To Roe or Not To Roe

To Roe or Not To Roe that is the question. Should I join LuLaRoe? Roe? What the hell am I talking about? Not rowing a boat, I will tell you that! LuLaRoe… you know that clothing company I am obsessed with? I know what you are thinking – Clothes? Kristi, you suck at dressing yourself. You are right about that. I somehow, and I didn’t know I was doing it, but I changed my entire style by simply wearing LuLaRoe leggings. Ok, I wear them everyday, but still.

I don’t like patterns on me. Like ever. Somehow though, I kinda fell in love with the LuLaRoe legging patterns. People comment all the time on my leggings. And they touch them. All the time! I kid you not. I can’t blame them, they are utterly buttery soft. For once in my life I didn’t feel like fashionwhatthehellareyouwearing but like a woman who could pull an outfit together.

LuLaRoe as a Business

I started seeing the LuLaRoe business in January 2016. I had a friend from Phoenix, who was a fashionista (opposite of me!), say she was investing about $7,500 in a clothing business as an independent consultant. Of course I thought she was cray cray. Then one of my good friends from Portland started to post pics of these LuLaRoe leggings. I bought a pair to support her new business venture. I wore them for the first time on the Fathom Cruise to the Dominican Republic. I loved them!!! Hook, line, and sinker!

I had been working out like a fiend and couldn’t believe how great I looked in this pic!

Then two bloggers that I love to pieces started selling LuLaRoe, I stood up and took notice. They killed it! I watched how much fun they had doing Live Facebook sales together and knew I would enjoy doing that. At the time though, I was still traveling full-time. There was no way I could do this business on the road, so I pushed it from my mind.

Alaska and LuLaRoe

I’m one of those people that is a born entrepreneur. I’ve created hundreds of businesses for my friends over the years, and a half dozen for myself. My current business is as a professional writer and that includes this blog. Before this, I owned a brick-and-mortar flower shop with my best friend. When that business ended the way it did, I lost a piece of myself, a part of my soul. I felt like a failure and it would take me seven years to recover mentally from those dark days. Traveling healed me, traveling filled me back up, traveling made me selfless and far more in tune with who I am as a woman than anything I’ve ever done in my life.

{Read: We Built a Dream 10 Years Ago & Catholic Charities Destroyed It. to catch up}

I’ve been restless lately. I decided to put down roots in Alaska and call this place I love home. I don’t ever want to stop writing and editing, but I have felt like I needed more. I’ve just never been the type of person to sit back and enjoy the ride. I’m the type that is at the helm directing my life where to go.

{Read It’s Official Alaska, I’m Moving In.}

Why LuLaRoe?

After many discussions with friends and family, I decided to put my 20+ years of business experience into a new business venture – LuLaRoe. Why LLR? You see, I never, and I mean ever, want to own a brick-and-mortar company again. I do enjoy a tangible business and one where the business model was solid. LuLaRoe is incredibly solid. LuLaRoe’s Founder DeAnne Stidham, has one incredible saying – I believe in you and you can do it. 

I’ve been saying a variation of this to people over the past few years. When I read that I knew that this was a woman who got it. Like, really got it. Lift people up, don’t push them down.

When the Founder of a company has the same business ethics as you and has a terrific product, you should take a moment to see if there can be something more there. For me, I believe there is.

It Isn’t Cheap

To get into LuLaRoe it roughly costs $7,500 give or take. Initially, I thought – no way that is too much. Then I thought about it and did the financial projections. When I started that flower shop business, my best friend and I both brought $35,000 to the table plus a couple hundred thousand more from a bank loan.

LuLaRoe has been on my mind for the last few months so I started to save money. I wrote 8+ hours a day, I bartended at night (researching a new character in my book), I hustled. I filled out an application to be put into the queue almost two months ago. You know, just in case I decided I want to go forward.

I got called to Onboard almost three weeks ago.

I wasn’t ready. Some life situations happened and I had to use that money I had saved. When most people get that call they have already created their online social accounts, have everything ordered that they need, and are freaking out that they are about to start on a new journey. Not me.

I just looked at the phone and cried. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the finances in place anymore. Well, those who know me, know that I don’t back down when faced with a challenge. I push through that struggle and find a solution. I stopped bartending as I couldn’t move my arm since the fishing accident, but I was still doing writing jobs as they paid quite a bit more. Writing though for 8-10 hours hurt my arm so much, I needed to find relief.

I also asked for help from someone who has supported me my whole life. My big brother, Ricky. When he said yes, I cried, I cheered, I freaked the eff out. I can’t tell you what it means to have that support. When someone says they believe in you, it lifts you up. You feel like you can take on the world. You see, when I started my first company at 20, my brother was my cheerleader then too. He urged me to go bigger than what I was thinking, to push outside of what was comfortable. When I started, I didn’t know the difference between wholesale and retail, I didn’t know anything about business. I sold that business at 25 and have never looked back. At 42, I know that you have to follow your passions in life and the rest will fall into place.

My brother Ricky and I – love him!

So for me, I am taking on a new business venture, and stepping out once again of my comfort zone to push myself. You cannot grow if you stay stagnant, safe in the bubble around you. At least I can’t. I need to dream, to pursue, and see what I’m made of.

I hope you will go with me on this journey. Stay tuned as I will have a new site that is just for LuLaRoe including a Facebook group, a YouTube Video Series, and a new Instagram account. Quite possibly, there will also be a corresponding Podcast to go along with this. I would love it if you wanted to host an online or in-house party. Why yes, I will bring the craft beer and wine! You know me all too well! Want to be a part of my team? Email me and let’s do this together!

Tell me in the comments – have you ever heard of LuLaRoe before? Any tips or advice for me as I start this new venture?