Denise Shealy is a girl boss in the heart of Columbia, South Carolina who owns a boutique called Steel Garden. She was a speaker at the Her Campus South Carolina event, In Her Shoes, and we learned so much from her. The event was a huge success with a tons of tips and tricks on how to create a succesful career. Shealy gave us great advice on how to be a succesful entrepreneur and what it’s like to run your own business. We want all of our readers to get the opportunity to learn from such a motivational woman, so read on to listen to her story!
Her Campus South Carolina: What is Steel Garden?
Denise Shealy: Steel Garden is a clothing boutique offering women’s clothing, jewelry, shoes, swim, and home.
HCSC: What made you want to start your own business?
DS: I really enjoyed retail and the small business focus, and wanted to follow that into owning my own shop and offering what I thought was something not readily available in Columbia.
HCSC: What is it like being a female entrepreneur?
DS: I love every minute of it. It certainly has its challenges, but I knew to expect that.
HCSC: What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?
DS: Being a shop owner is most rewarding when I can watch the full process from placing an order, receiving the styles, then watching someone respond favorably to purchasing them – wearing it to a birthday or a special event, or seeing their photos while wearing it. It gives me all the warm and fuzzies.
HCSC: Is it difficult to run your own store?
DS: Absolutely. It’s harder than I even thought it would be, and I had experience. Every day is different. So sometimes it’s really hard, and sometimes it’s smooth sailing. It keeps you on your toes.
HCSC: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced to get to where you are today?
DS: I would definitely say the biggest challenge is funding. The rest comes easily if you’re confident and knowledgeable. Simply having the money to start it, and then keep it going when something doesn’t go as planned, or there’s an incident that negatively affects business.
HCSC: How has owning Steel Garden impacted your life?
DS: It has in every way. I am Steel Garden and Steel Garden is me. I will struggle financially for quite some time, but it’s all worth it because I know I tried.
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If you’d like see what Denise Shealy and Steel Garden is up to, check out their Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages and visit the Steel Garden website!