Follow Your Intuition

FYI Entrepreneurs Spotlight

I, Joyce-Lynn, am calling 2013 the year of entrepreneurs. Shout out to all the young women and men starting their own business' and following your dreams. I have seen all kinds of online boutiques, clothing lines, and hair companies pop up everywhere! The hustle is REAL! lol. Everyone keep up the good work and I'm sure your hard work will not go unrecognized!

Today I have Shauntay Parrish from Ft.Lauderdale, Florida, of www.lastnamediva.com. There are many online boutiques to follow on Istagram but the reasons I follow LastNameDiva because of the positive and encouraging quotes that she posts and of course the accessories! I was able to ask Ms. Shauntay some questions about running her business and what to expect next. Check it out!

When did you decide to start LastNameDiva accessories?

In the summer of 2010 I started an accessory website named Eliteaccessories.com due to my love for fashion accessories. I failed miserably and had no traffic whatsoever and relaunched in 2011 as fabulousfashionaccessories.com. As fate would have it, that failed too but I knew that my idea would be successful and I truly felt that it was ahead of its time. Fast forward to October of 2012 I relaunched a 3rd time with the 3rd name, and that is how lastnamediva was born.

Besides running LastNameDiva, do you have another job? If so, how do you balance both?

In addition to running every aspect of lastnamediva by myself I also have a fulltime job in claims for United Healthcare. Prayer and patience is the only thing that gives me strength to have a fulltime business and a fulltime job. My nights are late and my mornings are early but I believe that someday soon all of this hardwork will pay off.

With much success on the web, are there any store locations? If not, will there be any in the future?

Currently lastnamediva is strictly an online store. However, it has always been my dream to have a successful site globally and a successful store locally, so I definitely plan on opening a store in the near future.

What advice do you have for people who want to start their own business?

My advice is to work hard and stay focused. It's very easy to get discouraged when you start a business but if you put in the work and remain focused, you will succeed.

What is one important thing that you’ve learned do far about running a business?

I've learned that everyday will not be perfect. You have to ride the highs and be prepared for the lows.

What has been your most successful moment so far?

I don't think that moment has come to past yet but I do think that going from not being able to give away my items in 2010 to now shipping all over the country and internationally is pretty cool.

What is your favorite quote that keeps you motivated?

You must remain focused on your journey to greatness. – Les Brown

I want to thank Shauntay for sharing her story. I will be making a purchase soon! You can check out my review of my first purchase from lastnamediva.com here.