Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in a clothing line but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emily Ross, owner of Yobel, located in Colorado Springs, CO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Yobel is a men's and women's head-to-toe ethical and sustainable fashion boutique! I know, that's a mouthful, but what that means is we carry fair-trade, a.k.a., ethical clothing, shoes, and accessories for men and women. I believe we're the only men's and women's fully ethical boutique in Colorado too, which is pretty cool. However, we wish all our goods were made ethically. Ethical fashion means that everyone along the assembly line, from sourcing materials to manufacturing the garment, had safe working conditions and was paid a fair wage. Sadly, the majority of the products we consume every day were made through some kind of human exploitation. We don't agree with that, so we do a lot of research into the brands we carry to ensure that's not the case with what we provide. We also work directly with many artisans around the world to empower them and their businesses. The majority of our products are also good for our planet because they were made sustainably. This can look different for some brands, but less water usage, fewer chemicals, less new materials, so recycled and upcycled materials, are a few ways products can be made sustainably. Our customers are wonderful; we love getting to know them and educating them about ethical and sustainable fashion. We have people from their 20's to 70's shopping with us! We believe that when people and our planet are the priority, we all profit.

Tell us about yourself

I have always dreamed of providing fair-trade fashion. When I was in high school, I designed a lot of clothing, made a lot of my own clothes, and dreamed of purchasing sweatshops so that I could revamp them, treat people well and pay them well. Years later, that concept is called fair-trade, and I get to live this dream in a way. I haven't revamped any sweatshops myself, but providing elevated, high-quality men's and women's fashion that only comes from manufacturers like I wanted to create is a dream come true! Sharing about ethical and sustainable fashion with the people I get to meet on a daily basis in the shop is an amazing honor and so motivating!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

In these crazy times, surviving the pandemic is a pretty major accomplishment! But, other than that, I think that supporting artisans around the world and sharing their work with our community is just amazing! My husband and I grew up in Colorado Springs, and we absolutely love our city and community. Being part of that, having a shop downtown in our favorite neighborhood, and getting to work and play there is just incredible.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The financial side of the business is probably my biggest challenge. It doesn't help that we were open for only six months before the pandemic shut us down for four months because there were so many financial uncertainties, but it's the part of the business that I really have to work at. I think all the other parts are more fun! :)

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Be sure to absolutely love what you do because when it gets tough in any way, which there will be those times, you can go back to knowing that running your business is what you love. It's like anything else, where some days are up, and others are down, but at the end of the day, I don't want to do anything else, which sustains me! Another tip I would give is to be involved with your community. Linking arms with other business owners is so encouraging, and there's so much wisdom in being in it together. Lastly, keep in mind that being a business owner is a marathon, not a sprint. Success isn't generally overnight, so pace yourself within your lifestyle so you don't burn out, and so you can keep going.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://shopyobel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopyobel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopyobel/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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