Today we’d like to introduce you to Tania Richardson.
Hi Tania, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Three years ago, I started pinning on Pinterest. Specifically fashion and travel. It did not take long for my pins to get noticed. When my following hit 100k views per month, I knew I had something. However, I had not figured out a way to mesh everything together. I knew that whatever I created, it had to be something that represented my three loves–fashion, travel, and business. Because I frequently search for content online, I am sensitive to a lack of information for women in my age group. When I did not find much content for women over forty, it was clear to me that advertisers either target their ads to millennials or seniors. For instance, when I look at television, I usually see a woman between the ages of 40 and 55 who looks like a soccer mom. There is nothing wrong with being a soccer mom but, not every woman is a soccer mom. Furthermore, women are not a homogenous group. We have varied interests and are differentially impacted by gender, class, ethnicity, and more. One day my friend Simone and I were brainstorming what would be a good name for my venture. Since my girlfriends and I always greet each other by saying “Hey Lady,” Simone thought it would be the perfect name. She then had doubts but, it was too late. I loved it! It was simple but catchy enough to grab the attention of ladies of all walks.
After an unexpected turn of events, COVID-19 hit. I closed my insurance office, and my staff and I started working from home. This allotted me the time to sit and brainstorm how I wanted to launch my new venture. Amid everything that was going on in the world, I knew I had to launch because I had thought about doing this for years. And what often happens when we have an idea and we put it off, a year later someone launches our idea. I couldn’t let this happen. I did not want to say, “I should have,” or “I could have.” The minute I decided to press the “go” button God started giving me ideas to the point where I could not sleep at night. I was up at 2 am receiving ideas from God. I’m a firm believer that when God speaks, you have to listen. Also, I heard God say, “If you do not do this now, that’s it.” That was the turning point. In a matter of three weeks, I filed the trademark, I hired a publicist and a social media manager, all the dots started connecting, and Hey Lady💋™ was born. A lifestyle brand curated for the woman who has a passion for fashion, a love of travel, and an interest in owning or growing a business. I won’t say it was effortless but, it was the right time, and I had the right people on my team. I was floored. I barely slept in those three weeks because of the excitement. At 40, there is a turning point. Either the light is turned on or off. With Hey Lady💋™, my goal is to spotlight women 40 and over with diverse backgrounds who are not just living but thriving.
I’m on a mission to encourage women to live fully. It appears that many women are just existing. They work a nine to five, wait for the weekend to run errands, and on Monday it starts over again. Somewhere along the way, women have been taught that it’s selfish to take care of themselves. We cater to everyone’s needs and by the time we want to do something for ourselves, we’re depleted. We have nothing left for us. I want to change the narrative. I want women to know that it’s not selfish to take care of themselves and that they should be proud of being 40. At the end of the day, I want them to know that I’m not an anomaly, and I’m not the only one out here traveling and enjoying life. It’s a matter of prioritizing, and prioritization is putting yourself first. On the Hey Lady💋™ blog, I share my travel journeys to inspire women to travel to far off imaginary places. Traveling opens your heart, broadens your mind, and creates memories. I’ve traveled to Tanzania, Dubai, Paris, Morocco, Amsterdam, Croatia, Italy, and many other places.
On my YouTube channel, I show women how they vacation in Italy with roundtrip airfare and hotel for $1,200. That’s saving $3.65 a day for the next 365 days. But there’s a time when you should go to get the best deal. If I want to be economical, I’ll go in the offseason. And I suggest going in the offseason because there are fewer tourists, everything is open to you, and it’s, of course, less expensive. I also stress to women that they should have multiple streams of income and not call it a side hustle. If you call it a side hustle that’s how you will treat it. It’s another business. My passion is LIFE. I believe every day that we are alive is a special occasion. I’m on a mission to inspire other women to live their best lives. Hey, Lady💋™ is more than just a lifestyle brand. It’s a movement because being a lady never goes out of style!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Everything that happens in life happens for a reason. Sometimes that means we must face heartache and failure to experience joy and success. My journey and the trajectory for my life has been a leap of faith from the beginning to now. I am not someone who moves in fear, and I thank my mom for that. She never planted the spirit of fear in me. Whatever I decided to do, my mom would say if it doesn’t work out, you can always come home. And because I had the right mindset, I knew that if any of my ventures did not work out, it would not be the end of the world. My first business would be considered a failure by society standards. I owned a hair salon and apothecary in Atlanta, GA. It did not do well. However, the experience taught me what not to do going forward. Sometimes it is not about doing everything the right way the first time. When things do not always go our way, we have two choices in dealing with the situation. We either focus on the fact that things did not go how we hoped, or we understand these setbacks are temporary.
My failed business prepared me for ventures to come. It taught me about overhead, marketing, and how to manage people. So, in reality, it set me up for the successes that I am experiencing today. When you put your heart and soul into something, and it does not pan out the way you plan, there is a disappointment that you experience. I have learned not to wallow in disappointment. You have to get real with yourself and assess the situation to understand why it happened. There has to be accountability. You have to see what you did wrong without pointing the finger at everyone else. You have to be honest with yourself to move on. I paused for a couple of years to evaluate what I wanted to do next. And if I were to have a next, I had to think about how I would go about doing it. I always say, “You can knock me down nine times but, as long as I get up the 10th time, I’m good.” If you stay in your failure, you will count yourself out every time. If you take ownership, you can get out of the failure rut faster.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Hey Lady💋™ is a lifestyle brand curated for the woman forty and over who has a passion for fashion, a love of travel, and an interest in owning or growing a business. My goal is to fill the void of advertisers catering less to women 40–55 years old and to feature women from all walks of life who are living and thriving. I wanted to start a movement for the woman who has a passion for fashion, a love of travel, and an interest in owning or growing a business–to motivate, empower and encourage them to live their best lives. My thought was that when women see other women living their best life through Hey Lady💋™ it will hopefully reignite their vitality and renewed passions. Society needs to see positive images of women being more than moms.
I’m a proud mom to a wonderful son but, we (women) are naturally passionate and nurturing. Because of this, we sometimes lose ourselves to family and relationships. I’m proud of myself for stepping out on faith and believing that my vision would come to fruition. And although I am no stranger to business—I represented a fortune 500 company and secured over four thousand clients consistently for eight years–building a lifestyle platform for women that is organically turning into a movement is a new entrepreneurial move for me. I’m proud of my brand because it is organically growing and reaching a large number of women in a short amount of time. Women are flocking to Hey Lady💋™ to be uplifted and encouraged. They’re remembering who they are and realizing their worth. My social media platforms are growing with women who are excited about life.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The lesson I learned along my journey is that nobody owes us anything. Anyone who decides to purchase our product, follow us on social media, or subscribe to our YouTube channel does it on their own volition. I’ve learned to not get upset when people chose not to support us. Sometimes when people don’t support what you’re doing, it may be more about them than you. It could be that they aren’t interested or even jealous, but some people tend to attack things that are new to them. I don’t take it personally.
Pricing:
- Hey Lady💋™ Latte Mug $15
- Hey Lady💋™ by C&D Beading Co. Black Onyx and silver toned “Inspirational” 8mm hand beaded bracelet $25
- Hey Lady💋™ Champagne Rose Candle $24.50
- Hey Lady💋™ by Kelli “Motto” Women’s V-Neck Tee $30
- Hey Lady💋™ Light weight Hooded Sweatshirt $45
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.heyladybytania.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyladybytania/?hl=es
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heyladybytania
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyladybytania
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBuka-Fp_LZhX1eaYfPWaKA/featured
Image Credits:
KWE Johnson – Brown blouse/suit HANS – beach, bathing suit, white dress on lounge (cover shot) Tania Richardson – Hey Lady backdrop
