Who says dreams can’t come true? As a little girl, Mimi dreamed of owning her own fashion boutique. And now, working as an attorney, a model, and running her own online boutique - she is balancing it all and living her dream. "Whether our fashion sense makes us a victim of trends or a pioneer ahead of the times, is up to us, our tastes, our budgets and our choices."  

While she was growing up, Mimi remembers being attracted to accessories and fashion items, especially those that are hand-made. She was always fascinated by the world of fashion and made sure she was updated with the latest trends and styles.

Although she studied law and accounting and has a successful career as a trial lawyer, she never gave up on her childhood dream and began her online shop in 2004. Following a long vacation in Cape Town, Mimi felt she was ready to start her own business. It was while lying on the beach when she designed her first bracelet.

That single bracelet was a success and helped her realize she was heading in the right direction: passerby’s on the street saw the bracelet and bought it for 3 rand. Later that evening, Mimi went to a dinner party and received many complements on her new bracelets. She spent the rest of her vacation making jewelry, shopping for unique items and writing her business plan.  

In addition to working full time as a trial lawyer, she always makes time for her boutique. Mimi tells me that it took her 4-5 years to get the business going and now she has dedicated an additional room in her house to her shop, where she takes private shopping appointments and hosts shopping parties.  

Marketing is done through blogs, local advertising, word of mouth, and various professional associations. As a boutique owner, Mimi tells us that marketing is with no doubt her biggest challenge.

I asked Mimi how she forecasts the next trends and what to offer her clients. Mimi tells me she learns about trends through her travels, fashion websites, British TV, magazines and especially from her past modeling experience. "I focus on items that will work year around, and I am looking for small range of products from each designer, mainly up and coming designers." 

While browsing through the boutiquemix website, I asked Mimi what was her best selling item. Surprisingly enough, the bamboo bags featured on her homepage are consistently the strongest sellers.

Mimi shops for most of her designs while travelling. Sourcing online is another method that Mimi uses and she likes that on Erayo she is able to find a large selection of talented designers. Her favorite designer on Erayo is Iris design and after receiving her order she was pleasantly surprised when the items looked even better in person.

In our interview she said something about Erayo that I just have to quote: "It's like one great big shopping Mecca for wholesalers!"