Baylie Janis is one incredible, passionate business lady with the most darling women’s clothing shop, Louise Lane. Today’s episode of the Creator Catalyst Podcast, we’re diving into the story of how she found her own personal style, what it was like to get started on her business, how she’s finding creative ways to serve her customers during the pandemic, and so much more!
Check out the show notes below, and then go listen to the entire episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Play!
Where did your passion for Louise Lane start?
My passion for style which eventually became Louise Lane first started as an internal battle with my personal style when I moved from Kentucky to Arizona!!
The difference between East and West coast style was shocking and since then I have always wanted to find a balance between the two. Classics vs. trends.
What was the catalyst that led you to officially launch your business?
I quit my corporate job because I really felt like I wanted to find something else. But I had no idea what. It was a total jump in the dark!
I’d love to hear more about what the process of launching was like for you! Where did you begin? How did you build up interest, etc!
I am blessed with the best friends and family ever who are so supportive and helped me spread the word. From there it’s just a slow and steady growth by showing up consistently and serving my customers the best way I can!
What tips do you have for people launching a product based business?
JUMP IN! Just start. There’s really no other way to do it than to just do it. You can sit on an idea for years and years, but you’re never going to learn what you need to until you just start.
Also, keep an open mind and be flexible! It’s so important to allow for growth over time because you and your business will morph and become better than you thought they would be if you just go with it.
And keep an open mind and be flexible because your business will morph over time.
I have always admired how beautifully curated the selection is at Louise Lane! What has the process of finding vendors and different pieces of your shop been like?
It has been so fun and so challenging too. I spend HOURS looking for the perfect pieces.
I want each of the pieces to look cohesive and to go together, I want the fabric quality to be amazing, etc! So there are a lot of factors to look for and I take my time narrowing down my options to make sure each piece is a perfect fit.
It’s like a treasure hunt trying to find perfect pieces!
You also slowly learn to love and trust different vendors. Learning who you love working with and buying from also just comes over time as you start to build a relationship and confidence in whether or not you’re a good fit!
What are your long-term goals (the ultimate vision/dream) for Louise Lane?
I have really big dreams for Louise Lane. I definitely want to eventually design pieces for Louise Lane. I have so many ideas and dreams of pieces that I would love to bring into the world!
I would also absolutely love to grow into a space outside of my own house! It would be a dream to have a warehouse with an office and studio to shoot the photos of the pieces.
How has owning/starting a product based business compared to your expectations? (Something that’s been harder/easier than expected, etc!)
When I first started I thought, “Wow, this is so much easier than I anticipated! This is easy!”
But THEN reality set in and I realized that it was so fun and easy to start because I’d launched right before the holidays.
I realized quickly that I didn’t have any experience with inventory and I would buy too much of something, and too little of something else. It was just so much trial and error and so hard!
It rocked my boat!
I had so many moments of doubt and panic, but they would dissipate as they always do...and I would just keep going! I would just keep going.
It's been a lot more difficult than I expected, but not more difficult than I could handle.
I’ve also just had to learn that growth takes time and that’s a good thing! It’s sometimes hard for me because I’m so excited for Louise Lane to grow and want it to happen super fast but slow and steady wins the race!
What roadblocks have you found with Louise Lane that you’ve overcome?
It’s just very vulnerable!! I really put myself out there so much, but you have to go for it for the business.
I’ve had to work through insecurities or doubts or fears and I have to find a way to deal with them without them paralyzing me because I want and need to be moving forward!
It’s become a process of building up confidence and becoming more sure of yourself and your audience as you go.
I loveeee how creative and upbeat you’ve been during the pandemic! Can you share with us a few of the things you’ve done to strengthen and grow Louise Lane during this time?
The pandemic has definitely brought on some panic! I remember having this moment of, “I have worked so hard and what if it just completely fails because of this!?”
Being online, I think Louise Lane had an advantage because everyone can continue to shop from home! So, I just really tried to connect with where my audience was at the moment.
I was so sad because nobody was going to buy the Easter dresses I had just launched because nobody could go to church on Easter! But I reminded myself that one day this will lift, one day we will all go out, so we don’t have to just stop caring about what we wear!
I’ve done outdoor popup shops so that people can drive by to shop one person at a time. It was so fun to see that my customers really liked that!
I’ve just really tried to show up instead of hiding away because I was scared and my audience appreciated that. I just did what I could to keep things as normal as I could.
What does an average day or week look like for you as you balance Louise Lane and your personal life while working at home?
A lot of it is content creation and just keeping up a social media account. Shipping, website maintenance, customer service, buying and coming up with new ideas to keep things fresh. It’s definitely a full time job!
I do my best to reflect my husband’s business hours so that we can have our evenings together. I also try really hard to get all of the most time-consuming work done in one day so that it’s done for the week. Then it’s just staying on top of shipping orders and social media!
It can be so easy to dive in and not come up for air, but I’m always so much happier and inspired when I give myself time to rest!
What are your top 3 book recommendations?
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
The Glass Castle by Jeannete Walls
Current Favorite Shows:
The Walking Dead
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice when you were first getting started what would it be?
Be ok with going slow!!
I feel like I always want things to go quickly but it’s so important to remember to stay consistent and take things one day at a time. Change just comes with time.
There’s really no reason to make comparisons between your business and anyone else’s! We’re all growing at our own pace and you’re doing great where you are.
You get your own story.
Connect With Baylie and Louise Lane:
Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook is @shoplouiselane
https://www.shoplouiselane.com