Good Morning Lovelies!! We made it to another fabulous Friday! Since I have started this new entrepreneur series on ASW I have received great feedback from you all and I’m glad that you enjoy learning about the talent in different areas of our country! Today I spotlight the fashionable Julia Davis.
Julia is a bright, innovative stylist with the ability to define style and anticipate the fashion industry’s constantly changing trends. She is 30 years old and a native of North Carolina. Using her ingrained and learned talents, Julia has trained her eye to determine which essentials are lasting trends as well as which components can create one’s personal style.
Julia moved to Washington, DC, and attended Howard University where she received her BA in Advertising with a minor in Fashion Merchandising. But for Julia, it was the fashion that inspired her. Her senior year she assisted wardrobe styling at a Saks Fifth Avenue Breast Cancer benefit. To add to her fashion profile, Julia also held retail, visual, and merchandising positions as well as personal shopping to the elite clientele at legendary department stores such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. While in these positions, Julia found herself surrounded by the creations of the leading, most celebrated and cutting-edge designers.
Julia took her fashion curiosity across the pond to London, England, where she proceeded to study fashion and styling at the London College of Fashion. Utilizing her attentive eye for fashion, Julia combined the latest American trends with European flair, and concocted a style that is all her own.
After London, Julia moved to Miami, Florida, emerging as one of fashion’s rising stars styling magazine and video shoots. Julia later moved to New York, NY, where she worked at Sean John clothing company as an assistant stylist and visual merchandiser. There Julia styled photo shoots for national retail campaigns. Julia also styled a national Ad campaign for Baby-G watches. In 2007 at the age of 25 Julia started her own company Simone Vivian, LLC and has appeared on San Diego Living Morning Show and Good Morning Arizona as a guest fashion expert. She has since written a book and taken on an array of projects including image consulting, personal shopping, and styling. Julia is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
::Let’s Chat:
ASW: What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture? How did the idea for your business come about?
JD: I had recently moved to Arizona after working for a major fashion house in NY. When I arrived in Scottsdale I was unable to find a job. That’s where the idea came about and then the spark came to actually create the company. It was a ton of hard work but it was worth using all my savings, all the sleepless nights, and the sweat and tears.
ASW: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful Image Consultant?
JD: To be a successful Image Consultant, you definitely have to know your clients needs. If you understand your client then you’re able to style them better because you can think like them. The second skill you need is confidence. Being confident in your abilities is a necessity because your clients rely on you to guide them. The last skill you should have is a flexible schedule. An Image Consultant that has the ability to work around their clients’ schedules and lifestyles is guaranteed to stay busy.
ASW: How many hours do you work a day on average?
JD: I can work anywhere between 3 to 10 hours a day. Honestly, it just depends on the clients and their needs.
ASW: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
JD: It’s been great! I have to admit that being a first time mother has its challenges and there are days that I feel like I’m on a trapeze trying to balance everything: wife, mother and entrepreneur. I get to schedule my work around my family time and my personal life. Being the boss is definitely one of the perks of being an entrepreneur. I like having the flexibility that I need to be a mother and a wife.
ASW: What motivates you?
JD: Success. Achieving my goals is truly a motivation and self-gratification is also. I want to be great at what I do, and give 100 percent to each role that I play in life.
ASW: Who has been your greatest inspiration?
JD: June Ambrose and Rachel Zoe. I admire their confidence, they also have two different styles that I find appealing.
ASW: To what do you most attribute your success? What would say are the five key elements for starting and running a successful business?
JD: Its funny but I attribute my success to being a middle child. It gave me so much ambition to achieve things in life that I wanted. Because growing up getting praise or attention wasn’t easy as a middle child therefore I always tried to do better than my two sisters, in a sense it was like a competition.
First you should have a plan and determine your success, basically decide what you want to achieve before starting your business. Next you need to know the industry, always remain competitive, and step outside your comfort zone. You should take chances. You have to put yourself out there. Steve Jobs is a great example of an entrepreneur when he started his company. I’m sure contemplated his decisions and I’m sure he knew that his business venture was going to be a major success or an epic fail…and luckily, it was a huge success.
ASW: In 2010 your book, “Mani Pedi”, was published and sold in Barnes & Noble Bookstores. That is an amazing accomplishment! What inspired you to write your first book?
JD: When I graduated from college I did not have a job offer. I struggled to decide what I needed to do next in my life. “Mani Pedi” is a guide for college students and recent graduates that are approaching a new chapter in their lives.
ASW: Do you plan to write another book in the future?
JD: Yes, I really enjoyed writing my first book. Being an author is something I enjoy doing. My next one will probably be more fashion related, and a chapter on motherhood it’s very hard to keep your sexy style and I feel many women would be able to relate. “Mani Pedi” is about creating your own rulebook and my motto is, “Author Your Life.
ASW: Since you have styled a couple of fashion shows, how far in advance do you prepare? How do you go about styling the models?
JD: We are currently working on a fashion show in November and we started preparing for the show in May 2012. The idea can arise 6 months ahead of time, but it usually only takes a few months to organize the entire show.
First I pull the clothes from the selection I have been provided by the vendor or designer. Then I complete outfits based off of the pieces I’ve been given. After I select the clothes, I style the models by fitting them for each outfit.
ASW: What is next for Simone Vivian?
JD: Simone Vivian is making its mark in the DC area. I plan to expand clientele and work on more fashion shows. And I would also like to write another book in the future.
ASW: Do you have any advice for future image consultants?
JD: My advice would be to make sure that this is the right line of work for you. Be confident in your abilities because this job is a lot of hard work. Also, be open to styles that are different from yours because your clients are different from your personal style.
To stay updated on the latest at trends like and/or follow Simone Vivian on Facebook & Twitter!
Also, if you are in need of a good read please click HERE to order your very own copy of Mani Pedi!
*If you shop or love certain small/big businesses and would like for them to be featured on A Sassy Woman please don’t hesitate to contact me through the “Contact” tab at the top of my blog.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by ✌.
XoXo,
Ashley
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