True Fashionistas founder Jennifer Johnson has spent the past 14 years growing her Naples-based business into the largest lifestyle resale store in Florida. But running the business doesn’t run her life, and she’s developed her personal brand, The Confident Entrepreneur, to help others as they step into business ownership. She speaks all over the country, coaches fellow entrepreneurs, hosts a weekly podcast, and published a book, Grace & Grit.
Meet Jennifer Johnson, Neapolitan Family Momentum Mom for May.
Q. Tell us about you and your family.
A. My husband and I moved to Naples 17 years ago from Minnesota. I have 20-year old twins, a boy and a girl. The twins were born micro preemies at just over a pound. My daughter is studying architecture at Auburn University, and my son owns 239 Shine – a boat and car detailing business. Both my children love Naples, and my daughter plans to return to the Southwest Florida area after graduation.
Q. Tell us the story of True Fashionistas.
A. I grew up on a farm – my family was very poor; I was one of six kids. My grandma took us garage-sale-ing for clothes. My grandma loved going to garage sales. So, it was instilled in me from a very young age not to buy new – not to buy regularly-priced retail.
We moved to Florida to begin a new chapter of our lives, and we saw a gap in the market for high quality consignment. We envisioned a store that didn’t yet exist in Southwest Florida, and we opened True Fashionistas in 2011 with no product whatsoever. In two weeks, our store was full of clothing. In 2012, we doubled the store, and a year later, we opened the home store in the same plaza.
We revisited the idea of combining the home store and the clothing store. It turned out that people didn’t necessarily want to walk across the shopping plaza to visit both stores. So on my birthday in February 2022, we opened the store in its current iteration, tripling our size and how much product we could take. It’s crazy how quickly items fly off the racks.
Q. What sets True Fashionistas apart?
A. Fantastic customer service is what sets us apart. I want people to feel like they’re coming home when they enter the store. Our team is welcoming and inviting, and we want our customers and consigners to feel known and loved. When we opened the store in 2011, we created all the foot traffic in the Vanderbilt Shoppes Plaza. It was never busy in that plaza, so we created what we desired.
We have two kinds of customers we have to appease: shoppers and consigners. The sticky part is the consigner because clothing is so personal. It’s a part of our identity, demonstrating what we value and prioritize. When our team has to reject items for consignment, it’s difficult. Sometimes it’s because a piece isn’t in season or it’s out of fashion, but sometimes it’s just because there’s a stain or a rip. We want to make sure everyone who works at True Fashionistas is equipped to handle these situations with honesty and grace.
As the largest lifestyle resale store in all of Florida, the biggest compliment we receive is when people walk in for the first time and ask: “Is this a consignment store?” Our team does such an amazing job of making the store look beautiful and inviting. People often can’t tell that True Fashionistas is a resale store.
Q. What does entrepreneurship mean to you? What is your definition of success?
A. Entrepreneurship means I have the freedom to design a business and life I want. I can create the path I want to travel.
When you do what you love and get paid for it – that’s success. It’s not about a specific measurable or a dollar amount in the bank.
Q. What’s next for True Fashionistas?
We’re actively working to expand outside the Southwest Florida market, both in and out of the state. My husband and I never think small. Almost every day, we get asked “Are there any more of these? How can
I start one of these?” I see True Fashionistas as a national brand.
Q. How do you balance your professional life and your role as a mom?
A. It’s all about prioritizing and deciding what’s important to you. I’m a doer. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. I don’t waste time. I’m graduating from FGCU this fall. I wanted to get my undergrad degree, so I did it. That’s how I’m built. I see something, and I have a vision for it, and I do it.
Q. What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs in Southwest Florida?
A. As a small business coach, I help business owners implement processes and procedures so that their businesses can run without them. I ask entrepreneurs: Do you want your business to run you – or do you want to run your business? Oftentimes, it’s about knowing when to get out of your own way.
A lot of times, we as owners are the bump in the wheel. We need others to help us see how to implement processes and procedures for everything in our businesses. We must delegate what needs to get done. We expect but inspect. We trust but verify. You need to have your finger on the pulse of your business, but you don’t need to be doing things for other people.
Q. What do you want for Mother’s Day?
A. I want to go out to lunch and dinner, and I want to go shopping. I love to shop. I never get to go do it, because I’m busy.
You can find more resources at jenniferannjohnson.com – or shop for designer resale at truefashionistas.com. Happy Mother’s Day to Jennifer and all the other fantastic, stylish, hardworking moms in and around Southwest Florida.