Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Cosentino.
Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in San Francisco, California. My brother and I grew up in a multi-cultural environment speaking Spanish at home and English at school. My mother is from Panama and my father is from Argentina. Both my parents are hardworking, so I cultivated my work ethic from them and learned to always help others in need. I started officially working at the age of 14 and landed my first corporate job at 21. I worked in several industries in major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami.
In 2015, I became pregnant and during my third trimester, I got inspired to become an entrepreneur. This is something I never desired or even thought about. However, during my babymoon with my husband, I got motivated and started writing a business plan. Soon after, I decided to leave my corporate job to raise my daughter full time and pursue my passion to open an online fashion boutique for the modern working woman.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I spent the first year learning how to be a mother and entrepreneur. I was out of my comfort zone in all aspects of my life, but it felt right. Even though I was happy with the new direction, I struggled with my new identity. I was going through so many internal and external changes. I felt unprepared to leave behind what I knew and step into the unknown world of motherhood and entrepreneurship.
Luckily, I learned to embrace the changes and grew from them. I spent any free moment reading articles and doing research about motherhood and entrepreneurship. In November 2016, I officially launched my online store which was one month after my daughter turned one. Since then, I continue to focus on helping my daughter grow up to be confident and happy while simultaneously growing my business. I never stop learning and I’m proud to finally label myself a Mompreneur. A label that I never fully embraced until recently.
Please tell us about your business.
Downtown Chic is an online fashion boutique dedicated to the modern working woman. The curated work wear collection helps women feel confident and chic. My mission is to empower women to dress for success no matter what they do for a living. Your image is the first thing people see and there is no such thing as a second impression. I’ve learned that when you look polished at work, more opportunities are presented to you. My clients tell me that the compliments they receive from their colleagues while wearing my clothes give them that extra boost in confidence they need to succeed. That’s empowering!
You can expect to find Downtown Chic outfits to be versatile enough for any work environment which easily transitions from day to night in style. It’s all about how you style each piece in order to maximize your wardrobe. DTC offers blazers, pants, skirts, dresses, jeans and blouses.
In 2017, I partnered with Dress for Success, a non-profit organization in Miami dedicated to empowering women to achieve financial independence. I volunteer my time styling clients for their job interviews and donate 15% of sales from my blazer collection online and at all local pop-up events.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew up going camping in Northern California with my family. I always remember my parents packing up our suburban truck and boat with everything we needed for the weekend. For some reason, the food always tasted better out in nature and the stars shined brighter at night. My brother and I would have so much fun engaging in all types of water sports! I always came back from the weekend sunburned but with amazing memories.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dtchic.com
- Email: info@dtchic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dtchic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dtchic
Image Credit:
Photographer: Amoro Photos
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