Hi Guys! I am so excited to be launching a brand new design of I’m Like Brave. In the past few months, Free Babes Handmade has been a whirlwind, and I haven’t been following my own advice to be intentional to do those things that make you “come alive”. My passion is here, in this space, creating community, sharing stories and encouragement between creative entrepreneurs. We are going to be posting lots of exciting content in the coming months, continuing our creative entrepreneur video interview series as well as book-reviews, business tips and family travel.
To kick-off this re-launch, we are featuring one interview with a creative entrepreneur every day this week!
Today’s interview is with Rachel Nilsson, owner of Rags to Raches, everyone’s favorite romper-making CEO. I met Rachel at alt summit last winter, and she is just so cool. Rachel is the real deal – she isn’t scared to zig when everyone is saying zag – and she has created an awesome life for herself, full of family mountain bike rides and fun adventures in her souped-up van. I hope you love learning about her journey as an entrepreneur and find inspiration in her story.
#pressplay below to watch our recorded Skype interview, and check out her answers in written format as well as pictures of her beautiful creations. Enjoy!
What did you do before Rags to Raches? How did you decide to start your own business?
I was a stay at home mom. I have three awesome boys that are craziness. What a lot of people don’t know is I was sewing and selling clothing when I was 19. Before Internet was even a thing. ha. I was selling to a really cool local retailer (for those in Utah, JMR was the name of the boutique) that had 5 locations. They ended up selling so fast and so well that I stepped away after a while. It was just too much and not fun anymore. I am such a fan of quality of life. I learned through that experience that if it ever happens again, hire stuff out. So, when RAGS came around, I knew exactly what to do and I figured it out. Also, fun fact, I designed and sewed my own wedding dress. It was insanity.
Can you give us a brief history of Rags to Raches? How long have you been in business? What has your growth looked like? Can you tell us a story of some of the “unglamorous” moments just starting up?
So we are just coming up on our 2 year mark! Our growth has been nuts. We have 132k followers on our instagram, been featured in Vogue, Huff Post, Forbes and most recently, ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank. It has been a wild ride. That’s for sure. Some “unglamorous” moments? Well there are probably more than I can even count. I think there might be a small “unglamorous” moment every single day. But if you expect that kind of thing when you are starting or going into business, you will be in good shape!
What’s your big picture WHY? What motivates you to work hard and build your business? What is your ultimate lifestyle goal?
My BIG picture would be to be able to have a fun, comfortable life. Comfort to some is 50 million dollars, but for me, it is enough money that I don’t need to stress. Money doesn’t drive me… quality of life does. I think that is where a lot of business owners get confused. They let money get in the way and it usually doesn’t end well. If you are doing what you love and constantly working at that, money will come. That attitude will eventually bleed through to your consumer and it all becomes so transparent in a good or a bad way.
Where did you find your mentors, or resources to help learn about entrepreneurship and running a successful business?
My Dad has been my greatest mentor. He is an entrepreneur himself and has turned what he loves into a fortune 500 company. He is incredible smart and has been soooo helpful in this process.
Can you tell a story of a specific failure you encountered while building Rags To Raches?
Manufacturing. It is a beast. It is expensive and you can almost expect something to go wrong every. single. time. My very first order of 2500 pieces were all sewn wrong. It was a total disaster. We finally had to load ten truck loads of materials and move them to LA. I feel like we are incredibly fortunate as far as manufacturing goes, but that hasn’t always been the case.
What did you learn from it? What would you consider are your strengths as a business owner?
I learned that nothing is going to change unless I do something about it. I gave them 4 chances with 4 big orders to get it right and they couldn’t do it. Instead of throwing in the towel, I got extra motivated and found a place who would fit the bill. It wasn’t easy but so worth it. Don’t give up. Take a step away and figure out what the next steps should be. Don’t ever be in a position where you feel handcuffed. One of my strengths is I am a pretty good problem solver and I can always decipher what I can and can’t control and go from there.
Do you currently have 1099s or employees? Or are you a onewoman show? If you have help, what advice do you have to give about scaling your business and outsourcing responsibilities through hiring to help grow? Do you have any advice on when to start scaling the business and hiring employees, bookkeeping… etc.
Right now we have 5 employees. Three are full time. My team is the reason why RAGS is where it is. I could never do this alone. I always say to hire quality over quantity. I think that is the case here. Early on I decided what I wasn’t the best at or where I could use help so I can continue to grow the business and I quickly hired those positions. It was crazy how much of a mental shift I had. Once I hired help I was no longer wishing orders away, I immediately was ready to take on more! We went from $10k to $40k in one month because I was able to take on way more. Hire out what you aren’t good at. Let go of things. It is hard, but once those employees are trained well, you will be so glad you did.
How many hours per week do you work? How do you balance family life with work?
I work every day. The hours just depend. I don’t feel like I have hours. It is all hours of the day and night. I think that is what you sign up for when you are a boss. Balance is something I think every entrepreneur struggles with that one. So what I have come to is what are my priorities? Family, quality of life, and God. If I can keep those in check then balance will come. It is so easy to lose perspective. Always gotta keep those three things in check.
I’m Like Brave is about creating an uncommon life. What does an “uncommon life” you love look like for you? How does your business help create this ideal lifestyle?
FREEDOM! I love being my own boss.There are definitely some major pros and cons but I like that I can control how busy I want to be. I can control how stressed out I want to become. I like that I can make the rules up as I go. I love that if I want to take a week off to enjoy my family, I can. That to me is a good, uncommon life.
What has been the most exciting thing to happen to your business so far?
We have had a handful of exciting things but the most obvious one for me is definitely getting the chance to be aired on Shark Tank. It was the gnarliest but most rewarding thing I have done thus far. Pretty cool accomplishment.
What is your ultimate vision for your business in the coming year? Where do you see Rags to Raches in 5 years?
My ultimate vision for this coming year is steady, but good growth. I feel like we are just getting started and it is only going to get crazier and crazier. We have some pretty cool pieces we are going to introduce to our line which is really exciting. We also have a pretty awesome development that we can’t wait to share. My dream would be to have RAGS to Raches be a household name in the children’s clothing industry. I will do whatever I can to get there.
What’s holding you back from where you are now and your end game?
I don’t think there is anything holding me back except for time.
What is it that you need help with right now, and if you could get free advice that would solve your problem right now, what would it be? What position to hire next?
We are going through some serious growing pains. I would love to have someone sit down and analyze my business and tell me where the major holes are and what and who I should hire in order to fill those in.
If you could sit down with any entrepreneur for a 2 hour lunch and pick their brain, who would it be and why? What would you ask them?
I just did it last night! I was lucky to hang with the owner of Skull Candy, Jeremy Andrus. I love the brand he and his partners created. Headphones can be so simple, but the marketing behind that company was genius. If I had more time with him, I would probably ask him what my next move should be. I would love to hear his take.
Jamie Tardy, podcaster at “The Eventual Millionaire” says millionaires share 2 habits: they all journal and they all have a morning ritual. What does your morning ritual ideally look like?
Every morning I wake up, feed my kids, get them all ready for the day, feed myself and take the little guys to school. That is my boring morning ritual. Total Mom mode. When I started my job and I was away more, I made a promise to myself that I would take my kids to school every day. I need that and so do they.
If you could do anything in the world, with no possibility of failure, what would it be?
A total beach bum… with all my family and close friends. Ha. I know I wouldn’t fail at that.
What’s been the best business book you’ve read?
I really really love the book REWORK. Every entrepreneur should read it.
What’s your favorite success quote and why?
Don’t step on soft heads to get to the top. My Dad told me that in the beginning and it is so true. Treat everyone with kindness and respect. You never know who you could be dealing with and at the end of the day, you’ll never regret being kind or respectful.
What advice would you give your “just starting a business” or other business owners or soon-to-be entrepreneurs reading this knowing everything you know now?
Just do it. That is cliche’ but it is so true. You just have to realize that almost 100% of business owners that make it would always tell you they had no idea what to expect when they started, they just did it.
Well if you didn’t already know about Rachel and her business before, I’m glad you do now. You can find her online store here, and on instagram @rags_to_raches
Be Brave,
Hillary
