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Name: Patrice J. Williams

Title: Writer and affordable style expert

Education: B.A. Temple University

Hellobeautiful: Briefly describe your day to day activities and responsibilities.

Patrice Williams: My days and weeks vary depending on what projects I’m working on. I post new content to my blog, Looking Fly on a Dime, everyday, which consists of affordable fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice for the woman who understands, “your style is never determined by your wallet.”

Also, I contribute style articles to a few other outlets. I also provide on-air style commentary, so that involves calling in clothes, styling models and working on my talking points so I can share my must know, affordable style advice for programs like The Today Show, Nate Berkus Show, WE tv, New York Live and more! Also, I just released a book, so that’s a never ending grind of making sure I’m marketing it.

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HB: Briefly describe what prompted your interest in fashion and specifically thrifted fashion.

PW: I became interested in fashion after graduating from college and I landed a job at a fashion magazine but got laid off in 2008. I hated how fashion seemed so inaccessible to women, so after my lay off, I knew I wanted to become my own boss and create an outlet that removed the intimidation factor from style. I’ve always been into thrift shopping and started thrifting pretty hardcore while in college. So it only made sense to combine my love of fashion with thrift and show women how to utilize thrift shops as a way to develop a unique sense of style on a limited budget. I’ve scored vintage and designer garments (Chanel, Celine, Balenciaga, etc.) for just a few dollars, so I love sharing my tips and tricks. I even came out with a book, Looking Fly on a Dime: How to Find Fabulous Fashion at Any Thrift Shop & Make the Cheap Look Chic.

HB: What suggestions regarding networking would you give to those seeking to get into fashion blogging?

PW: Step from behind your computer and actually meet with people. Ask them out for lunch, coffee or just email them to say hi, instead of simply following them online and only knowing their screen name. There’s so much value in that face-to-face connection and all too often that’s missing. Also, if you’re at a networking event or you meet someone in person, don’t simply throw your business card at them. Chat them up. Find out their interests and if there’s a genuine connection. People want to work with people they know and like!

HB: What are the major challenges in your role as a blogger (and author/business owner) and what solutions have you deemed best to handle these challenges?

PW: I wear many different hats (blogger, author, freelance writer, on-air host) so managing my time has been the biggest challenge. At any given moment I’m working on 3-4 different projects and trying to map out future goals. The best way I manage that is to prioritize every day. I have my top three priorities of the day, week, month and quarter. This helps me to focus on the most important tasks, instead of creating overwhelming to-do lists that will never get accomplished. I even pencil in down time where I’m completely unplugged from work. It’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed when you work for yourself, but prioritizing keeps me from completely spiraling.

HB: What would you contribute your level of success?

PW: I’m a control freak and I’ve never wanted to feel like my career is in someone else’s hands. I’ve seen it happen too many times when people have committed years to a company, only for them to be laid off or fired unexpectedly. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but when you’re on your own and running your own business, you go much harder than having a guaranteed check every other week as an employee at someone else’s company.

HB: Any advice for those who want to expand their career the way you have?

PW: Stay focused and only pursue projects and ideas that will get you closer to the finish line. Ideas are a dime a dozen and will constantly pop into your head and can even throw you off track. Every idea or new venture isn’t always worth pursuing. When you have a clear, defined vision of what you want your career to look like a year, 5 years, 10 years from now, that can help you focus more and really ask yourself, “will this get me one step closer to my bottom line?” If not, you might want to move on.

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