Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Rogers.
Tiana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m originally from a very small city in Ohio called Akron. In this small city, my best friend and I always had big fashion dreams. As children, we loved to shop and would spend hours at the mall daily. And not necessarily for clothes to buy (we didn’t have the money for that), but just to admire the fabrics, designs, and trends the designers were currently pushing in the industry. This was our idea of fun.
Fast forward… I turned 24 and decided to leave my career behind in Ohio and move to Los Angeles, CA. I didn’t have a job or even enough money for an apartment. It’s hard for me to answer the question of why I moved to LA because I honestly don’t know. I just had an urge to go. I knew I was supposed to be there. Well, when I got there the move was not “welcoming”. It was the most humbling experience I’ve had in my life. There was so much denial, expenses and hard work involved. During this time writing is what kept me going. I’ve been writing my entire life; I even majored in Journalism in college. I started a blog where I wrote about my struggles moving to LA fashion and beauty. A prominent media company came across my blog and hired me as a staff writer.
This job was a dream come true (or so I thought.) I was able to quit my multiple jobs at restaurants. I enjoyed the stability and the creative environment I was able to be a part of. However, after a few months in I began to feel unappreciated and mistreated at this job. It started to become very challenging for me to wake up every day and work for someone else’s dream that didn’t even respect me.
I had another urge and wanted to venture into fashion and the fashion district in LA. I wanted to pursue my dreams. I called on my best friend and together we spent our savings and pioneered Careful & Careless. During this time money was scarce for me and I learned I wasn’t being paid equally as other writers at my writing job. I spoke up about it and coincidently I was laid off a week later.
I was upset because of the mistreatment, But I knew this was a sign that I needed to put all my energy into my dreams and my business. My best friend and I launched Careful & Careless shortly after and it’s been such a rewarding experience ever since.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Hell no! Where should I begin? We never expected a smooth road. But, I’ll say we struggled most with consistency and finances. With retail, there’s a great number of details that need to be documented with every purchase and all products. We weren’t consistent with keeping track of everything and this resulted in a loss of income and inventory. Consistency with marketing has also been a struggle. Marketing is more work than expected and absolutely necessary for sales.
We’ve also had some personal challenges. Financially, we’ve both had to support ourselves and families while starting a business. My partner Tiarra is a single mother and I’ve become a mother throughout this process and there’s been so many distractions and reasons to call it quits. But we push each other daily and persevere through it all.
Please tell us about Careful & Careless.
Careful & Careless is an online women’s clothing boutique. We carry women’s clothing and accessories from size 0 to XXXL. I’m most proud of this company because it has turned into a movement for women to be free and comfortable in their skin and clothing- not just following trends. We curate our inventory by inspiration from the phenomenal women in our lives (mainly our customers.) With Careful & Careless we applaud the many phases and versatility of a woman. We have the ability to flawlessly function in many roles; whether it be a mother by day and a single and sexy lady by night. And here at Careful & Careless, we have a piece of clothing for every mood!
Careful & Careless is also known for our events. We’ve had the pleasure of hosting pop-up events in several states. At these events, women can come drink wine, eat, socialize and shop! We love the bonds and memories we’ve built with women during these events.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Hmm … my favorite memory from childhood would have to be my evenings at the hair salon. My Grammy (grandma) was a beautician with a hair salon in her basement. After school, I would go over her house until my parents were off work. She’d have her clients in her basement and I’d have to sweep the floors and offer her guests water or fruit (no matter the season my grammy had fruit.) I’d complain, but deep down I enjoyed being around these women, hearing their stories and watching my grammy make them beautiful. In hindsight, I now realize how my grammy was prepping me for entrepreneurship as well. These evenings in her hair salon also showed me the magic that can happen when women feel beautiful, feel free and are supported by other women. I’m so grateful for these times.
Contact Info:
- Website: carefulandcareless.com
- Email: [email protected]
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