hen you think of a girl who is barely twenty-one years old, what is the first thing that comes to mind? About her life? How she lives it? What she does for a living? Many girls Merecedes' age are working retail and partying, trying to figure out their lives. Not Mercedes.
Merecedes Leanza and her brother, Kyle, own their own clothing boutique. It's called Stella Bella and it's located in Los Angeles, right on the trendy Melrose Ave. Not an easy task for anyone, but especially for two people under the age of 25.
Merecedes may have begun her dream of fashion working at Express, but she ended it her own way and on her own terms, by owning her own clothing company--while going to college, I might add.
She was sick of the minimum wage and wanted to make enough money to help her mother who has Multiple Sclerosis.
Psst, they have a little secret too--everyone working at Stella Bella is under the age of 25.
They have the drive and the energy to see this company to great heights and they've only begun.
HILARY Magazine recently sat down with career go-getter, Merecedes Leanza, to ask her more about Stella Bella and what drives a woman to be successful.
HILARY Magazine: The first question most people want to know is why did you choose the profession you were in? Did you start out in any other career and feel like "hey, this isn't me. I want not only a job where I can make a profit, but I can also be happy and want to wake up everyday to go to work."
Mercedes: As a Theatre Arts Major at Loyola Marymount University and pursuing a full time career in Acting, I honestly, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would wake up at 22 years old and own a online and retail clothing store. As destiny would have it, my brother Kyle, was retired from the Police Department because of a hip injury. We had the dream to own a small business, and I had a passion for fashion. I got sick of working long mall hours for minimal wages, and I we wanted to create a business that would enable us to make money to help our mother who has Multiple Sclerosis out. It was also of the utmost importance that, our business had flexible hours, so that I could continue pursing my acting career as well as help keep Stella Bella a float.
HILARY Magazine: How long have you been in this particular business?
Mercedes: I have been working in retail and fashion since I was 14; I took a part time job at Express during high school to help cover expenses. It only paid $5.75, but I always had great clothes because of it. November will mark our year anniversary at Stella Bella, and we are thrilled with the progress!
HILARY Magazine: What does your job entail? What do you do day in and day out? How many employees work for you and does your business do anything special for employees when they hit a certain sales mark?
Mercedes: My job entails any number of things, no day is like the rest, I am a buyer, a customer sales rep, a designer, a stylist, a model and a promoter basically everything. During the first year of business I have learned that it is critical to be able to multi task , and suck it up and be able to take on and accomplish anything that needs to be done... Because the fact is that when you are running a small business, if you don't do what needs to be done, no one will do it for you.
It's a family run business, so my brother and basically are the employees, we have many friends and team members that have helped us get the word out by promoting and just being the absolutely fabulous people that they are!
HILARY Magazine: What is your secret to success?
Mercedes: Fact: All team members at Stella Bella are under the age of 25! I believe that the secret to our success is that we are able to target our market by providing young and vibrant style, because our team is made up of young vibrant people.
HILARY Magazine: It's sad to say, but some people just give up if things don't go their way fast enough. What made you different and what kept you going everyday?
Mercedes: You just can't think of giving up as an option, because once it's an option it is easy to go down the wrong path. I am not going to lie, every business has its ups and downs, but if you are courageous enough to take the risk of starting up a business, then most likely you have it in you to build your business into a successful one! I know it sounds cheesy but maintain a positive attitude can do wonders. When I reflect that it makes the customer excited about our merchandise, and it keeps them coming back.
What keeps me going is the thought that every time we make a sale and the customer is excited, I feel I might have played a small part in making their day better. And, most importantly, that each day Stella Bella grows as a new business, I am a day closer to being able to give back to my mother everything that she has bestowed upon me.
HILARY Magazine: Do you have any advice for people who want to become a successful and inspirational female?
Mercedes: Relax, and don't ever rush yourself in figuring out what you want or need to do in life, because most likely it will come to you when you least expect. Most importantly have a creative outlet so that when times get tough, you have a place to go to where you can dig deeper into yourself and inspire yourself! I believe you've only got one life to live, so go out and live it!
When you think of a girl who is barely twenty-one years old, what is the first thing that comes to mind? About her life? How she lives it? What she does for a living? Many girls Merecedes' age are working retail and partying, trying to figure out their lives. Not Mercedes.
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