Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Collins.
Hi Stacey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hey, I’m Stacey and I’m the owner of Wilshire Collections, a decorating and DIY brand. I started Wilshire 13 years ago with a paint brush and a dream. Painting furniture locally, having booths in stores and doing custom work. As the years went on, I started to pivot into the online space with a blog and growing my community on social media. I did it scared and hit that “go live” button on Facebook, and that changed everything for me. Today, Wilshire looks nothing like it did at the start. Everything I do is online and I have a community over 500k+ across all platforms. It has become my mission to help ladies create beautiful spaces in their homes and find joy through decorating and DIY. I have 3 subscription groups that include my decorating and creating community, the printable club and the pillow cover club. These 3 work together to help ladies create cohesive and cute spaces in their home and they are now the heartbeat of my business. My community has become like family to me, and I’ve even hosted 5 in person local events where ladies travel in from 20+ states to spend a couple days making friendships and creating beautiful things together. There’s so much more to this story, and just this year I published my first book called This Is Bigger. How community, calling and courage create impact. It’s a book about my Wilshire journey, the ups, downs and everything in between, But it also holds stories from ladies in my community who share about how the community has helped them over the years. And it’s the story of how God has been at the center of it all. Stories of hope, joy, faith, community, connection and so much more fill the pages and it’s truly so impactful. It hit Amazon best seller in 4 categories, and to know this book has blessed and touched so many lives is truly incredible. I love what I do, and I hope it shows in all that I do each and every day and I can’t wait to see where it continues to take me!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t believe many business owners have a smooth road to success and mine certainly hasn’t been smooth. It’s been a long and windy journey with lots of ups and downs. From going through some major health struggles when I first started going live on FB that no one knew about at the time, and still having to show up with a brave and happy face, to trying to pivot and navigate how to show up during COVID when the world was shut down and everyone was so scared, to learning how to become a leader and grow and manage a team, to having to pivot more times than I would have liked due to things out of my control. The list goes on! But the thing is, the good FAR outweighs the bad for me. And those struggles and hard times made me stronger in the end and are now a part of my story and got me to where I am today. You just can’t let that fear and those struggles stop you, you have to keep moving forward while doing it scared and I promise you it’s so worth it on the other side of those struggles!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My love for decorating runs deep, and I think I’m most known for helping women create beautiful spaces on a budget. I’m a TJMaxx kind of shopper at my core, and I love to share how you can have a home you love without breaking the bank on your decor. I also love seasonal decorating, and so does my community. I am always trying to make it easy for my community by offering a pillow cover, with a coordinating printable they can print and frame, and even things like throws, table runners, etc. that will match and complete the look. Simple swaps they can easily do around their home to change the entire look of an area when a new season rolls around, that will make them feel proud and accomplished. I’m definitely so proud of publishing my first book and hitting that best seller status, as writing a book has been a bucket list goal for me for so many years. But, what I’m most proud of is the community I’ve built. As I mentioned, they are like family to me and together we have curated such a positive and encouraging space on my side of the internet. They show up for me in all I do, and I show up for them every single week and pour my heart into them and this business. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being authentic and real matters to me most in my business. I have found that when you let your guard down and are real, it’s not only much easier to show up as your true self, but you gain the trust of your community. People don’t want perfection, they want real. And over the years, I have had some funny and embarrasing things happen on FB lives, but those are the stories we still laugh and talk about to this day. Many of those funny stories are even included in my book. Letting my guard down didn’t happen overnight, but I truly feel once I was able to do that is when I started to grow. I’m thankful every day that I’ve created a space where I can show up, be myself, pour into my community and help them find joy through decorating and DIY. Whether it’s a new pillow, a new printable, a shopping trip where I share my finds, or just chatting and telling stories…it all matters. And it’s the greatest gift to be able to live out my calling in life!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopwilshirecollections.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/wilshire_collections
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wilshirecollections
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/wilshirecollections
