What a Difference a Year Makes | Sista Sista Feature 5 of 5

PHOTOS BY LACEY RABALAIS

As October comes to an end, we're taking time to sit back and and give thanks for achieving one great year in business together. It really feels like yesterday we were sitting at the library  in January planning our 2015 marketing calendar. This series of feature stories highlighting inspirational sisters was a big part of it and something that made us very excited. We hope you enjoyed reading about... Catherine and Christina - twin sisters on a mission to spread kindness Sarah, Melanie and Kerrie - three sisters from a family of seven who see success in uniquely different places  Jordan, Jillian and Jade - three dancing queens taking center stage in their careers  Monique and Lauren (featuring Aubree and Gracie) - two New Orleans gals who opened an online baby boutique just this year  We sure are inspired by all of the exceptional women around us, especially these new friends. We hope you enjoyed reading about them as much as we enjoyed getting to know them. Now, we reflect on this first year in business and what we're most excited about as year number two is in view.

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BRING ON YEAR #2

In October of last year, I was focused on taking the perfect product photos for shopsosis.com. You know what I'm talking about - the photo that appears with each new product on our site. Take the dress I'm wearing, for example. Well, I spent an entire Sunday at CC's Coffee House editing about 10 photos for the new site. In a moment of pure frustration, I called Annie Claire and said, listen sis, if it takes us an entire day to get one new product up on the site, we'll never make it. Thankfully, as she always does, she trusted me to make the best decision for SoSis' website because that's the area I thrive in. We nixed our original process and Lacey Rabalais, our sweet friend and talented photographer, taught us how to take better product shots that don't need a lot of editing. That's just one in a million business decisions we've made this year. Others may have been a bit more heated, some involved our personal investment in the business, some our time management - but all important and all have brought us where we are today. I am so proud of who SoSis is today. Annie Claire and I have worked really hard to build a brand that people love and want to come back to over and over. We strive to fulfill our mission: to provide fashion-forward minds an online destination for breaking trends, signature styles and creative ideas that feed the soul and compel you to achieve your goals - all with unmatched service and affordable prices. Yep - that's a mouth full. With more than 100 blog posts written this first year, we feel like we've journaled our way through everything. This series of blog posts featuring influential sisters was by far my favorite marketing initiative yet and I am excited to develop even more impactful campaigns as SoSis continues to grow. I still can't quite believe we did all this the same year I got married, but hey, I guess thats' how life works, right? So, here's to hoping year #2 is fruitful, exciting, fun, educational and even better than year #1.

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YEAR #2, WE'RE READY FOR YA

In October of last year, I was obsessed with selecting the trendiest merchandise at affordable prices for shopsosis.com. I wanted everyone to absolutely LOVE everything I picked as much as I did, and I was certain they would. I learned pretty quickly that not everyone is as obsessed with trying the latest trends like I am. Some women may be a little intimidated to try something as bold as culottes, to name one that I love. When we weren't selling out of those pieces like hot cakes, I thought "What am I doing wrong? Do people think I'm crazy?" Rest assured, Chelsey was there to save the day and pick me back up. Her support and encouragement led me to believe in myself and what I'm doing in hopes that people will eventually hop on board with us. After our first "pop up shop," I realized she was right. People LOVED what I was picking out when they could see it IN PERSON. So getting the word out and introducing the SoSis brand to new people in person has been a key focus in our first year and I don't see that changing. We've seen that once people see our merchandise in person, they trust us when ordering online. And here we are now, hosting monthly pop up shops, introducing our brand to new faces and hoping they will continue to shop with us ONLINE. I'm super excited to see where SoSis will be after year #2.  We have LOTS of things brewing and can't wait to share.  Thanks for always supporting our dream. We hope that by sharing our journey with you, we can encourage you to take the leap and achieve something you've been dreaming about too!

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WHAT WE'RE WEARING 

*You know we selected our SoSis style ourselves!

Annie Claire Laborde Bass (on left): Stella Suede Fringe Dress: $48 // On Point Necklace & Layering Necklace by Annie Claire Designs // Stackable Bracelets by Annie Claire Designs // Shoes by Jeffery Campbell (for Free People)

Chelsey Laborde Blankenship (on right): Reckless in Leather Dress: $66 (on sale) // Necklace by Annie Claire Designs //Stackable Bracelets by Annie Claire Designs // Shoes by Dolce Vita (similar here)