Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in clothing & accessories but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrea Serrahn, owner of Serrahna, located in Oakland, CA, USA.

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

SERRAHNA is a woman-owned and operated small business established in 2002. I have a deep love and appreciation for the colorful textile crafts of India. After living in India for a year in '97-98 via a Fulbright grant re: Indian textiles, my relationships deepened with the various craftspeople. Our combined efforts have helped create a design bridge between the distant worlds that I both inhabit. For the past 16 years, I have maintained a solid working relationship with two cousin brothers, who help to create the bulk of my collection. My tiny workshop allows these talented tailors a clean, safe, and rent refuge from which they can comfortably work.

Most of my creations are one-of-a-kind pieces. I source out textiles from various weavers, printers, dyers, and even crochet artisans. It's a melding of various elements that represent the multifaceted existence of modern living. I carry with me to India remnants of cloth: well-worn jean jackets, vintage mohair blankets, cashmere sweaters, and upcycle these pieces combining the Indian textile elements as well. The look is one of global fusion, with identity recognized by both sides of the globe. My customers are wonderful souls, primarily women, who have a lust for color, exotic fabrics, and interesting designs. They are traveled, educated, and fun. My demographic is the typically-40-70+ range, but those are only numbers. On two occasions, I recall three generations all shopping and buying from us!

Tell us about yourself

Always a lover of clothes but never able to afford them, my Mother taught me how to sew! I got my first merit badge in Girl Scouts in sewing. From then on, I stitched all my clothes. I would glean through thrift stores for cool old jackets and turn them into my own upcycled creations. My look was always unique and original. During the late1980's '90s, I worked for two well-known San Francisco fashion designers: Roberto Robledo and Julie Weston. Both taught me how to produce a fine line, and those experiences helped to define me as the designer I am today. I also have done lots of costumes for different theatre groups. The human expression of emotions and intention via color is a big motivator for me. I have found that Indians truly create and wear a color like no other culture on earth. I am grateful to this culture for showing me how to better self-express. Not only does it serve me well, but it puts a big smile on all those in my orbit.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Aside from 'surviving' COVID by keeping our doors open and creating an e-commerce website, our charitable contributions stand out in my mind as big accomplishments. Over the years, we have gone above and beyond the normal business relationship. We have done various fundraisers to help out my Indian team. One of my tailor's wife's required emergency surgery for a C-section. She sadly lost the child, but the fundraiser we did help to offset the expenses the family incurred. And once, during a drought season, we raised funds to help transport sorely needed green grass for the starving cows. Most recently, we raised an enormous amount of money via the sales of a SERRAHNA wardrobe that we inherited when a good customer died. This auction allowed my tailor to add tiles, running water, and a second story to his bungalow home. These give-back programs that we've done over the years create a lot of goodwill and trust between us.

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

  1. Having finally paid back my start-up debt after 18 years in business only to have COVID enter the picture.
  2. Educating a public who is afraid of color!
  3. Getting up at 3 am several times a week to have phone calls halfway around the world!

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

  1. Be ready for blood, sweat, and tears! I grew my business out of a PASSION. I had NO business background but learned through the school of hard knocks. My passion grew into a business, and that's why I have the stamina to stay in the game!
  2. Mistakes are learning milestones. It looks easy from the outside, but it's always way more challenging than anyone will ever know. It's a constantly changing set of dynamics between the government laws and the fashion rules.
  3. Imitation is flattery. Many will try to copy you but take it as a compliment.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I have stayed true to my ideals and desire to provide customers here in the west with unique and exciting wearables. The ambition I have served me well to explore the other various tangents that go along with being an entrepreneur. Do it out of love, and "it" will last a lifetime.

Where can people find you and your business?

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

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.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.