Fashion Insider: Sarah Timmerman – Online store owner

Thought owning an online store was easy? Sarah Timmerman from Beginning Boutique tells me what she enjoys about owning an online store and how she got to where she is in her career.

Sarah Timmerman

• Occupation: Owner of Beginning Boutique online fashion store
• Place of residence: Brisvegas
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeginningBoutique
• Twitter:  www.twitter.com/bboutique

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m 24 soon to be the big 2-5 and so far it’s been an awesome journey into the world of fashion and business. I love just chatting to our girls on facebook and really that’s what makes my working day.

Sarah Timmerman

How did you get your start in fashion?

I started my own business so not really a start as such but just a freakin’ huge leap of faith.

Why did you choose fashion?

Not sure really – it’s just appealing to create something that women want out of a top or skirt.

Is the fashion industry what you expected it to be?

Yes and no. I didn’t expect a few things to be as they are but I knew it was brutal!

What does your job consist of?

I do a lot of social media, spend an unproportionate amount of time at Australia Post, late night customer emails, prepping for events and pretty much everything from making the coffee to the choice of what we are going to stock.

Describe a typical week

Typical week?! In fashion?! Hmm well all I can say is it’s a lot of emails, phone calls, posting things, negotiating things, organising things, planning things and laughs.

Roughly how many hours do you work per week?

I’m trying to just do 9 – 5. However I’m kidding myself if I say that I am there yet. Pretty much BB is my home page on everything, my emails automatically load and the BB facebook is always getting updated.

What are the key skills you need for your role?

Accounts, organising, people skills, ability to deal with stress.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I love people. I love making our customers happy.

What do you find challenging?

ACCOUNTS!

What do you do in your time off?

Chilling in West End with Maarten, laughing over breakky with the girls, anything not to do with fashion (anyone in fashion am I right?! Magazines are just not as fun anymore!!).

What’s the highlight of your career so far?

HMMM it depends how superficial I want to be I guess – which isn’t that much! So in that case I was super stoked to recently get a picture of a girl’s wedding where she used some of our dresses as bridesmaid dresses and she loved them. That made my day.

Do you have any advice for someone starting out in fashion?

STUDY – learn the lessons off someone else instead of learning the hard way.

Finish this sentence: Fashion is…

A bitch. Am I allowed to say that? She’s pretty, she can be nice but she’s also a bitch hahahahaha.

Tags: beginning boutique, brisbane fashion, brisbane fashion blog, fashion career, fashion insider, online store, sarah timmerman, slider, talulah, terri donna, vanguard, vanja stace, verduci-smith, wayne cooper