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About Marie Caroline Shulman, Owner
In 2013 after I quit my job that was becoming more and more mentally unhealthy I faced the dilemma of either finding a new job or building my own business. I was so fed up with the corporate structure or having a boss in general that I chose the latter not knowing what it entailed. To be honest, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I quit my job without any savings, no plan and barely enough money to keep me afloat. All I knew is that I wanted my peace of mind.
All my life I have been a risk taker. I thrive in an environment where others would probably sink, I am a resilient soul. Not that it’s an entirely good trait. Anyway, I founded Preppy Trendy with 300 dollars and a dream. I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing. I knew nothing about marketing, lol I still don’t know a whole lot. I didn’t even know where to start. I took my 300 dollars and bought a lot of merchandise that I later ended up sending to Haiti as a donation because I couldn’t sell any of it, because I didn’t know how. I am an extremely good saleswoman but I sucked at finding my niche back then. See, it took me years of failure and a lot of tears to make PT the sustainable company that it is today.
That same year, I gave up and went and found myself a new job; the bills weren’t going to pay themselves and PT was put on a hiatus for about a year.
Advice: never quit a job without a plan!
During that year break I learnt how to bring PT back in theory while I was still working. I was clear on not being cut to work for anyone who wasn’t me. If you don’t believe in a cause, a dream or a system, it is hard to associate, understand and give your best to that body of work. It is quasi impossible or even if you do and push past it, you’ll end up so sick mentally and physically. Well, from that new job in 2015 I had a nervous breakdown among other physical health complications. I again lost that job in 2017 and this is where I told myself that being an employee was over for me. It was time for me to work full time on Preppy Trendy.
This is my story, at least part of it. And trust me, I trimmed it to the essentials. After all that has happened to me, I am not bitter. I married PT. I dream, breathe, pledge allegiance, and perhaps even contracted a blood pact (just a joke, you can tell I joke a lot if you had seen or purchased my t-shirts in the past) with this company that I gave my all. Everything I owned was invested in this business. It is my family, my husband, my kid (of course with Lucky, my adorable Yorkie) my everything. I guess that after all these mishaps, struggles, good times and Eureka moments, I learnt to keep to myself. I barely talk about me and I am barely present on social media. Not that I am ashamed of who I am, but mostly because I don’t dwell on the past.
I always kept moving, Through adversity, loss of friends, loss of good employees, loss of love, sabotage or even failure.
I guess that’s what makes PT a company that is destined to greatness.
After all, my password for a while was Ishallovercome until I got hacked one day and became the biggest joke at one point on the internet. From this point, I guess vulnerability was a complete no no for me.Yes, I was cyber bullied and I still am. Yet, here I am, spilling my beans to you all and being vulnerable one last time.
This is the story behind Preppy Trendy, this is my story and this is my why.
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Toodles to you all.
