Meet Rachael Hamlin of Boutique Rocky

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Hamlin.

Rachael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After graduating from Louisiana State University, I accepted a job as an Assistant Manager at a boutique in Baton Rouge. After a few months, the Store Manager decided to pursue a different career path and I was interviewed for the position as Store Manager of their largest store location. I fell in love with retail and specifically merchandising. I was given a lot of freedom as far as presentation and I was able to help in a lot of the business decisions with the company’s Operations Manager and Owner. I was asked to accompany the owner on a buying trip to MAGIC in Las Vegas and once there I fell even more in love with the retail world. After a couple years, I knew my time in Baton Rouge was coming to an end and I was ready to move back to my hometown in Houston to be with my friends and family. Upon moving back, I knew that I wasn’t ready to let go of my passion for retail and my love of fashion. This is why I decided to launch Boutique Rocky in March 2017. I have built the site from the ground up. I am the website designer, buyer, customer service representative, and everything else behind Boutique Rocky.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My official launch was pushed back multiple times because of everything that had to be done beforehand. I had never opened a business on my own before and filing with the state for taxes and everything like that was more work than I had expected. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes that most people don’t think about when starting a business from scratch. My mom was a huge help and without her, I probably wouldn’t have been able to open when I did. Being a strictly online business also has it challenges because marketing online is a whole different ball game than being able to get in front of the customer. You lose that face to face connection. Social media is constantly evolving and you have to be able to keep up or you’ll get lost in the next bigger and better idea or product.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Boutique Rocky story. Tell us more about the business.
Boutique Rocky is an online women’s clothing and accessories boutique. We specialize in the latest trends in fashion as well as day-to-day wear. I have worked really hard to make it a reflection of who I am. I’m a girl’s girl and I want my customers to feel like they know me through my boutique. I have outfits that range from a girl’s night out to a Bachelor Monday on the couch with your best friends. I think a lot of the bigger online stores have a huge variety of items that you can almost get lost in. I didn’t want to do something like that. One of my favorite things about buying is picking items based on where I could see someone wearing it. If an item isn’t practical or I wouldn’t feel appropriate wearing it in public, I’m not going to sell it.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t really think luck has anything to do with how my business has been going. If anything, I’m lucky that I have a supportive family and group of friends that have motivated and pushed me to pursue my dream of having an online store of my own. Everything depends on how hard you work and what you choose to put into it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.boutiquerocky.com
• Email: boutiquerocky@gmail.com
• Instagram: @boutiquerocky
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boutiquerocky
• Twitter: @_boutiquerocky

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