Everyone wants to make a mark in the world. For Christine Angela Sevilla, she wants to leave her mark by having her own clothing shop which is why chose to name her shop after herself. She envisions Christine Angela Designs to make it big.
She's always been into fashion but it was only two months ago, just a few weeks before her last term in college ended, that she started her online shop. She says, "As I stepped into college, an eagerness in me to break free from the usual things that I had no choice but to submit to. I hated doing routine work and doing things where I just couldn't find the importance in them. Every day, as I was in the car looking out of the window, I always imagined having to do something that I love - something that I know I can shine. I would dream hard of being the person that I want to be and being that lady who gets to have fun while working for herself."
Of course, the first few months of business are hard. Christine Angela relates that she literally does everything--from sewing the bow ties, to doing her own accounting, to scouring for suppliers. Plus, she juggles school and CA. However, she says that despite being in constant pain (her term, not mine. hihi), she can definitely say that she can look back on all those hardships with a smile on her face. "I never saw it with bitterness, but more of love for the sacrifices I put into it", she says.
But her sacrifices are paying off! Christine Angela shares that the Lovely Little Bow Ties Collection she sews herself has been in demand. The palazzo pants she sells have been running out and the international scene has taken notice of her scarves--she's shipped a few to Canada and the US! :-) Her favorite item though is the cheetah palazzo pants. She says a lot of people have been asking her where she got it every time she wears it.
infamous cheetah pants :)
Some of my favorite bow ties from her collection. She says she loves seeing her customers in the leopard ones.
My personal favorite palazzo pants print. It looks like something Serena or Vanessa would wear.
Christine Angela Designs cater to fearless fashionistas who are not afraid to stand out. For advice to new shop owners, she writes:
NEVER QUIT. There will always be times that you feel like the brick wall is just too tall or that enough is enough. It will always be like that no matter which business you choose to establish. I just read this article about CEOs and I'm sure you'll find yourself in this too. It would be really of help. In Paco Sandeja's Article on What’s The Most Difficult CEO Skill? Managing Your Own Psychology by Ben Horowitz, he said that:
"Great CEOs face the pain. They deal with the sleepless nights, the cold sweat, and what my friend the great Alfred Chuang (legendary founder and CEO of BEA Systems) calls “the torture.” Whenever I meet a successful CEO, I ask them how they did it. Mediocre CEOs point to their brilliant strategic moves or their intuitive business sense or a variety of other self-congratulatory explanations. The great CEOs tend to be remarkably consistent in their answers. They all say: “I didn’t quit.”
In addition to that, I would like to tell you to always have something to remind you of why you are in that situation in the first place may it be a song that keeps you motivated, a photo of your goals, or a thing that you carry around with you that symbolizes it. Keep looking forward and never settle for anything less that what you have imagined yourself to be. Always remember that its your story you are writing and nobody else's so the most valuable opinions and ideas are from your own.
Inspired.
Thank you for sharing this Christine! Thank you also for agreeing to sponsor my giveaway :)
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