Life with La Femme

Life is too short to live with regrets.

Sharifa Phillander-John learned this hard lesson when the death of a friend in 2016 forced her to question her own mortality.

She had dreams and plans to open her own business, but had also been procrastinating. After her friend’s death, she pulled up her bootstraps and decided it was time to stop putting off what she should be doing and start innovating.

And so she opened La Femme Boutique, a clothing store that caters predominantly to plus-sized women. But she knew she needed to be more innovative to give her business an edge. With the support of her “super supportive” husband, Wayne, she developed and offered workshops at the boutique, ranging in topic from natural hair care to makeup application.

She told WMN, "From my strengths, I determined that using education and creativity as vehicles to engage my audience would assist my brand to stand out in a crowded market."

Phillander-John wanted to give her clients the knowledge to create the whole package and to equip them to maintain their own style and look long after they left her store.

"From the inception, workshops were developed at the boutique. Business was so slow back then that they were held on Saturday mornings. I would rent chairs and invite women to attend. The numbers were small but I was encouraged because I thoroughly enjoyed what I did. We held natural hair care and make up application sessions by trained professionals," she said.

This eventually led Phillander-John to start doing a Live with La Femme, a “live” series on Facebook, during which she would chat with women from all walks of life, women who would share their experiences and explore sensitive issues such as domestic violence, low self-esteem, substance abuse, divorce and more.

Among her guests have been Dr Nyan Gadsby Dolly, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts; jazz vocalist Vaughnette Bigford; and House of Jacqui creator, Jacqui Koon How.

Give of your time and talents

Growing up in south Trinidad, Phillander-John said she was taught that no man is an island.

"I am cognizant of the fact that, God’s grace opens doors for me that my qualifications alone never will. My parents, husband, siblings, in laws, church family and my mentor, Karen Davidson, who is a second mother to me, all who support my businesses in one way or another. My siblings are my dream team, we encourage, critique, and celebrate each other, when one win, we all win. My cousin also works at the boutique and because of their excellent work ethic; I have the freedom to focus on other areas. It would have been near impossible to develop these entities simultaneously without their tremendous support," she said.

Philander-John said her mother, Grace Gloud, is the backbone of La Femme and is the epitome of hard work and sacrifice, while her father, Dennis Phillander, was the voice who instilled the importance of giving back.

"When I am unable to give financially, I give of my time and talents," she said.

Phillander-John, who is the PRO of the Palo Seco Sporting Club, is passionate about young people, in particular teenagers in rural communities. It's why she didn't hesitate to begin her second business, The Empowerment Institute, with only one student, prayers, perseverance and a cadre of highly qualified and dedicated teachers who shared her vision.

"At both organisations the focus is empowerment. One strategy that I have used to market both businesses is education," she told WMN.

Her own self development has focussed on education. She has earned a BSc in Economics (Hons) from UWI, and an MSc in Strategic Human Resource Management from the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business. She also holds post graduate qualifications in international relations, certified business protocol and is a dining etiquette coach.

She explained the work of the Empowerment Institute: "We offer CSEC and Cape subjects as well as, homework help; these are all after school programmes. However, we focus of the holistic development of our students not just the academics. We also offer various workshops: How to Study; New Horizons (students entering form 1), Junior Entrepreneurship; Social Graces Dining Etiquette and Tech and Teens. We invite experts in various fields to visit and present new ideas to our students. I challenge them, I encourage debates and discussions."

No glamorous life

Even after wearing so many hats, Phillander-John said she would caution others, entrepreneurship is not a glamorous life.

"Don’t be fooled by social media, it comes with a hefty price, it takes sacrifice, tenacity, patience and becoming comfortable with failing often and still trying again. My journey thus far has relied on grace and gumption. The answer, from the second I made up my mind to venture on my own, was clear; follow my purpose not a paycheque. The journey, however, has not been an easy one," she told WMN.

Covid19 was another bump in the road to be navigated.

"In this period, both businesses were physically closed since March. It is an extremely challenging time. Small businesses, like mine are suffering in silence as many of us are concerned whether we can outlast this storm. I am praying and remain hopeful," she said.

When covid19 first hit TT, Phillander-John said the school didn't miss any classes. They immediately switched to using technology because they had been preparing.

"My initial concern when the announcement that schools were closed was (for) students writing CSEC and Cape. I saw people donating hampers and offering assistance in various ways, I was challenged to also give back and by the Monday after schools were closed, we held free virtual sessions in various CSEC subjects for the first six weeks. Students attended from every area in the country," she said.

Phillander-John also hosted Introduction to Dining Etiquette, a free etiquette webinar for children and teens

She followed up with Curves and Conversations, a course focused on glamour for plus-sized women only. For a Wine Not? webinar, she partnered with a wine expert based in France to host a virtual evening of wine education and wine tasting. Participants included persons from across the globe.

Post covid19, she said, will see them adapting to and adopting new ways to operate, including an online platform, while maintaining the storefront.

"At the boutique for example, we are working closely with a web designer who is building our website, soon women can shop (at) La Femme from the comfort of their homes. Emerging from this time is an extension of the boutique, ELEVATE-Etiquette for Women, a digital space for women to acquire skills in business protocol, dining etiquette and image. Here I utilise all I’ve learnt over the years to empower women to present the best version of themselves both professionally and socially," she added.

As for advice to budding entrepreneurs, Phillander-John had this to say:

"I believe this is a time for entrepreneurs to conduct an in-depth analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Determine what you do well, show up consistently and deliver. Focus on opportunities, in these times we must master the art creating a unique “voice.” Focus less on competitors and more on developing a brand that truly represents you and your target audience," she advised.

Phillander-John also recommended that small businesses consider collaborations with complimentary businesses for survival and that entrepreneurs capitalise on the advantages of technology.

Mostly, though, she urged business owners to "keep the faith."