Inspiring Conversations with Jacqueline Stroman of Belajack

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Stroman.

Jacqueline, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Jacqueline, Jackie, or Stroman. It honestly depends on what phase of my life you met me how you would approach me. I was raised in Philadelphia, where I spent the majority of my life until I was offered a job opportunity here in Nashville. In 2016, I left my East Coast life behind to begin a new chapter in Nashville. Was is scary yes, but did my gut tell me I needed to make the move YES! I’m glad I did even though I miss all my family and friends back home. At the time, I was working as an auditor and till this day, I still work full time with the company while managing my business.

What I learned through the years working in all facets of accounting and almost going to law school before I had some self-reflection was I really like helping people. I enjoy problem-solving, understanding people’s day to day tasks and trying to make their lives easier. This concept transferred over as a business owner at my women’s clothing boutique, Belajack.

I’m petite barely 5’2” and shopping in person or online is not fun. All the models are always a size small, which I’m a small or x-small, but I’m not 5’10”. I could never relate to how a dress would hang on me or hug my athletic body top. When 2020 rolled around and the uncertainty of will I have a job came about, I started looking into what it took to open an online boutique. Let’s just say once I opened Pandora’s box in June, it was full steam ahead from there.

We officially launched the business online on October 4, 2020 then opened a space at The Painted Tree in Franklin, TN located in Booth G#22 on May 2, 2021. I am beyond grateful for the people I became connected with through this journey. There are many amazing people out there that are true inspirations and helped me get to where I am today. You know that saying it takes a village to raise a family, it especially takes one to help an entrepreneur see their dream come to life. I give my upmost thanks to my biggest supporter my boyfriend. He truly is my ROCK!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, it has not. I think anyone who pivots in a career or takes on a new challenge can attest to this. I will say though it is extremely rewarding though. I always been a hard worker and my own worst enemy. I strive for a lot and put too much pressure on myself. In this case, it is one of my biggest struggles & downfalls.

As an entrepreneur, your brain really never turns off. I could be dead tired and finally lay down and BOOM! I have another idea. So I quickly write it down, so I don’t forget in the morning. The reality is hustling is good. Hard work does pay off. However, in the end I have to remind myself that selfcare is just as important, if not more. Otherwise, I can’t continue doing what I love.

Overall I’d say my biggest struggles were learning patience, understanding your going to have great days, good days, and days you are just going to want to throw in the towel. I know in my heart of hearts if I set goals, put my best self forward in the end I’ll be where I should be. It might take a week longer, but hunger and growth do not always go hand in hand.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Belajack?
Belajack brand is extremely personal to me. The name is based on my fur babies, Bela is my cat and Jack is my dog. We did not name the dog after me; it just so happens my boyfriend had a dog named Jack. Our personalization does not stop there. We name articles of clothing after family, friends, or TV characters we love. Our fitness line “Crunch before Brunch,” is named after a group of ladies I became extremely close with through a fitness group Camp Gladiator. They helped me get through a lot being away from family.

As mentioned before, I am petite, but we do not carry clothes just for petite women. My goal is to help women understand what clothes we carry fit them best. If I put on a pair of pants to do a photoshoot and I know I need to be at least 5’4” to wear those I call that out on the website. My goal is to be transparent I want to take the guesswork out for you. Besides making up personalized clothing names, we make up our own vendor names for ease of buying. You can shop by vendor on our website.

We created them to bring ease to the consumer. If you have a short torso, you will love our vendor “Love,” no pun intended. The goal is anytime we source anything from “Love” you know the fit and style suits you perfect. No hang-ups will this work or not. Another thing I like that we feature was a suggestion by a friend of mine.

Butter has a feeling of smoothness and softness. Well, I couldn’t think of a way to say our clothes are super soft without saying just that over and over. Until my friend suggested the “buttaahh” scale. We rate the softness of our clothing for all you texture people out there on a scale from 1-5. Five being the softest. It helps people imagine wearing it and how it would feel against their skin. Our goal is to make the experience for you online one you can imagine and put yourself directly in our clothes.

Our brand’s mission besides being transparent, bringing quality soft clothes to the working professional women is to also support animal welfare. Bela and Jack were both strays. We bought them into our home and loved them. Knowing some people may not have the funds to own an animal, but have the love to give, we want to make that happen. Supporting local animal shelters is near and dear to our hearts and donating to the community is HUGE! We give back what we can on a quarterly basis and as we grow, we look forward to helping more families have a Bela or Jack in their lives.

Contact Info:

• Email: contactus@belajack.com
• Website: https://belajack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belajackboutique/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Belajackboutique
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/belajackboutique/_shop/