with the whole taking pictures, uploading and shipping process, so when I started my own business it was a no brainer. I already had a love for clothing, fashion and trends, so it was an easy process on figuring out what I wanted to do. I had also thought about doing sweets or flower arrangements. But initially, I’ve always loved shopping and sorting through clothes and putting outfits together

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I began planning my business, I was a freshman in college. To be exact, it was during my second semester of freshman year. I started planning everything out mid March of 2020. It took a while to get all my licenses and permits since I wasn’t able to afford them because I was only working part time at Chipotle. Once I was able to get them I officially got my name as Daisy J Boutique as of July 2020. From there, I took while to launch due to school and work, so I officially launched in October 2020. School was getting a bit hard since I had entered my sophomore year. I decided to pick up a second job in December to be able to fund my business. At that point I was working weekday nights at Chipotle and weekends at a warehouse. On top of that I was still going to school full time and taking care of my business. It definitely got hard and took a huge toll on me. I went from passing all of my classes to having to drop some of them due to failure. The warehouse job was exhausting and very demanding so I figured it was not for me and quit. I keep my job at chipotle and took a semester off school spring of 2021. I felt more relaxed and stress free. But my business was not doing as good. I had gone a few months without posting and promoting and I definitely saw the difference. I got back on my game and began to work and I saw progress again. That was when I first learned about the good and bad days in business. I was getting tired of working in fast food, so to my luck a got offered a job at the accounting office I went to go do my business taxes in. I began working there 3 days a week and worked only 2 days at Chipotle. It was the summer so it wasn’t as bad. My business was doing super good as well due to summer events and a rise in sales. I decided to start school back in the fall and it took me to finally quit my Chipotle job. It was a very bittersweet moment because I definitely met great people but at the same time I was tired of fast food jobs. I continued to work 3 days a week at my office job and went to school. It was easy to manage up until I got the opportunity to lease an entire month at my local mall. Two other local business owners and I decided to team up to lease the entire month of October. I had asked permission to leave my job for the month and I continued school through online. It was a really great month and very exciting. My business definitely got a lot of exposure and it was exciting to hit 1 year at a retail location. I never would of thought that a year into my business I would be celebrating at an entire retail location at a huge mall. After that month, I went back to work and continued my studies and business. My business hosted and participated in a huge winter event. Even though the event was successful, it was a very dark time for me. Just a day before Thanksgiving, my uncle passed away. This was our very first close death in our family, so we were all devastated. Everything happened so quickly. My uncle was a very close person to me. Not only did he live with us at our home but I also spent a lot of time with him. Summer of 2021, when he first got diagnosed, I was the one who drove him to all his appointments. It definitely was hard to think about how far along he was in his treatment and how much he was improving and it all just came crashing down one day. After his passing, I realized I had missed an important final for my semester. This had caused me to fail and to have my financial aid taken away. I had go through a whole process with my school to get my financial aid back but unfortunately I was not able to, I decided to take another semester off and simply focus on my job and business. As of now, my grief has gotten a bit better. My days seem brighter and I have learned to be more grateful of the life I have. I continue to work at my office job and my business. My business has grown a lot and know it will keep growing, God willing. I also plan on re entering school in the Fall of 2022.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m from a suburban area out about 40 minutes from Chicago. Some of my favorite spots to go to are definitely Navy Pier. I love the Ferris wheel and the swing ride. It is also very nice to go during the summer and watch the sunset at night. I remember when I was about 16 I took a ride on one of the boats and it was very nice, I recommend it. Another one of my favorites is the Sky Deck. I have gone about 2 times already and I get amazed every time. You are able to see the entire city from above! It is a little scary though since you see it from a glass window and your feet are literally right on top of it. Just don’t look down too much and you will be fine. I absolutely love the beaches in the summer, water is perfect for the hot summer days. During winter time Millennium park is the way to go. Enjoy ice skating or a simple walk along all the Christmas lights and trees.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, boyfriend, friends & local supporters deserve recognition in my success. If it was not for their help and support I would not be able to do what I do now. My family and boyfriend were supportive from the start and have always encouraged me to keep going even on the bad days. They have even helped me physically whenever I need extra hands for certain tasks or events. When I initially launched, I had not told anyone so everyone was shocked. However, I got incredible support from my friends and even people I had gone to school with that I had never spoken to before. I don’t think they have noticed the impact they have done on my life, and good too.

Website: www.daisyjboutique.com

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