July Member Monday 2024
Meet Emily Mayne of Emily Mayne Studio
I’m Emily Mayne, founder and artist of Emily Mayne Studio. I create fine art, hand-painted wedding invitations and paper goods. I work with brides all over the U.S. to create custom, luxury invitation suites that feature finely rendered venue paintings and intricately, detailed designs. I have been running my business solo for 8 years and just welcomed my studio manager, Annette, as my partner. I live in Lubbock, Texas, with my husband, where we are raising our two little boys.
Why did you join TSC Membership?
I am so excited to have this resource to connect with fellow creatives and female small business owners! Accessibility to connection, collaboration, mentorship, and networking has always been the downside to the flexibility and freedom of running my own business on my own from home while I raise my little ones, so when I discovered TSC, I couldn’t wait to join.
What is a favorite small business you like to shop or support?
Alexis Walter Art, Inslee Farris, The Fox Shop, Mi Golondrina, Petite Paloma, just to name a few!
Where do you go to get your inspiration now?
I’ve always been inspired by florals, whether then be found through nature, art, and even textiles of fashion and interior design. I’ve always had piles of coffee table books and magazines, and now, endless screenshots of inspiration saved!
What is the best business advice you have ever given or received?
It is so much more important to be a personal brand that creates an experience for a community of clients, rather than to be just a transactional business that is no more than a means to an end.
Meet Ashley Sauls Worley of Unlock Your Dream Podcast
Hi! I’m Ashley. I live in Charleston, SC with my husband of 10 years, our amazing one-year-old son, and a Saint Bernand and Bernese Mountain Dog. My background is in medicine where I practiced as a Physician Assistant until I had the opportunity to earn mentorship access to become an entrepreneur and haven’t looked back. I love connecting people and cheering on others’ dreams to see them come true. My podcast is a place to share stories and inspire others to see their own dreams realized even as I pursue my own to be a full-time mom and entrepreneur.
https://www.instagram.com/unlockyourdreampodcast/
Why did you join TSC Membership?
I saw how much fun the The Southern C Summit looked to be on Instagram with so many of my friends who were there, and I was like, “This looks too much fun to miss. I have to get in on this!”
What is a favorite small business you like to shop or support?
Prophet Coffee, Lauren Waldorf Interiors, Cakette Bakeshop, Ship of Fools, Linné Skincare, Kindred Label & The Works/The Works Renew/The Works Cycle.
Where do you go to get your inspiration now?
My inspiration now comes from fashion, culture, travel, sharing an amazing conversation over coffee or a meal, and lots of prayer!
What is the best business advice you have ever given or received?
The best business advice I have ever received is “you are enough—go for it!”
Meet Anna Louise Carter of Designed by Dixon
Hi! I’m Anna Louise and I’m a blogger and influencer. As a former professional event planner and interior decorator, I love sharing entertaining and home decor ideas. I love all things style, so I share planning parties, decorating your home, and finding the perfect outfit for all occasions.
https://www.instagram.com/designedbydixon
Why did you join TSC Membership?
I followed TSC on Instagram before I even started my own business. I saw so many of the small businesses I loved being members and participating in the Summit and other TSC activities. When I started my own business, I immediately signed up for the Summit! At the time, I didn’t even quite know the direction I would take my business, but I knew I needed to be in a network on entrepreneurial women.
What is a favorite small business you like to shop or support?
Oh, there’s so many who have particularly made my life and experience wonderful in recent months! I’m having a baby this summer and these brands that I know through TSC have really made these months fantastic. I wore an Emily McCarthy Collection dress to my baby shower and felt so pretty; I can’t eat enough of the gluten free Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit; I’m so excited to pack for the hospital in a Bitty Green Co bag; Susan Shaw jewelry always fits me these days; I look forward to wearing my Lila and Hayes pajamas each night (and dressing my baby in them); and Holly Shae Design has been my go to for looking polished but comfortable everyday.
Where do you go to get your inspiration now?
I get so much inspiration from fellow TSC members! I love following all the individuals and brands I’ve met through the years and seeing what they have accomplished and thinking “you go girl!” It’s so exciting to watch others succeed and being encouraged by how hard they work and if they can do it, then so can I!
What is the best business advice you have ever given or received?
So often we hear to “go with your gut.” I don’t necessarily like to go with my intuition, but I often recall the bible verse “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.” There’s so many decisions, big and small, that take place daily in owning a business. In every decision, there’s usually always a “gut reaction,” but I always try to acknowledge God and understand his will for my business and not just what I want for my business. Sometimes that’s just taking a few moments or sometimes that’s pausing for a period of time to make a wise decision. Patience can be hard when decisions need to be made, but often times a waiting period is always worth the wait.
Meet Zemmie Steger of Cobblestone Living
Introduce yourself
While studying Fashion Merchandising and French at the University of South Carolina, I fell in love with all the in’s and out’s of the retail industry. Soon after graduating, I joined Cobblestone Living, an Italian-made, women’s wholesale apparel brand headquartered on St Simon’s Island Ga. In August 2023, I moved to Charlotte, NC, to assist in opening Cobblestone’s second distribution center, and currently am a key account manager for our retail partners.
https://cobblestone-living.com/
Why did you join TSC Membership?
I joined the Southern C to surround myself with other self-driven and creative individuals. Within any creative industry, it can be difficult to keep your spark going, and I have found community to be an encouraging and essential part of maintaining positive energy. You never know what you might learn from this community, and it’s hard not to be inspired around so many talented women!
What is a favorite small business you like to shop or support?
Living in Charlotte, there are so many small businesses to choose from! Some of my favorites are BK Pilates, Renaissance Patisserie, and CLT Finds. The best part about Charlotte is almost every weekend there are outdoor markets to support local artists, farmers, and boutiques!
Where do you go to get your inspiration now?
There are so many sources of inspiration in my life, the biggest being my family. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs and hard workers, I’ve always been encouraged to dream big and take risks. I also have found travel and being outside with nature to be my source of creative inspiration.
What is the best business advice you have ever given or received?
The best advice I’ve learned is to go ahead and start living the dream version of yourself. If you wait for everything to be “perfect” in your life, you’ll never get to where you want to be. With this, show up everyday with your best foot forward because progress comes with consistency, even in the small things!
Meet Kristen Chester of Casa Danu
Introduce yourself
I’m Kristen, the founder of Casa Danu, a sustainable womenswear brand focused on vibrant, chic, and print-forward clothing (think caftans, kimonos, and coordinated sets) that has 1 goal: to help as many women as possible, especially those impacted by cancer, feel beautiful, empowered, and full of life. I started the brand after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 34 years old and 6 months pregnant. During this time, when I was at my lowest physically, mentally, and emotionally, I longed for comfortable clothing that helped me feel put together, beautiful, and ALIVE. Today, Casa Danu exists to uplift women going through similar challenges, cancer or otherwise, who feel that they have lost a part of themselves. I’m a native Angeleno but live in Atlanta with my husband, 4 year old son and 2 crazy labradors.
Why did you join TSC Membership?
I had been following The Southern C journey for a few years and was consistently impressed by their growth, resources, and caliber of speakers at the Summit. I also witnessed other small brands absolutely blossom once they became members of The Southern C. When my good friend, Mary Cayten of @shopbrakefields joined and shared what an incredible community it was, I knew I had to join. Now, being a member, I think it’s one of the best business (and personal!) decisions I’ve made since starting Casa Danu back in 2021. It’s hard to describe, but EVERYONE in TSC is not only open, welcoming, and willing to share their experience, but they honestly want you to succeed. There’s just nothing else like it out there that I’ve found.
What is a favorite small business you like to shop or support?
What’s been amazing about the past few years is just being introduced to so many fabulous, female-founded small businesses. Here are some of my favorites: @shopbrakefields @monicafarber.co @shoptaylorreese @squeezedecitron @luna.marketing.studio @hingecreativeco @maryfrancesmaker @willaforddesigns @brookadlerinteriors @minnettejacksoninteriors @ally_sheppard_art. There are too many to count!
Where do you go to get your inspiration now?
For me, travel is always the basis of my inspiration. I hope my garments and prints help transport women to fabulously chic destinations, so I’m always pulling inspiration from places I’ve been or places I want to go. Right now I’m crafting inspiration boards on 3 destinations to inform next year’s prints: Marrakesh, Oaxaca, and Amalfi (because Italy is ALWAYS an inspiration for me). I have always been fascinated by tile and ceramic traditions, so you’ll find a lot of inspiration in my prints from unique tiles from around the world.
What is the best business advice you have ever given or received?
This is some advice that I wish I had taken myself. It’s ok (and most of the time) to start small. Start with 1 product, 1 offer, 1 idea and don’t feel like you have to do everything and have everything figured out at once. I frequently get trapped in the “have to do everything” mindset – you have to have 3-4 collections a year, you have to send an email out every week (or more often), you have to be on social media all the time, your website has to be perfect, you have to be pitching press all the time. It’s a) not feasible, especially if you are a team of 1 and b) it will burn you out. So, start where you are today.
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