Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Lumbatis.
Alison, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a mom of three and recovering yoga pants addict who left a career in corporate America to embark on a mission to make personal style accessible to every woman. After a few years of working from home, I fell into a period of life that I refer to as my “yoga pants mom rut”. Working from home was awesome but I also lost all accountability for getting dressed on a daily basis. My rut not only effected my appearance but also my motivation and eventually my confidence.
I woke up one morning determined to turn it all around. My first step was to make a plan for my day and stick to it. That plan included “pretty time” for getting ready, taking a shower, fixing my hair, putting on makeup and dressing in real clothes. The only problem is that I no longer had any real clothes to wear! My closet was full of office attire from my past life and yoga pants. I wasn’t even sure how to dress to work from home so I went to the internet for inspiration. Unfortunately most of the bloggers at that time were into haute couture, designer pieces and high heels – none of which worked for my daily life. So I decided to start my own blog, Get Your Pretty On, to chronicle my journey out of my yoga pants rut and share what I was learning along the way. Turns out there were a lot of other women out there looking for style resources that worked for their daily lives too and my blog readers grew quickly and organically to over 100,000 page views per month!
In the spring of 2014, at the request of my blog readers, I started my online personal styling program Style Challenges by Get Your Pretty On. Since its start over 24,000 women in more than 20 countries have rediscovered style and learned how to shop for and put together outfits through this program. Each season I give women a shopping list of closet staples and on trend items. Most women shop their closets first and then fill in any blanks on the list at their favorite stores. After their pieces are in place, I send them a daily outfit combination created from the pieces on the list. It truly makes getting dressed the easiest thing ever! The beauty of it is that the program works for every body and every budget. My goal was to democratize personal style and that’s exactly what this program does. At only $39 per season, every woman can afford it and by reusing pieces season after season, she always gets the biggest bang for her buck!
Today, my team and I are working on making GYPO and Style Challenges a national brand. I so believe in our mission to help every woman feel confident in her clothing. We are a style and beauty resource curated for real women, by real women. We know what it feels like to lose your confidence and motivation, we’ve been there too. Regardless of age, shape, size or budget we’re on a mission to guide our readers and members to feel confident in their style and empowered in their choices. Women who feel good in their own skin are always the prettiest – and that touches every area of their lives.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Although most of the growth of GYPO was organic, there were many bumps in the road along the way. The first two years, I made virtually zero income from blogging. While I loved providing a free resource for women, my goal of closing the gap after leaving my full-time job as a telecom engineer was not happening. Still, selling to my readers felt a bit inauthentic and out of my comfort zone.
A business coach friend of mine gave me a kick in my yoga pants when she told me that I absolutely deserved to make a living from something that I was spending so much time on. She asked me if there was any service I could provide for my readers that they had been requesting and would be willing to pay for. That when the idea for my online personal style program Style Challenges by Get Your Pretty On was born.
The first season the program launched, I decided that I’d be perfectly happy if only 50 women signed up, instead 500 did! It was more than a little overwhelming but definitely a good problem to have. The first year was spent getting feedback from customers and refining the program and year two was all about building out a tech solution that would allow for tremendous growth.
Each year since then, my team and I have continually worked to fine tune the program and incorporate feedback from our members. We’ve grown every season and are always looking for new ways to reach more women.
My 19 year-old daughter Aubrey and I recently launched an affordable online accessories brand together called Alison + Aubrey. It’s a totally different business model and full of its own challenges and rewards. It’s been a fun and unique way for us to bond and for me to show her the ropes of entrepreneurism. I always stay open to new opportunities. Whether or not they pan out doesn’t really matter, nothing is as valuable as the lessons learned along the way.
Please tell us about Get Your Pretty On.
I like to call myself a capsule wardrobe queen! My gift is creating mix and match outfits and helping women get the most out of their shopping budget. But I’m most proud of the GYPO community. It’s full of the kindest, most supportive women you’ll ever meet. Many real life friendships have developed as a result of the Style Challenges program and the relationships are what really make it special.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
If you don’t have it all figured out yet, don’t stress. I didn’t find my passion until I was 40 years old! But every job and experience I had up to that point truly prepared me for stepping into my calling. Make the most of every opportunity you get because you can never quite know what it’s preparing you for. I still learn something new every single day!
Pricing:
- Style Challenges by Get Your Pretty On – $39 per season
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.getyourprettyon.com
- Email: info@getyourprettyon.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/_getyourprettyon
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/getyourprettyon
- Other: http://www.alisonandaubrey.com
Image Credit:
Craig Lumbatis Photography, Meggie Taylor Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
