We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Alford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my brand is building confidence in my customers. I was always told that I am a very confident individual, from the way i walk into a room to how I carry myself. I really pride myself in exuding confidence and I want it to show in my product. I want my customers to feel like when they wear my clothes they feel unstoppable. I want them to feel good about themselves. “When you look good, you feel good, when you feel good you do good” George St. Pierre. I want people to do more good, and they can with my products.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started this business in the midst of the pandemic. A lot of people would call me crazy but I think it was the perfect time. I have always loved fashion and beauty and before the pandemic hit, i was working as a beauty recruiter. I worked alongside Anastasia Beverly Hills, Peter Thomas Roth, Velour lashes and many more.

The success of my business didn’t happen overnight, I actually still haven’t reached my achieved level of success. I will say I had the help of a private investor and I thank him every chance I get. He believed in the message I wanted to put out and saw my tenacity and drive. I think the best part of my business is the marketing and seeing how excited customers are when they receive their packages. I love coming up with new creative ways to get my brand to reach new audiences. I worked a lot of long restless nights coming up package designs and taking pictures to show my products in the right light. My graphic designer is on the other side of the country, so I had only a limited amount of time to communicate with him as far as what I needed.

It really took persistence to keep going. I utilized a fashion school near me and reached out to a current student to help design my clothing line. That was hard because I needed her to have the same vision as I did to bring my looks together. She reached out to her friends and they modeled the clothes for me, which saved me a lot of money and gave her the experience in return.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes but I think that builds character. I’m still making mistakes but I’m learning from them and growing. I have learned to step away sometime so I can come back with a better outlook on things. I really want the world to know that starting a business is as easy (or hard) depending on the amount of time, effort and patience you put into it. The quality of your work will show in your end result and your consumers will see that.

I love helping people fall back in love with their self. Starting The Slay Room during a uncertain time where we didn’t see what was coming or when it was ending, really helped me focus on giving back to people who were stuck in the house and felt like they were losing themselves. I used all safety precautions and assured my products where created with love.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am originally from the east coast but have since then migrated to the west coast. If my friend came into town I would have a recommendation for almost any type of cuisine they requested. There is an amazing Jamaican restaurant called Jerk Wings in Northridge. There is a really cute chic rooftop bar called EP & LP near the Beverly Center. There are amazing lounges all over LA but my favorite it called The Spot in Encino. I have a few friends who own food trucks that move around, but my favorite is Bernie’s Jerk Kitchen LA. Hollywood boulevard is fun but have patience trying to find parking. There is a really fun place on Fairfax called The Dime, they play music from all ends of the country. I pretty much have a go to place for almost all occasions.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I personally want to dedicate and gove credit to my son Cameron Branch. He is the motivation that caused this all.

Website: https://www.theslayroom.me/

Instagram: The_slayroom

Facebook: The slay room

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