Power Woman

Name: Alison Barnard
Profession: Store Owner, In-Jean-Ius
Age: 29

Dream Job:
I have it!

Tell us more about yourself (did you go to college, where did you grow up, what are your hobbies, etc):
I grew up in just north of Boston and I went to college at the University of Richmond and got my Masters in Business Administration from Babson College.

Advice for young women in business:
Have passion for what you do and believe in your concept… work hard!

Where did you come up with the concept for your business?
I loved shopping and wanted to open a store. Instead of jumping right into it I decided to see if I liked retail and started working at a store on the weekend, while I kept my full time job. It was a lot of fun to me, but I saw how difficult it was. I decided that I wanted to go back to business school and applied to Babson for the One Year MBA program. While I was there I continued to refine my store ideas really spending the time to learn what customers wanted and what they were buying. I noticed that most women, all year long, were buying jeans and t-shirts. I also noticed that women really needed help finding jeans that fit their specific body type. I wanted to have a store that offer a broad range of brands, styles and fits for various women, but also offered a good amount of t-shirts and fun tops to work back to the jeans.

What would be your financial advice to anyone who is young and looking to start their own business?
Be conservative…but at the same time don't be too conservative that you don't take risks. It is truly a jagged edge that you have to walk along!

Do you have any role models?
My father and mother

How did you feel when you were featured as a top 30 entrepreneur under 30 by INC magazine?
It is surreal to me. I still can't believe that they included me on their list! Here's a link to Alison in INC magazine.

What are your future goals?
I would like to expand in-jean-ius and other retail concepts.

How can we help you grow your business? Can we order merchandise online? Can we spread the word about In-Jean-Ius?
Right now I do not have an online store. The reason being that my store is customer service centric and much of the experience is around one on one interaction. This is our specialty and selling online would make it more impersonal. Eventually I would like to add online shopping but it is not a priority. For now I would rather open more stores!

Info: website link, email etc.
www.injeanius.com

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