PayPal Stories Archive

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They account for 99 percent of all U.S. firms, employ 57 million people in the U.S. and make up 63 percent of net new jobs. In addition to creating jobs and fostering economic opportunity, small businesses play an important role in fostering innovation, competition and diversity. But starting a business comes with many challenges.

 

We’ve been speaking with many of our small business customers about how they launched their business, what inspired them and what advice they have for other entrepreneurs and aspiring small business owners. For this interview, we spoke with Christina Battle, who is the founder of women’s retailer Isalis.

 

Christina Battle: I started the business in 2012 under a different name, TopShelf Style. We originally launched as a fashion truck operating out of an old 24-foot bread truck that I turned into a mobile store. From there, I was able to expand into a pop-up shop and eventually a physical store. I then took on a business partner in 2017 and together we rebranded to Isalis. We now have two stores in San Francisco, and just acquired a warehouse space to eventually run our web-store and distribution out of! Our focus is to market towards young professional women who follow fashion trends and want to look and feel their best. We are catering to these young women in powerful positions that may have otherwise moved to New York or Los Angeles but because of tech and financial opportunities, came to San Francisco. They have many places to go and people to see and most importantly, money to spend. Currently, we have six part-time employees in addition to myself and my business partner but are hoping to be able to hire a manager soon.

 

CB: My inspiration for the truck was simple; I didn’t have enough money to open a storefront in San Francisco. I went to fashion school and knew that was where my passion was, but the options and resources for succeeding in that industry just aren’t readily available. So, I took matters into my own hands. I wanted to be outside the norm a little and cause some disruption.

 

CB: Everything's a challenge as a small business owner and there are so many things you can’t prepare for. I am grateful to have a partner now to share the load with. When I first started, I thought I would just show up with this truck and people would love my options and we would sell out. I didn’t realize at the outset that there would be such varying preferences. I really wish I had taken more time to learn about the business side of things. One of our biggest challenges in the past has been getting access to capital: knowing how much you need, where to get it and how to pay it off. Those are skills that small business owners need to have. Other than that, the other big challenge is staffing. We are located in a very expensive city with a high minimum wage. It is difficult to compete with other stores, online boutiques as well as the tech industry salaries young millennials are looking to in San Francisco.

 

CB: I have always been impressed by PayPal and I honestly feel like PayPal is really a partner to my business. When I first started my business, I would have PayPal people reaching out to see what I needed to be successful, and they also helped set me up with my payment processing system. They have always checked in and offered to see if I wanted to be part of this plan or that plan. I have also gotten the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. as part of PayPal’s small business advocacy work. There are people at PayPal that I feel like I can reach out to and ask for support. Without access to PayPal Working Capital, I would not have been able to grow the business as quickly to where it is today.

 

CB: I have a few pieces of advice based on my own experience. First, make sure to really have a solid business plan in place. Even if you are just projecting numbers that are pure guesses, get something down on paper. And remember that whatever you project you need for financing, you can add another 30 percent on top of that. Second, make sure you look for and leverage services and resources in your local city. I made use of most of the city services available in San Francisco -- there is a lot of stuff available for beginner entrepreneurs looking to develop a business plan. Finally, learn as much as you can about your industry by working for someone else who is in the business you want to be in -- learning what to do and most importantly, what NOT to do, before the financial burden falls on you.