WomenandBiz.com

Dear Lila,

Could you share your background prior to becoming an entrepreneur?

Lila Allocca

I have always wanted to work for myself.  Before becoming an entrepreneur, I worked for Merrill Lynch as a Legal Assistant for 10 Years.  I just never liked sitting behind a desk.  It left me feeling uninspired.  Also, due to the fact that I do not have a College Education, moving up the corporate ladder would have taken much longer than I was willing to wait for.

How was it helpful to you as you began your entrepreneurial journey?

Actually, being in the corporate environment pushed me to want to break free on my own, so I guess just being there was helpful.

What led you to purchase BritchinPost.com?

That’s my favorite question.  Probably a common answer in my field as well.  The birth of my daughter Olivia inspired me.  I was shopping for her at one of my favorite online boutiques (Britchinpost.com) and had to call the owner to ask a question.  In the midst of conversation, she told me she was going to be selling her online store.  The Lila Lightbulb went on and I was soon the new owner of the Britchinpost.com online Girls Boutique.

Read more

Could you please tell us about your background prior to starting your business?

Prior to starting my business, I stayed busy by homeschooling my four young children.  Prior to that, I sold B2B software.

Carissa Rose

Did you have any entrepreneurial experience? If yes, how did it help you in starting this business? If not, what surprised you as you started your business?

Although I never myself had been an entrepreneur before, I had been around entrepreneurs who taught me a lot about being an entrepreneur. My husband was a successful entrepreneur for more than a decade and I had worked for a couple of entrepreneurs as well. The most help I gained was from my husband; he was smart enough to grow his business so it could run without his presence.  A couple of things that surprised me the most in starting Carissa Rose Designs LLC was that first, the most important thing is choosing your vendor group and second, building a competitive and brand worthy website is expensive and time consuming.

Read more