No. I never took a partner in this image consulting business, but I did have a partner in my former business. The cool thing about having a partner then was that I started the business, but she ran it. She took care of the books and paperwork. Problem was, when she stopped taking care of everything, I had to. She had other businesses she was developing too, so we decided to shut the business down. I realized I needed to get educated on how to run a business, so I went to the Community Business Partnership in Springfield, VA (www.cbponline.org) and took some great classes by experts on how to start, fund and run a business.
If you had to start another business, what have you learned that you might do differently—either about yourself, or about how to run a business in general?
I’m actually going into business with a friend of mine who has a dance studio in Washington D.C. We’re expanding her business into Virginia. She has bachelorette parties and she teaches pole dancing, yoga and is a personal trainer. I’ll be offering fashion and image consultations through her business expansion as well. We want to find someone who can run the dance studio too.
How important were mentors in your entrepreneurial career?
Well, I can’t say I had any that were directly for entrepreneurship. I had a boss, Barbara Williams, who had a huge positive influence on me. She was classy, she knew her stuff, and she was not a micromanager. She taught me about the importance of how you present yourself in a business setting. There were a LOT of examples of how NOT to present yourself in business that we worked around.
I also have a client now whose husband took over a business and sold it off recently, so I had the chance to talk to him about his business. I’ve also been connected through them to their interior designer in Miami, so I guess, now that I think about it, I’ve had more mentors in the past 3-6 months on how to operate a business than I’ve ever had.
Did you start your business with your own capital?
Yes. It wasn’t that expensive to start. I started it for around $500—I had to have a business license, incorporate, and other things. My friend built my website for me.
How important are your social and personal networks to the success of your business?
Networking is HUGE. One of the things I did last year was join Success in the City (www.successinthecity.com), a local group in Washington, D.C. The lady who founded it is Cynthia de Lorenzi—she’s so fabulous and calls herself the head diva. The networking group is founded on women doing better in nurturing and supporting each other—we socialize differently than men, who play golf, as an example. Talking and nurturing relationships are how business gets done with women…that’s what we do. A lot of referrals and work I do now is because of having these different relationships with other networking groups. The other networking group I participate in is Work it Girl! Networking, headed by Supergirl Teresa Young, (www.workitgirlnetworking.com). They have great speakers come and talk about their business or whatever their passions are during lunch. There’s no membership fee, you just pay for lunch and meet some great women!
What is your personal definition of success, and have you achieved it?
I don’t know that I have a definition yet. For me, success is not all about the money. It instead is about who you help and the relationships you make along the way. For me, the best part about what I do is that I have the power to change someone’s life by improving the way they feel about how they look. That effects their life. People want to pooh-pooh style and fashion, but image really does make a difference. People who look like bums don’t become the CEO of Microsoft. You don’t have to be a GQ model, but you can change the way you look and improve your life. If I’m able to do that and support my family, that to me is success.
What didn’t I ask you about you and your business that you wanted me to?
I have been listening to Robert Kiyosaki on a CD called Choose to Be Rich. I actually had it for a while, but forgot about it and then I went back to listen to it again. He talks about people who are poor, rich and middle class and how they think differently, not good or bad, just how they think. For me, I’ve been thinking a lot about having the entrepreneurial mindset. People who have made it big found an unmet need and filled it. He challenges us to think about what we really do and how we really think and who we can help. He also suggested one of the ways to get rich is to have three different piggy banks—say if you have a $100 in income, you should put $10 in savings, $10 in tithing and $10 in investments. If you lose your investments, you have your savings to fall back on. The tithing can be giving to your church or your charity, but you are giving and that will be reciprocated.
I think this is similar to being an entrepreneur. What are you giving to other people? How are you planning for that in your future as well? Everyone can lose everything in one day no matter who they are. An entrepreneur has to plan and save, but not be afraid of failure. Nine out of 10 businesses fail; true, but one business succeeds. You have to have that resilience to carry yourself through the planning and potential of failure, and realize that if an idea or a business didn’t come out right the first time, it might have nothing to do with you or your work. It might be bad luck, poor timing, or something else you had no control over. The one thing you can control is your resilience. Having the resiliency to get back up is key. Too many nos will eventually get you that much closer to a yes!
Niquelle R. Allen, Esq.
Butterfly Consignment
Niquelle R. Allen is an attorney, mediator, and entrepreneur. Ms. Allen owns Butterfly Consignment, an upscale ladies’ boutique in Indianapolis, Indiana, where fashion has evolved. She is also Of Counsel at Fleming Stage, LLC law firm and owns Mediation Works, LLC, a professional mediation, title closing, and notary service. Prior to beginning her entrepreneurial journey, Ms. Allen was an in-house legal counsel at Eli Lilly and Company. A Gary, Indiana native, Ms. Allen has also worked as an attorney at Ice Miller, LLP and served as a judicial law clerk. In 2006, Ms. Allen was awarded the Up & Coming Lawyer—Leadership in Law Award by The Indiana Lawyer. Ms. Allen attended Vanderbilt University Law School and is a proud alumnus of Tennessee State University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in political science. She is active in the community and is a member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Marion County Bar Association.
Butterfly Consignment, an upscale ladies’ boutique, is a place where women can save money, make money, recycle, and give back to the community. Butterfly Consignment offers pre-loved (gently-used), “N” love (unsold new inventory from boutiques), and made with love (handmade jewelry, handbags, body care, etc.) merchandise. Butterfly Consignment has a spectacular selection of better to designer apparel, handbags, shoes, jewelry, perfume, and accessories in a variety of styles (casual to formal) and sizes (petite to plus). Select vintage pieces (jewelry/handbags) are also available. It is located at 6697 E. 82nd Street, Indianapolis, IN and is located online at: www.shopBfly.com. The company also has a Facebook page (butterflyconsignment), a Twitter feed (@shopbfly) and has pictures at flickr (www.flickr.com/shopbfly.com).
What advantages do you think you have as a single solo business owner that married people don’t have?
As a single woman, I was able to focus all of my time, resources, and attention to the creation and continued success of the business. I had to crawl as a caterpillar before I could grow wings