A PIECE OF BRITT'S STORY
Meet Britt Dugas, an attorney turned girl boss & entrepreneur! Britt is from Nashville, Tennessee and the blogger behind Chic & Layered. This girl has a lot on her plate, but she's passionate about everything that she does! Read more about her love for jewelry, the obstacles she's overcome, and her advice for those pursuing their passions!
WHAT ARE YOU UP TO RIGHT NOW?
As I sit down to write this interview – I am so thankful to be a part of this new wave of women entrepreneurs! Hi, my name is Britt, I am an attorney turned woman entrepreneur who runs my own jewelry company (TEE Jewelry), runs a fashion blog (Chic & Layered) and is in the midst of working on launching an entrepreneur coaching program to help other women, like me, manifest their dreams and build their own thriving business.
WHAT'S YOUR DAILY ROUTINE TYPICALLY LOOK LIKE ON A WEEKDAY?
Every single day is different! As you can probably imagine running two businesses and starting a third means my days are usually pretty intense and non-stop – but, I wouldn’t trade that for the world. I normally wake up around 6:45 everyday and start my day with some type of motivation, meditation and personal reflection time. This always gets my day off to a great positive start. I make a cup of coffee, put on some good music, take a shower and get ready for my day. I then head to my computer or studio and get to work. At this point of my day, everyday is different depending on what is on my to-do list for that day.
At this moment, I do everything for all my companies. I try to break my day into three segments (jewelry, blog, coaching) and focus on one at a time. I devote as much time needed in that day to that segment. I try to stop working (or at least take a break) around 6pm. I usually will try to get a workout in, cook a healthy dinner and either spend time reading or spend time with good friends. However, there are many nights that I work up till 11pm! As an entrepreneur – there is no typical day, but that is one of the best parts about it.
SO YOU ATTENDED LAW SCHOOL, WHAT LED YOUR CAREER PATH TO CHANGE?
Since a young child, I have always had a calling to influence others and have my own business. However, as you grow and mature, no one is there to hand you the road map to show you what that looks like or how to do that. When I graduated college, I knew I wanted to run my own business someday and I knew I wanted to inspire others, but I knew I needed to get my education. So I decided to go get my law degree and continue my education, before going out on my own.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR BLOG. WHAT INITIALLY INSPIRED YOU TO START IT?
As mentioned before, I have always had an inner calling to help and inspire others. Once I decided to quit practicing law – I wanted an outlet that would allow for my inner calling to come out of hiding – at least to get started. My blog was the first way that I saw I could do that – it was a tool to be able to reach multiple women at one time and serve as an inspiration on many levels.
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT DESIGN AND JEWELRY?
Jewelry and fashion have always been a huge love of mine since I was a small child. As a child, I can remember begging my mother to let me wear her jewelry, faux fur scarf and high heel shoes around the house. After begging, most of the time, she would give me a pair of her black pumps, a scarf of some sort and a pair of bright colored clip on earrings (a bit out of style now) – but, nonetheless, I would walk around thinking I was glamorous. As I got older, I have found jewelry to be an outlet of expression – a way to tell my story. Which is why I connected so much with Pieces of Me and what they stand for. Today, anyone who knows me – knows I will often be seen with 5-10 pieces layered on my wrists and neck at all times.
My passion for design came in 2009 (pre-law school) when I crafted a bracelet to wear for myself. I never fathomed making them for other people – I just needed an outlet to design things the way I pictured them. Fate had a different plan. Within a week I was stopped in an elevator by two sweet women who asked where my bracelet came from. After handing them my number, a week later I received a call and made my first sale. Several sales and a few boutiques later – my business was in full force and was truly a dream come true.
ARE THERE ANY OBSTACLES THAT YOU HAVE HAD TO FACE IN YOUR CAREER? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Absolutely. I have my moments of doubts, highs/lows, insecurities and my share of fear… what entrepreneur hasn’t? Especially, when you make the decision to quit your job and be responsible for paying your own bills. That can be very scary. But, I wake up everyday and I remind myself how blessed I am to get to spend everyday working with the women I get to work with, I spend my time around people who are uplifting, and I work on my mindset and self-confidence daily. When you embody that type of energy everyday, you can overcome anything.
HOW DO YOU REPRESENT THE TRAIT PASSIONATE? DO YOU SEE YOUR PASSIONATE PERSONALITY TRANSLATED IN THE WORK YOU ARE DOING NOW?
Everything I do from sun up to sun down – I do with passion. There is nothing that I sell, create, write, coach or do that I don’t believe in with my whole heart. I believe that anything in life is available to anyone who is passionate enough to fight for it.
ASIDE FROM BEING PASSIONATE, WHAT ARE THREE OTHER PERSONALITY TRAITS THAT DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Strong, Confident, Dreamer
WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES AND GOALS? WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS FROM NOW?
Building my companies has set a fire in my heart so big when it comes to helping other women achieve their goals and build their dream lives. Five years from now I see myself traveling the world coaching women on how to be happy now, how to find their passions, believe in themselves, manifest their dreams and build thriving businesses and lives they love – all while being in style, of course!
WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO ANOTHER YOUNG WOMAN ABOUT PURSUING HER PASSIONS?
First and foremost, before doing anything else in life – learn to truly love yourself and trust your brilliance everyday. Once you learn to love yourself and the life you currently are living – your passions will become so clear – and you will then realize you are capable of creating the dream life you desire. Second, surround yourself with good, uplifting, positive people – don’t let anyone kill your confidence. And third, NEVER EVER GIVE UP on what you want.
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Email: chicandlayered@gmail.com