We recently connected with Alexandra Christopher and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alexandra, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I’ve always been a very optimistic person. I choose to see the silver lining in most situations as I mostly believe that most things happen for a reason. Having gone through various stages in my life and always coming out unscathed, I see it as proof that being optimistic and simply trusting in God and the process is the right way to go. Now don’t get me wrong, I have my down days. But I don’t allow them to affect my overall being or life. I embrace them and release them. I’ve found that sitting in my negative thinking for too long always leads to me feeling worse. I’m an over thinker, what can I say? So though I do realize these feelings and allow them to be felt, I never sit too long with them.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the CEO and everything under the sun, for now, of Second To None (STN). Second To None is an online boutique that specializes in elevated casual wear for the modern, urban girl next door. In short, we sell elevated casual wear for the understated girl that lovesss to be at home, but when she steps out, her look is always effortless and put together. You wouldn’t believe that she prefers home to the “outside world”!
You ask what makes us special. I’d say it’s as simple as our niche. I created STN for the girls that fashion seems to forget. My girl isn’t really into the typical trends and the fashion week must haves. She is certainly a soft homebody. When people hear homebody, they automatically think “loungewear”. Which is great! But there are so much more layers to her that are often overlooked! Outside of home, she has a cool sophistication to her that kind of makes her an enigma if you weren’t apart of her inner circle. She’s kind, sweet, fairly simple yet her aura simply demands respect. She’s firm in who she is and her style emulates that. That is the girl we cater to! When I decided to open STN in 2021, I observed the typical niches of the online boutiques that opened within these past few years and simply noted what was missing and greatly needed. That is how Second To None came into fruition!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Understanding it’s okay to fail. When it comes to business, you aren’t always going to win. Failure is apart of the journey. As cliche as it sounds, it not only makes you stronger, but it also teaches you how to move forward the next go-around. So, rather than seeing things as a “fail”, look at them as a lesson and move accordingly. Having this type of mindset can save you from digging yourself into a hole of disappointment.
2. Knowing when to pivot.
Sometimes we’re so set on following a specific plan that we lose sight of the goal we’re trying to achieve. For some, their emotional attachment to things can be their demise. There are so many circumstances out of our control when it comes to business. The economy being the top one. You must always be prepared to pivot and change plans based on such outside factors. And though many people start businesses for their own personal reasons, allowing that to affect the way you do business, can ultimately lead to disappointment. As the saying goes, “it’s nothing personal, just business”.
3. You never stop being a student.
You quite literally never stop learning. Some people think “as soon as I get to this stage, I’m done!”. But really, there’s always going to be another stage you have to go through. And that’s fine! You cannot and will not be an expert on everything. There will always be someone “smarter than you” that you can learn from. So don’t think that your knowledge bank will ever reach capacity. Always be open to learning more. Things evolve and knowledge will become obsolete.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My current obstacle I’m facing is motherhood. I wouldn’t necessarily call it an obstacle, but it is a challenging component in my life at the moment. Balancing everyday life as a mother is difficult. You throw in still working full time and being an entrepreneur? It almost seems impossible! And as of late, I’ve been having trouble staying on track with entrepreneurship while also advocating for my daughter’s education. It’s been real rocky but I’ve never allowed a challenge to take me out! My way of handling it all is simply prioritizing my tasks and time blocking. My calendar is filled with tasks. All color coded. All set for the duration of time that I ideally want to spend on each task. I also include rest periods to not overwhelm myself. Without my calendar, I would drown. And I know that sounds fairly dramatic, and a little sad to live by such strict management, but it really is the only method that keeps things flowing smoothly. As I try to find my new “normal”, that’s the method that’s been keeping me grounded.
Contact Info:
- Website: ShopSTN.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/shop.secondtonone
- Facebook: Facebook.com/shopstn1
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopstn
Image Credits
Amanda Christopher
