Business on Wheels: 6 Lessons from Lia Lee’s Trendy Boutique
Ice cream trucks, food trucks and now fashion retail trucks? What if you could start a business at a fraction of what it would normally cost, set your hours and actually make good money from it? With Trendy Boutique, Washington, D.C. resident Lia Lee has definitely taken creative entrepreneurship to the next level – she is selling clothing and accessories out of a truck.
Here are 6 things we learned about Lia Lee’s Street Boutique from NPR:
1- Anywhere, anytime: Wherever she parks and opens her doors, the store’s open. Lee props her back doors open with mannequins, so people don’t think she’s selling cupcakes.
2- Maintaining variety: She offers jewelry, bags, scarves, sweaters and other clothing, and shoes up to size 10. With such a small space to work with, Lee changes her inventory regularly.
3- Making it work: “It’s like a mini-store — we have departments and everything,” Lee says. Every “department” in the truck is packed. The shoe department is just a shelf, and the dashboard becomes storage for unused mannequins and a bin of hangers… despite the small space, the truck is comfortable inside.
4- Finding a way: Two years ago, Lee’s financial adviser told her that Lee didn’t have enough money to open a traditional brick-and-mortar store. Her original business plan for a brick-and-mortar shop required about $80,000 to $105,000, but she bought the used truck and remodeled it for just $20,000. She was profitable within 3 months of starting the business.
5- Staying in touch: Lee updates her website directory, fashiontruckfinder.com regularly. Lee helps her customers find her own truck by tweeting when she’ll be in a specific area.
6- Challenges: Finding a good spot isn’t always easy, she says: Cities and counties have different zoning laws about where, and for how long, retail trucks can park.
Lia Lee’s venture clearly shows there is no shortage of brilliant business ideas in this day and time. Congratulations Trendy Boutique!
Photos: James Clark/NPR
DUNIA poll. Please participate and see what others have voted for
Loading ...