Check Out Jade Burton’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Burton.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
BFLY LA was actually started in 2009 by my mom. I was in college and she knew how much I loved fashion.

After college, I was at an impasse. I realized running BFLY full time would be the most fulfilling aspect of my life. I sold some designer things that I owned, moved in with my parents and invested everything I had into BFLY.

At that time, BFLY was barely ever open. So I knew I had to get the word out to prospective clients. “Hey Ladies, I’m Back & BFLY is open Monday – Saturday.” I would start my day as early as 6am and stay in the store until late at night just grinding. Fast forward in 2015, I created a website & Instagram for my business with only five products on the entire site. My days became even longer because my goal was to ship all packages from online orders immediately. I decided to drop new arrivals daily and tried my best to have the most unique pieces I could find. My own versatility of style became my inspiration. My mind just thinks very fashion-forward, new and different.

Through time, my hard work and hustling began to pay off. My store sales grew stronger as each day passed, which helped build my social media brand and presence. My followers began to multiply simply from word of mouth, client photos and referrals. My greatest and most influential supporters of BFLY are my networks of family & friends. They all wear BFLY, some even exclusively. They are my greatest source of advertisement-walking billboards! My pictures and product shots showcase a real woman, person and body. I think our ladies really love and appreciate that!

My strategy is to stay consistent with releasing new arrivals, showcasing a variety of differently styled pieces that represent the diversity of women and shipping as fast as possible.

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?
Challenges and struggles are a major component of entrepreneurship, I face them daily. Initially, my biggest struggle was building my client base and ensuring that all my merchandise sold out. As I’ve grown, the delegation of tasks to others seems to be my greatest struggle. I became so accustomed to doing everything myself, it’s difficult to trust someone else to do it as I would. I have also found it difficult to recruit and retain a good genuine team that wants to grow with you. I’m so thankful for the solid people I have on my team right now. BFLY is in a great place.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
BFLY LA is a boutique that is best known for having trendy and affordable fashion. In the boutique world, we have the most unique pieces. Prospective buyers are attracted to BFLY because I make sure to give & style entire looks, complete with accessories, shoes and bags-not just a dress on a body. I’ll add cute accessories to give our clients an idea of how to style their pieces. My clients feel the “vibe” when they shop with us. Overall, I am most proud of BFLY as a whole, but also being able to provide a competitive salary to multiple people on my team is astonishing and something that I have always dreamed of accomplishing.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I always take risks when it comes to inventory and the amount of items I purchase. Designing shoes was a risk because I have to design them and put them in production at least three months ahead of the season.

My greatest risk to date was when I purchased my first warehouse. It was bigger than I initially thought I needed, then I realized I had to hire an operations team to work there! I cried when I got the keys and opened the door for the very first time. This was my first major endeavor and responsibility as a boss. Others would be depending on me and my business. I grew out of that space in less than a year. It was then that I realized my success was limitless. I began to set greater goals for myself and my business from that point on.

My advice for current/future business owners would be to conduct your cost benefit analysis for risk-taking. Think about where the risk can take you and what that means for your business model. If a risk makes sense and will create better professional/financial opportunities for you, Go For It! I will say, when risk-taking, you have to be willing and ready to hustle harder.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: BFLYLA.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bflyla?utm_medium=copy_link

Image Credits:
Kin Cordell Sara Lee Saleh