Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Monica Barnett, Founder of Blueprint For Style LLC, located in Washington, DC, USA.

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

I am the Chief Image Curator and the Founder of Blueprint for Style, a wardrobe styling and personal branding company based in Washington, DC. I wrote two books (Without Saying A Word: The Silent Power of Style and The Creatives' Closet: for female side hustlers, influencers, entrepreneurs, and empire builders). Also, a professional speaker, a style & branding coach, and the curator of your Visual Resume™️. I have over 13 years of styling and branding experience and have been featured on stages around the world, but the focus is always on the importance and power of the first impression. The goal is always to develop a more intentional approach to curating one's outward appearance to align with one's lifestyle and aspirations. Across my distinguished career as a wardrobe stylist, I had the privilege to partner with major corporations such as Marriott International, NBC Universal, Comcast, Georgetown University's Schools of Business and Law, and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management to fine-tune their employees' styles and brand and the opportunity to work with corporate executives, politicos, and world-class athletes.

Blueprint for Style's mission is to ensure individuals and organizations understand the power of a polished presence, how to achieve it, and the importance of the first impression in creating impactful professional and personal interactions. Our customers are individuals who understand the power of the first impression and companies who want to elevate awareness and provide insights for professionals to focus on putting their best foot forward in an effort to expand influence to drive better outcomes.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up as a tomboy. I played sports year-round, and by the time I graduated from high school, I was a 16 varsity-letter woman and a soccer All-American. In playing soccer, my coach used to always make us clean and oil our cleats before every game. Andre would say, "When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you play good!" That saying stuck with me, and as I continued through life, I noticed that I had an eye for what worked well on people and that dressing and how one looked affected how people saw themselves and how others viewed them. I have since changed my soccer coach's saying to be my business motto: when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, other people notice.

I started Blueprint for Style and wardrobe styling because I saw the short- and long-term impact of feeling good on people's professional and personal relationships. I wanted to be part of that! Blueprint for Style matured the concept to focus on the power of the first impression and how it impacts and influences those ongoing relationships. The idea that I can help people in their most important moments feel awesome and shine or pull them up from feeling less-than-worthy to believing in themselves and exuding that self-confidence is why I do this!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The biggest accomplishment to date has been thriving! I have seen businesses come and go, especially post-COVID, and that Blueprint for Style has been able to tune in to our customer's needs and develop our services to accommodate their problems but also expand our client base has been a blessing! We just launched a new on-demand, subscription-based virtual styling solution called Pocket Personal Stylist, https://bit.ly/PPSservice!

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

One of the most difficult aspects of being a business owner, especially in the beginning, is balancing servicing your current clients and simultaneously going after new business. It's a precarious balancing act but one that is required constantly.

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

  1. Consider how you'd like to grow the business in terms of specific clients or additional service lines because it will help inform how you start in the early stages.
  2. Ideally, if you're going to do it full-time, consider having at least six (6) months of living expenses and at least two (2) months of revenue potential in the pipeline. This is a great way to start to map out your close and conversation rates.
  3. As you develop your business, make sure you focus on the "problem you solve," not the product or solution you make!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

See me in action and learn some tips and tricks to pack light and still look right (and avoid excess baggage fees) by joining my Travel Packing webinar on August 18th - https://travelpacking.splashthat.com.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://blueprintforstyle.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueprint4style
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueprint4style/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blueprint4style
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicabarnettbfs/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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