Despite the risks associated with starting a business of her own, Lakita Norville was not swayed from taking that leap of faith. Norville, the sole owner of Laville’s Boutique and D’Shoe Box recently sat down with ANN and shared with us the motivation for her making the move despite the risks.
According to Lakita, her mother, a great passion for fashion and being own boss were three of the major motivators in making the big push towards entrepreneurship.
She believes that risk has paid off as she has been able to expand her business over the last 11 years.
‘Yes I would say I’m successful thus far because I started in a small store space with limited products and as I gained more and more customers I saw the need to expand my product line which then required a larger store space. I then moved to a larger store space with more products , started online promotion which helped to boost sales. I then opened a sister store ( D’Shoe Box)’, Norville said.
Although Lakita’s foray into the world of business has been a success, it has not been without its challenges, like any other business. Some challenges mentioned by the boutique owner were consistency and the global pandemic. According to her the covid-19 pandemic was her greatest challenge as a business owner as it brought about the temporary closure of her business, loss of wages, and loss of employees.
But despite those challenges she persevered and is one of the businesses that made it through to the other side of the pandemic.
Now, while there may have been negative and challenging moments during her time as owner and operator of not one, but two boutiques, there are also positive highlights. Those highlights, according to Lakita, are being her own boss and having flexibility in regard to time, making her own rules, and making a meaningful impact on society.
She also noted that starting her own business has been a great help in her own life as well as in the life of others, as it has allowed her the opportunity to hire and provide training for them.
Looking back on her entrepreneurial journey so far, with the knowledge she has now gained from owning two businesses, the only thing that Lakita says she would do differently is put more emphasis on social media promotion.
She stressed the importance of passion for your field of business as one of the essential qualities of an entrepreneur.
In the closing moments of our interview with Lakita Norville, owner and operator of Laville’s Boutique and D’Shoe Box, she offered advice to young women with an interest in starting businesses of their own.
‘Stay focused on your passion, have proper money management, be creative and practice good communication skills with others’ she said.
You can check out everything Lakita has to offer at both of her business on Facebook at Laville’s Boutique and on Instagram @lavillesb. She can also be contacted at (784) 528-4781.