To celebrate the collection, we have an inspiring interview with Megan Smalley, the owner of Scarlet & Gold. Read on to hear her story, and get some awesome advice from this successful girl boss!
First of all, tell us a little about yourself!
Hi, my name is Megan Smalley and I am the owner of Scarlet & Gold. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas and grew up a pastor's kid. I have two younger sisters and an older brother, so it was always a little crazy in our house. I met my husband at Auburn while I was cheering and he was helping with the basketball team. We married shortly after college and settled in Auburn because it is a place where we both feel at home. He is a PE teacher and basketball coach, and watching him coach is one of my favorite things.
What did the path to Scarlet & Gold look like? Did you always know this was what you wanted to do?
I always dreamed of owning my own business, but I never thought it would happen at this stage in my life. I was in full-time pharmaceutical sales, making good money and loving life. I thought sales was my dream job, but then I was laid off. It was a really challenging period of my life and in my marriage. I had started Scarlet & Gold on the side a few months earlier, but never intended for it to be more than a hobby. During my paid time-off that was part of my severance package, I decided to apply for other sales jobs and try to grow this business. I prayed that God would open the right door and close the wrong one. Come April of 2014, I had no job offers and Scarlet & Gold had really taken off. Fast forward two years, and we are still having significant growth year after year.
What are the most difficult and most rewarding parts of running a business?
Business ownership is a life-breathing, high-maintenance calling that demands so much of your time, energy, emotions, and sacrifice- especially in the first few years. If I didn't feel like this was my calling in life, it would have been so easy to give up when things got hard. There have been many days when I didn't think the money would come in or that we would be able to make the next step. It's such a leap of faith and act of trusting God, because often everything seems so out of your control. On the other hand, it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. It's like watching your child grow and succeed and it makes you feel so proud.
What is the best piece of career advice you've ever received? What is the best advice you can now give?
The best advice I ever got was to know what I am good at and what my strengths are. Focus on those strengths and hire people to fill in the gaps. I have built my team around my areas of weakness, which I think makes us strong. I would just add that you are only one person. You have to build a team that makes you better.
What would you say to someone struggling to turn their passion into a career?
Don't give up. Reach out to people you respect that have built something similar to what you want to build. Find out how they did it. Set goals for the next six months and year and work every day toward that goal. If you focus on the big picture, it gets overwhelming. Focus on the next, right step forward.
This or that:
Early bird or night owl? Night owl
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Work from home or in the office? In the office
Dog lover or cat lady? Dog lover
Scarlet or gold? Gold for sure!
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