We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lorraine Campos a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lorraine, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Growing up, I watched my parents example of sacrifice, hard work and humility. My parents didn’t come from wealthy families and they grew up in poverty, so together they worked hard and tried to provide the best life possible for us. I always saw them hustle and work tirelessly so that really has given me a constant reminder even in the rough seasons of my life that I come from a family that overcame hardships and that adversity builds character. Overcoming my own life obstacles especially in business—particularly in this tough economy—that has made me more resilient, humble, and also made me more grateful for every single blessing.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Prior to beginning my business, I was an educator and I had already established a career. Throughout that time, I had always had a side hustle, and that included selling clothes from my own closet online. I would curate the looks and merchandise each item to make it easier to sell, and sometimes I would model the clothing. At one point in my 20s I had done modeling professionally to make extra money, so I felt somewhat at ease in front of a camera. Starting my own clothing brand and owning a business was something I had always dreamed of but everything really fell together for me because I HAD to sell clothes & bags as a side hustle. What started as a necessity eventually led me to start my own business. I am a true believer that sometimes our pain and our challenges can really lead us to our purpose.
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?
I have always been really creative and had a gift when it came to design, art, and fashion—so that definitely helped me—but that alone isn’t going to make you successful in business. There are millions of women who love fashion but it takes a lot more than that to succeed. I think by the time I started my business, I had more maturity, so I knew from the start how important it is to honor your commitments, and be able to cut out distractions. I had developed a lot more tenacity & grit. Another thing that helped was knowing that there was no shame in building my business from the ground up. I sacrificed and saved for start up money and that’s something I am proud of because if anything, it taught me that I was capable of bringing a dream to fruition on my own. Some advice: you’re never going to be a master at everything in business. We all have strengths and weaknesses, so never be ashamed to ask for help from someone who’s more knowledgeable in a certain area than you are. Humility is the only way you will grow as a person & as an entrepreneur.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Probably the biggest challenge most entrepreneurs and small businesses are facing right now is the tough economic climate we’re in. I have had to really be strategic in buying inventory, offer more incentives to customers which is really hard for me as a small business, & also try not to get discouraged or defeated although it’s REALLY hard not to.
Contact Info:
- Website: third-rodeo-brand.myshopify.com
- Instagram: @thirdrodeobrand
- Facebook: Third Rodeo Brand
- Other: TikTok: @thirdrodeobrand
Image Credits
Photographer: Ruben Campos, Sr.
