|
CitySaheli wanted to give its readers an inside look into the careers of successful South Asian women. Rima Shah, CEO of Rimistyle, is one of our very own NY sahelis who launched an online business in the spring of 2007. Rimistyle, her website, provides affordable accessories to the fashion conscious woman. Rimistyle products have been placed in various magazines including InStyle, Oprah and Lucky. Rima has developed a loyal fan base of women that love her incredible product line, all of which is designed by both Rima and her design team. Despite the economy, Rimistyle continues to strive and remains the online spot to buy high style accessories at low cost.
Prior to Rimistyle, Rima worked in a gamut of roles within the fashion industry, including as a merchandiser and designer at companies such as DKNY and Nordstrom. She was also a personal shopper and stylist at Neiman Marcus for the couture department. Rima’s true passion for jewelry emerged when she merchandised jewelry for many popular retailers and learned the mechanics around operating a jewelry shop. With this experience, Rima was able to grow as an entrepreneur in the jewelry business and develop her online platform. CitySaheli asked Rima for the inside scoop and she kindly gave us some insight into her life, her career and her plans for the future.
City Saheli: Rima, what inspired you to start your own jewelry line?
Rima: I have always been passionate about accessories and how they are able change any look. I developed my passion by creating Rimistyle. My unique approach to fashion rests in the foundation that accessories are the forefront of any wardrobe. I opted to establish a web-based business since accessories are typically something you don’t really need to try on. The typical Rimistyle customer would be a girl staring into her closet thinking to herself, “I have nothing to wear.” Rimistyle provides a virtual second wardrobe of accessories that can be used to make any outfit fresh and new.
CitySaheli: What advice do you have for our readers wanting to start their own business?
Rima: I’m old fashioned and I write everything, I mean everything, down. This includes writing out my initial business plan, design inspirations, creative ideas and future goals. When I started Rimistyle, I tried to think a few years ahead and map out what I envisioned for the company. This really helped shape Rimistyle into what it is today.
I am also a proponent of researching your potential customers and the business you plan to enter. You can never know enough. Thus, before starting any business, my advice would be to speak to as many people as possible to seek guidance, advice and ideas. Make sure you have a strong idea of how your customer will find you, shop with you and come back for more!
CitySaheli: What was the biggest challenge you faced starting your own business and how did you over come it?
Rima: The biggest challenged I faced was flying solo on a web-based project without any web experience! After reading several website for dummies books and speaking with endless amounts of web programmers, designers and developers, I learned webpage development from scratch and understood how to create a user-friendly, visually appealing online store.
CitySaheli: What are your future goals for Rimistyle?
Rima: The beauty of an online business is you can truly expand it into almost any direction. Now that Rimistyle has established itself as a successful accessories retailer, the next step is to create an entire accessories universe. This means blogs, videos, fashion shows, celebrity looks and styling tips that focus on accessories are all hopes for the Rimistyle network.
Personally, my entrepreneurial spirit is alive and kicking. I am involved in a variety of businesses including Hollywood film distribution, and hospitality/hotel management. I have a passion for creating new businesses and I see myself as an entrepreneur for many years to come.
| 
