Meet Robin Audi of LuLaRoe Robin Audi in Washington Heights

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Audi.

Robin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was teaching middle school English at Pin Oak Middle School in Bellaire, TX. I was approaching thirty and was ready to pursue motherhood. After a long discussion with my husband, I decided that this was an adventure that I felt compelled to leave the classroom to pursue. I wanted to stay home and be a full-time mom. At the time, we were prepared to take the loss in pay and figure out how we were going to deal with it, but I wanted more. How could I work a flexible job from home, raise babies, and still contribute to our household income? An opportunity presented itself in the form of an in-home clothing boutique: LuLaRoe. I could work as little or as much as I wanted in the evenings after school. I dreamt that I could build up my business while pregnant, quit teaching, and continue working my business at home. It was perfect! After much deliberation with my very supportive husband and with the $5,000 I had saved up for a new car, I placed my first inventory order. I launched my boutique in August 2016 — the same month I started my sixth year of teaching and actively pursued pregnancy.

The first nine months were a blur of constant work, determination, and grit. My business was growing, and I could see the opportunity to match and exceed my teaching income quickly approaching, but I wasn’t pregnant yet. Could I justify quitting a steady paycheck that used my degree without a baby bump? I knew that if I was going to grow my business, I needed to dedicate more time to it. So, I took the plunge, quit my teaching job, and pursued my home-based business full-time!

I can genuinely say that I’ve never been happier! I spend my days styling outfits for women and inspiring confidence and body positivity. I have built a community of women and friends in Houston and across the nation who inspire one another through fashion. I still use my teaching experience to teach women how to style themselves, and I’ve been blessed to teach women how to build their own LuLaRoe businesses. It is my goal to help others achieve their goals. Because of LuLaRoe, I’m able to pay for my fertility testing and treatment — and that is why I work my business so hard.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
If you are familiar with the LuLaRoe brand, you might think owning a LuLaRoe boutique is easy. People know the brand and seek out retailers to find specific prints and patterns. And while this is true in some parts of the country, I have found Houston (specifically in the loop) to know very little about LuLaRoe. So, to spread the word about the brand, I loaded up my inventory in my car and set up pop-up boutiques all over town, sometimes multiple times each week: neighborhood holiday parties, teacher workshops downtown, art markets on 19th Street, and happy hour parties at private homes. This was, of course, a huge undertaking while still teaching full-time. My husband and I sacrificed many weekends and evenings for the sake of growing my business and customer base. My desire to work from home on my own terms greatly outweighed the late nights and lost weekends.

LuLaRoe Robin Audi – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
LuLaRoe Robin Audi is a Houston-based clothing boutique that I run out of my home. I exclusively carry the brand LuLaRoe — known for its comfortable, modest clothing fit for every body size from XXS-3XL. What makes LuLaRoe (the brand) unique is that they create fewer than 5,000 pieces of clothing in each specific print meaning it is very rare to find the same article of clothing twice! When you come into my boutique, you won’t find multiples of prints or colors in your size; you’ll find a very unique and ever-changing selection of styles and designs to shop from.

I am a social retailer. My business is built on relationships, referrals, and social media connections. I do most of my business in my Facebook group where I’ve built an awesome community of women. You’ll see me posting outfits, styling clients, running Facebook Live shows, offering styling tips, sharing bits of my life, and posting pictures of my two dogs. For my local ladies, I offer Open Houses in my boutique and drop in shopping appointments. Nothing is more fun than helping women pick out beautiful pieces of clothing and seeing their faces light up when they put them on! I also continue to travel around the greater Houston area offering pop-up boutiques in businesses, homes, and at festivals. I pride myself on the individual attention I provide to each shopper, online or in person. I answer every message, tag, email, and request myself and enjoy showing women how to wear each style in every season.

Currently, I carry women’s styles only but have plans to expand to men’s and children’s styles in the future.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I feel successful when I’m meeting my financial goals and I’m able to bless others. I strive to be a generous business and to always bless and surprise my customers. I love this quote: “The money you have is only as good as the good you do with it” (DeAnne Stidham, the founder of LuLaRoe). I’m proud to use my profits to help grow my family and give back to my community. I am most proud of how I was able to use my business to give back after Hurricane Harvey. My customers graciously purchased over 40 items of clothing to donate to women I personally knew who lost their homes — and I was able to match every donation. It’s a privilege to serve my customers and my community, and I’ve never felt more successful.

Contact Info:

• Address: Wagner Street and Heights Blvd.
  Houston, TX 77007
• Website: www.lularoerobinaudi.com
• Phone: 512-ROE-AUDI
• Email: lularoerobinaudi@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lularoerobinaudi
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lularoerobinaudi

Image Credit:
Ramy Audi

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