Small Business 101

Lindsay Buscher: Owner, Urban Chic

When corporate America loses its appeal, do you tough it out or move on?

The answer for Lindsay Buscher was to leave a corporate gig and turn a life-long passion into a career she loves. Combining an interest in fashion and the desire to be her own boss, Buscher, 28, opened Urban Chic, an upscale clothing boutique, in Georgetown in February 2004.

Moving on had its tough moments, but Buscher learned from early mistakes and has seen her company grow. Urban Chic has been featured in national publications such as Marie Claire and Lucky Magazine and on Fox television's "Ambush Makeover." The entrepreneur and mother-to-be plans to open her second location in the coming weeks and, next year, customers will be able to shop online.

What motivated you to start your own business?

I moved from New York to Maryland in 2000, and at the time had a corporate job but was not happy -- I just wanted to find something I enjoyed doing. Growing up, I watched my mom run a couple of candy shops and I worked at a few clothing stores, which exposed me to retail early on.

I have always had a big interest in fashion, but wasn't sure what to do with it. Using that, my experience in retail and the support of my husband, I finally decided to do it.

Is there anything you wish you would have known before opening your store?

The first year, no matter what, is hard. One of the biggest problems was knowing how much inventory to buy when stocking the store. We ended up overbuying in the beginning, and that definitely slowed us down from making as much money as we could have.

Second thing -- we didn't start off with enough staff, and now know that we probably should have hired more people. On weekends, the store can get pretty busy. But that is something that is hard to see ahead of time, because you'll never know how busy the store will get until you've actually opened.

Did you get advice from anyone with previous store-owning experience?

Not initially, and that is one of the things I wish I would have done. I didn't know anyone at the time that could guide me on which way to go. We ended up getting financial advisers, afterward, who helped us get everything back on track. And now, being nearly two years into it, we have a much better idea of how to run the business.

As a mother-to-be, how has your pregnancy affected your ability to run the store?

In the beginning it was tough, because I was very tired -- making it hard to function for a while. These last two to three months, it has been hard to be on my feet a lot. At this point, there is no way that I would be able to stand for a long period of time. I have done most of my work from home -- making phone calls, responding to e-mails and faxing. I have a great staff that has also helped me get through these last few months.

What advice would you have for anyone wanting to start a clothing store?

Location is number one. It's extremely important for a clothing store, especially one like this, to be in the right area. When it comes to inventory, it's always safer to under-buy than overbuy. The last thing would be to never give up. There were many times when I felt like I could not go through with it, but I just kept pushing myself to never be afraid to fail.