We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Robinson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Jessica , thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
I’d say I learned the principles of generosity from my parents. Honestly, all 4 of them. They all, in their own right, go out of their way to help people and bless others without giving it a second thought. Jokingly, I’m suffocated by their generosity, sometimes lol. But in the best way. I could literally pick up the phone and call any one of them right at this very moment, for anything, and they would be on their way. I grew up seeing my dad literally give away cars. In addition to that though, I’ve always had a big heart for people in need. To see people fed and clothed is the biggest thing for me. I really love to give. It’s a blessing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a self-taught, leather seamstress, and the owner for the luxury handbag brand, Laura Faye. Since our last interview, we’ve really made some great headway as we have added wholesaler to our résumé. We’ve joined the wholesale market, starting with the Atlanta Apparel, and we are now sold in a few stores in the south east. The plan by the end of this year is to be fixed in a permanent show room, so that’s what we’re working on now!
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?
Three biggest pieces of advice that have been the most impactful to me on my journey are: 1. Do it afraid
2. Don’t allow a pause to become a period. Meaning, we all have highs and lows in business. But don’t let a setback deter you from finishing the plan. Everyone has setbacks.
3. Don’t try to do it by yourself! Build a team of people you trust and go further, faster. Community is so important!
My advice to people early in their journey is this- think in terms of giant leaps, not baby steps. Meaning, if you are eventually going to position your brand in the most professional way possible, make that how you start, not what you’ll do, eventually. For example, go ahead and invest in that website developer, or that manufacturer, or that graphic designer. For me, it’s taking a long time for my company to grow to the level of professionalism it is now. I started out, literally doing everything myself and slowly improving. I wish I would’ve been more cognizant of my weaknesses, and made the investments to begin with.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Oh, this is such an easy question for me! First and foremost, the Bible. I live by the Word. I consume it every day, and confess it, and I watch my life line up with it. Now, aside from that, the most impactful book for me has been Tamara Mellon’s memoir, “In My Shoes”. She is the designer and original founder of the shoe brand, Jimmy Choo. She tells the story of how she partnered with a little shoe cobbler in Europe to create the brand, and how she bootstrapped it into the household name it became. She ended up losing it all, and now she has her own shoe brand. She built it, she lost it, and she built it all again. It’s an inspiring story, and great motivation for anybody in the fashion industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laura-faye.com
- Instagram: Laura_Faye
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/laurafayellc
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@laurafayehandbags
