Workery Apparel’s Leslye Young on Revolutionizing Workwear for Women

Feature-Graphics-54

Hi Leslye! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

My name is Leslye Young and I am from Columbia, SC. I am the founder and designer of Workery Apparel. With a master’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and years of experience in college athletics as a Marketing Director, I embarked on a mission to revolutionize workwear for women. Managing all male teams provided a keen understanding of the challenges women face in professional settings. I am on a mission to empower women to own their work and embrace their individuality. I believe in challenging the status quo and rewriting the narrative of what it means to be a badass boss who redefines success on their own terms.

So Leslye, what excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?

Learning from and connecting with other female entrepreneurs!

What made you take the leap to revolutionize workwear for women?

With a master’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and years of experience in college athletics as a Marketing Director, I embarked on a mission to revolutionize workwear for women. Managing all male teams provided a keen understanding of the challenges women face in professional settings.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

I worked in college athletics as the Director of Marketing.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes! For as long as I can remember I knew I wanted to create and design my own clothing brand one day!

Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

Word of mouth. Telling friends and family what it was that I was doing and where they could find our products. No, I quickly learned family and friends will be the last to purchase from you!

Entreprenistas overcome daily challenges. What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way and what did you learn from it?

Financing… still working through that. Creating your own clothing line and working with manufactures is expensive and a long process. It’s a huge investment and you have to make sure your margins are in order or you won’t see an increase in profit.

What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

For creating and designing a pair of pants that has been seen in TLC, Yahoo!, Sunday Edit, and a few other well known publications.

We all want to believe in it…Do you actually believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

Yes, I do! When it’s time to work – work hard. When you need a break, take a break. Working from home and becoming an entrepreneur, you’re not tied to a 9-5 schedule, so you’re able to get your stuff done whenever the time works best for you. Some of my best tips are:

1. Move your body! This can be running, going for a walk, yoga, lifting weights, etc. Whatever it is that you can do to move your body can help, because let’s be honest, as entrepreneurs we’re probably staring at some kind of screen most of the day.

2. Get on a routine! This one is huge for me. Working from home and working for yourself you’re the one in charge. Get a calendar, whether that’s digital form or the real thing. Set aside work time and me time. Practice that routine every day and do it every day and that will help balance everything out.

3. Take ALL the time you need! If you’re in a funk one day, that’s fine, push your hardest tasks to the next day. Just remember to take the time for yourself because if you’re not at your 100% then neither is your business.

What’s a piece of advice you can share that you wish you’d known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?

You’re not in this alone!

Leslye, you have lots to celebrate! What have you achieved recently that you’d like to celebrate with our community?

We have recently branded our whole company. We launched back at the end of the July and we were so excited to share the new look and branding with everyone.

Last, but not least, what’s next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

In the next few years, we’d like to expand Workery Apparel into other retailers and/or boutiques. We know it takes a lot of “no’s” before we get that one “yes”, but we know that one “yes” could drastically change everything for us. We’re just excited to see what happens and where we can grow from here.

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!

Share it!

Posted in
Tags

Leave a Comment





Tina Sconhoft on Her Prenatal, Birth & Postpartum Doula Care Company

Hi, Tina! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Tina Sconhoft, a wife and mother to three grown children. I co-founded a Birth and Postpartum Doula agency almost 20 years ago. I took a leap of faith and went out on my own while launching BIRTHday Doulas of South Florida…

Labor Nurse Cinthia Sime Shares About Her Headband Brand

Hi, Cinthia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Cinthia Sime, a Mexican mama to two beautiful girls and Founder of NVLTURA. I am a labor and delivery nurse and started to make headbands for myself because I did not like the ones I would buy. I started to get…

Making Your Brand Magnetic with Mariana Henninger

“The responses that I had to my intro post inside of Entreprenista pales in comparison to all of these other networks that I’ve introduced myself in. I’ve met so many wonderful women there. And that is part of my marketing strategy, is that every week I have a consistent amount of time that I invest…

Conquering Fear and Finding Your Purpose with Tracy Litt

“There’s a lot of beautiful healing things that we do and they’re all amazing, but the thing that will heal those old versions of you the fastest and most effectively is when you embody the version of you who no longer believes that.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down with Tracy Litt, a…

Nazia Siddiqui on Her Sustainable Fashion Company, Transcend

Hi, Nazia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Nazia Siddiqui and I founded my fashion brand Transcend in 2020 to allow women to feel joy from their clothes again. What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member? I am excited to be a member of the Entrepenista…

Marketing Guru Danni White on Her Agency, Podcast, and Book

Hi, Danni! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Danni White. I am the CEO and Founder of DW Creative Consulting Agency in Frisco, TX. We focus on helping small to midsize businesses gain visibility in the right markets. I also host a podcast, #Hashtags and Habits, that merges…

Former FBI Special Agent Cassandra Elliot Joseph Shares About Innovative Bedding Company

Hi, Cassandra! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: I’m Cassandra, a retired Federal Law Enforcement Officer turned entrepreneur. As VP of Community Relations of Better Fit Bedding™, this innovation is here to revolutionize the bed-making process with our patented Fitted Flat Sheets, Fitted Comforters, and Fitted Blankets. Designed with innovative corner…

Shaping the Future of Media Production with Lena Jenkins-Smith

“As a leader, I knew that it was important for me to know the job. I have to know what it takes financially, physically, mentally to do any job. I would never want to tell somebody to do a job and be responsible for managing them in that position if I didn’t know what the…

Self-Care as a Leadership Strategy with BetterHelp’s Haesue Jo

“You’re pushing yourself beyond what you feel is comfortable, which means you’re gonna have chapters of discomfort or feeling like, ‘I’m not really sure if I’m there yet. And sometimes that’s true. Sometimes you’re not there yet. It’s good to tune into that because then you know where you should be focusing to improve.” In…

Tara Magalski on Founding a Spirit-Led Community for Holistic Health

Hi, Tara! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Tara Magalski, and I am a wellness maven and the founder of Divine Lifestyles, and the DL Collective: a membership-style spirit-led community and online holistic health + healing resource center, an online sanctuary to experience a deeper state of alignment…

Tysheda Williams on Her Journey to Founding a Luxury Experience Company

Hi, Tysheda! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Tysheda Williams. With an unwavering passion for curating enchanting experiences, I’ve spent years cultivating memories that transcend borders. From exploring the historic wonders of Europe to immersing myself in the vibrant cultures of Asia, the opulence of Dubai, and countless more…

Mayra Gomez-Sanchez on Her BIPOC Copywriting and Marketing Company

Hi, Mayra! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hello everyone, I’m Mayra (my-rah) Founder and CEO of Cultural Visionaries – a copywriting and marketing strategy and a Latina-run company. I write for BIPOC business owners—and anyone who shares my values and vision—wanting to create a meaningful impact on other people’s lives.…

Making a Marketing Impact with Lindsey Breitwieser

“We don’t have to do a million things, we just have to do the right things. We often feel like ‘I don’t have a big budget to spend on ads and that’s why I’m not successful.’ We’re chasing all of these different marketing tactics… In truth, we don’t actually need to be doing that much.”…

Kwandaa Roberts Shares Her Success Story Making Modern Dollhouses

Hi, Kwandaa! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: I’m Kwandaa Roberts, an OB/GYN and interior designer who sells high-style, modern dollhouses called Tiny House Calls. What excites you about being an Entreprenista League member? I have found networking with other women entrepreneurs to be one of the most important tools in…

Personalizing Maternal Wellness through One Tribe with Emilie Fritz Veloso

“Keep the momentum going. And that’s continuous meetings, continuous networking. And then set dates really set a, ‘We are looking to raise this by this time,’ so that you give yourself a deadline, and you give the investors a deadline, and you can hold yourself to it.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down…