Hidden Gems: Meet Caitlyn Lapp of Lifeminded Living

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlyn Lapp.

Hi Caitlyn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Lifeminded was created from a desire to share my love of thrifting, style and sustainability with the little world we live in. I had personally been thrifting my own closet for years and on a whim in 2020 I decided to create an Instagram page to sell some of my thrift finds on. Fast forward three months and Lifeminded had grown from an Instagram page with a weekly sale to a full-fledged website fully stocked with items, monthly popups where I put together curated racks of thrifted pieces and got to meet customers in person and multiple sales a week on Instagram. Looking back to 2020 I thought wow this is huge – that I was doing this on the side of a full-time corporate girl job and it had grown so much in just a few short months.

But now today, Lifeminded has truly turned into a goal that ten years old Caitlyn would be stoked about. Lifeminded is a sustainable lifestyle not only for me but for each and every one of its customers. This company has been my full-time job and my baby for the last year and has brought me so much happiness. This brand is still its weekly Instagram sales but it’s now SO much more. Let me share some company achievements with you.

– We have a sustainable section in 25 shops across the U.S and 1 in Italy. ( We curated a collection of pieces to be sold in these stores so their customers have the option to purchase a one of a kind piece that they know was ethically sourced.)

– We have purchased two houses to turn into rental properties. One long-term rental in Savannah, GA and one Airbnb in San Antonio, TX. These houses have been fully furnished with sustainably sourced furniture and decorations.

– We have launched a Sustainable Style Box Subscription that allows customers to order a collection of items that are curated to their style and size and shipped directly to their door.

– We also created a Golden Thrift Guide for 4 different cities (and growing) that provides the lil sustainable shopper with a personalized thrift map of the 10 best thrift stores in their city, thrifting tips, three thrifting playlists depending on mood, a style inspo board, and so much more.

– We can truly say that all of our items are ethically and sustainably sourced as well as all of our shipping supplies being compostable and eco-friendly.

Alright, 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?
I would definitely be lying if I said that it has been a smooth road, all good things take time and starting a business from scratch is definitely one of those things. The admin side of things has definitely been a hard task to tackle but after trial and error for tracking finances and taxes and what not – it’s much more manageable. Staying true to the sustainability roots that have defined the company haven’t always been the easiest with finding sustainable packaging, mailers, etc. But I think the biggest hurdle that I have had to overcome was good ‘ol imposter syndrome. I found myself comparing what I was doing to other similar people/brands and feeling like I wasn’t good enough or doing things right. And although this has gotten easier to manage and snap out of that mindset – it isn’t fully gone and honestly, it may never be. BUT knowing that I created this company from something that I am truly passionate about has really helped. It doesn’t need to be like someone else’s brand or I don’t need to be making as much as that other company. Staying true to what I feel strongly about and what makes me happy has helped with the comparison aspect of that struggle.

How do you think about happiness?
Happiness to me is finding that vintage crewneck at the thrift store, catching a good wave at the beach, taking a road trip in my Jeep with my dog Scout, getting a photo from a customer in the Levi’s that they ordered and seeing that they fit like a glove, hearing someone tell me that they stopped shopping fast fashion when they found my brand and now they only shop secondhand or thrift, a crunchwrap supreme from Taco Bell, a hike at a National Park with my best friends, designing & decorating a house by sourcing all items sustainably and locally. These are just a few of the things that truly make me happy.

Pricing:

• Sustainable Style Boxes: $150
• Subscription Style Boxes: $125
• Golden Thrift Guides: $75
• Instagram Sales: All items under $50

Contact Info:

• Website: https://life-mindedliving.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifemindedstyle/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifemindedstyle?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc