What if I told you that your dreams are within reach, no matter where you are in the world?
Ask yourself:
- What do you truly desire?
- How badly do you want it?
- Let’s break it down into a down-to-earth experience.
A Stubborn Girl with Big Dreams
Growing up, all I wanted was to chase my wildest dreams. But everyone said it was impossible…
Not here, not in this country. You don’t have the money. You are not good enough. Your online business will fail. You can’t compete with the big brands.
Their negative words almost made me believe I couldn’t succeed. But deep down, a small stubborn voice said Why not me? I can do this!
Believing is essential, but action is the key. Without the right steps, big dreams remain just that – dreams. Learning the how came later in life.
Playing Shakespeare on An Empty Stomach
When reality hits, romanticism dies.
I dreamt of being an actress, despite the naysayers. You’re too smart, my English teacher once said. Is that a bad thing now? Well, I did understand later on in life what she meant and she was right. But back then, I was a stubborn girl with big dreams. So, I didn’t listen to anyone. I pursued drama school in Bucharest and became an actress.
Again – the big wave of criticism. You are too wild. You will be poor. You need a proper job. Sounds familiar? I bet that we all heard this one way or another. It’s true that you don’t care about money and it is quite romantic to have an empty stomach and play Shakespeare. You believe that – only when you have food in your belly and hot water. When reality hits, romanticism dies.
Life threw odd jobs my way – hostess, bartender, fairy or godmother at children’s events, flapper or cabaret dancer at other events, drama therapist, screenwriter and so on. I had so many jobs in my youth that I can’t even remember them all.
The Fear of Success
Maybe I wasn’t good enough…
But I craved more, and the fear of success was real. Sometimes you are more afraid of success than failure. Because you are used to failure. It happened to you. Success may come later in life and it may be something completely new for you so naturally the fear of the unexpected greets you.
I started to believe all those bad mouths. Maybe I wasn’t good enough or maybe I wanted something else and this was just a form of escapism.
Luckily, I started working on a couple of films with a great team that transformed me. I earned one thing that I lacked: confidence. Because no matter how stubborn you are, your confidence is shaken every single day by all the negative remarks around you, by these You Cannot!
The Beginning of TEYXO
Being truly confident makes you open up and see other possibilities. This is how TEYXO was born, from the desire to have a side hustle.
I was still a writer, actor and assistant producer on a couple of films, so this new adventure would have been something just for fun. And, if it made an extra income, then why not? Online businesses were thriving back in 2013, so I co-founded TEYXO with my mom at the end of that year.
Starting on Etsy, we faced skeptics saying, Who’d buy from you? You can’t beat Zara and H&M.
That’s when I decided to prove the doubters wrong. I learned every skill I lacked, from marketing to design. I launched my fashion brand with zero experience. Those first few sales gave us the confidence to keep going.
We are not selling a product, we are selling a dream, a feeling, a solution. I am selling EMPOWERMENT!
Lara
Success wasn’t instant. I invested time, learning everything from platforms to SEO. By 2015, we hit 2K sales on Etsy. 2016 brought a partnership with an Asian marketplace, boosting confidence and sales. I knew we were on the right path. I needed to learn more, to be in control and completely prepared, so I learned much more about the various aspects of business, negotiation, production, design and so much else.
The Power of Branding
I didn’t have a business degree or a fashion degree and yet, I learned. Alone, from scratch, trying and experimenting but one thing was in my instinct, in my nature – the ability of telling a story and talking directly to my audience, reaching their hearts. And then I understood the power of storytelling and the power of branding.
We are not selling a product, we are selling a dream, a feeling, a solution. I am selling EMPOWERMENT – it’s how they feel in my clothes, how they walk and talk and act. This revelation completely changed everything, because not only I started using more social media, creating videos and campaigns – but I gave this feeling in every piece of content or message. I wanted TEYXO to be the embodiment of empowerment.
So if you hear again that the world is full of everything, remember that they are not full of YOU. And you are unique, your story, your values, beliefs – these become the core of your brand and this no one else can imitate or copy.
Share Your Vision – Unapologetically
While others followed trends, I found my own path.
In the beginning, lacking Vogue-worthy photos frustrated me. But a customer valued the realness. Don’t conform to norms; follow your instincts. Challenges will come, but shut them down and keep going.
Then, everybody told me that I needed that boring white background and I said No way! I want colors in my photos, I want light and skies, street art and more! So I began chasing photo locations all over the world, looking for the most colorful street art. Whatever people told me that I suppose to do and that these are the rules, well, I did the opposite!
While others followed trends, I found my own path. Vibrant colors, real models – I shared my vision, unapologetically. My customers loved that I was different!
Stripping of your personality is the biggest mistake you can make. Following your guts is the best thing you can do and these will take you a long way.
Challenges
It wasn’t easy. Late nights cracking algorithms on different platforms, chasing locations for the perfect shots. But my belief in myself and brand never wavered. I saw opportunity where others saw limitations.
It took me the first two years to create a brand so powerful that nothing else mattered, not even the fact that I am from Romania. In the very beginning, some customers were saying: If I had known you are from Romania, I wouldn’t have ordered from you. Because every place may have a reputation or someone may simply want items produced only in the US, so you have to deal with these things but YOU CAN. And now we are selling in over 100 countries, mostly to the USA.
Throw out society’s limits and define success on your own terms. You have a brilliant future waiting if you dare to chase your biggest dreams!
Lara
Share Your Knowledge and Experience
In 2020, I became an Udemy Instructor and created my first course: Learn Etsy from a Top 1% Seller. Everyone asked me once again – even after I proved that I CAN – Who will buy your course? You waste your time.
Well, over 4,000 students from all over the world dared to join.
So, do you see how easy it is for people to stop you? To plant that seed of Impossible or You can not. And this is what they will do – no matter your idea or content, people will do whatever it takes to stop you, even your family or closest friends.
Fail Again and Again until You Succeed
It is essential to stay determined, no matter what. Maybe it is a silly idea, maybe you will fail – so what? No one achieved overnight success and great people failed even 1,000 times but on the 1,001 attempt they were right and the world doesn’t remember the failures. The world will praise you for that 1,001 success!
All you need to know is that no matter where you are in the world, no matter the challenges and the obstacles, YOU CAN!
Now Teyxo sells globally, empowering women in over 100 countries. I inspire others through my Udemy courses too. Why listen to the naysayers when you can change your destiny?
Dream it, believe it, achieve it – no goal is beyond your reach when you refuse to take no for an answer. Throw out society’s limits and define success on your own terms. You have a brilliant future waiting if you dare to chase your biggest dreams!
