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Sarah Duncan on Loss, Calling & Entrepreneurship
62 Plays3 days ago
What does it look like to turn loss into legacy?
Join the sister's today in this powerful conversation with Sarah Duncan — founder of Louer — who shares how losing her father, a fighter pilot, shaped the trajectory of her life. From receiving a Folds of Honor scholarship to later working for the organization, Sarah’s story is one of full-circle purpose.
They talk through grief, identity, and how the hardest seasons can refine your calling. Sarah also opens up about her transition from medical sales and nonprofit leadership into building a luxury fashion startup rooted in connection and accessibility.
If you’ve ever wondered how your story — even the painful parts — can be used for something greater, this episode will speak to you.
Join the Waitlist today for Shop Louer
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Girl I Slept in My Makeup'
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the girl I slept in my makeup podcast by three sisters who are at three different life stages and have three different perspectives. They're excited to learn and grow alongside of you.
00:00:10
Speaker
This is a space full of love and acceptance. No judgment because let's face it sleeping in your makeup is more than a podcast title. It's a reminder that we all mess up. So give yourself and others lots of grace.
00:00:22
Speaker
Please welcome my three little sisters Lauren, Megan and Kristen.
00:00:29
Speaker
Hey sisters. Hey. Welcome to another week
Meet Sarah: Entrepreneur & Founder of Louie
00:00:33
Speaker
listeners. We're so excited to have an amazing guest with us. Sarah is here who is a Dallas based entrepreneur and founder of Louie, a peer to peer luxury designer, fashion rental marketplace with a background spanning medical sales and nearly a decade in nonprofit development where she built a major fundraising operation from the ground up. She brings a rare blend of relationship-driven sales expertise and a mission-focused tenacity to the world of fashion and entrepreneurship. And she's also our friend. So we are so excited to have you on, Sarah. Welcome. Thank you. I'm so excited. the world is so small and fun. I'm so pumped.
00:01:14
Speaker
I know. We're so excited that you're here. and we have to start off by sharing how we met you over, i think over 10 years ago, right? Yeah, that sounds about right. That's wild. Yeah, maybe even more than that. But yeah, because I didn't have kids yet. And Joe is 10. So crazy. That is crazy. And now you have three boys yourself, too.
00:01:32
Speaker
i do. i do. my gosh. three Three boys and three girls, Megan. I know. I have the three girls. She's got the three boys. Our household's probably ah very different.
00:01:43
Speaker
Yeah. Polar opposite. We should just switch for a day and see how it goes. I would welcome that. I don't know that you would, but I would welcome that No, I have one voice, so I can only imagine. Oh my gosh. I know. It's like, I always describe it as joy-filled chaos because it's just nonstop all day, every day. But it's so fun too. Like I love every second of it, but they're crazy. They're crazy, sweet little people. Are you an Aparagatsy fan by chance? Have you ever heard his joke where he's like, his friend dropped off a boy and he was like, you might as well call him a bobcat. Yeah.
00:02:19
Speaker
No, literally. That's literally how it is. That's spot on. That's so funny. He's like, I gave you a princess and you dropped off a bomb gut. Yeah. That's great. Well, yeah.
Connection to Folds of Honor
00:02:33
Speaker
So over 10 years ago, Kristen and I, so Lauren wasn't there, but we went to New York for my brother's company was, i don't even know, like helping host Folds of Honor, like one of their first concerts. You can probably tell me, Sarah. Yeah. Yeah, I think we did a big like it was a 4th of July concert at one of the marinas up there, which was like a really cool space like overlooking the Statue of Liberty. So it was a great spot for Folds. And it was so long ago, i think it was like one of my first times ever to speak for the organization. I was so young and just raw. I had no idea what I was doing. But it was so great. and i And met you guys, which was awesome. I know. Yeah. Kristen sang on that tour. I remember. I remember.
00:03:22
Speaker
And I remember you gave your speech and we all were bawling, crying and talking about just how amazing you are. And so you started out. So Folds of Honor gives scholarships, correct me if I'm wrong, to fallen soldiers' families.
00:03:38
Speaker
Is that correct? Yes. Okay. Yeah. Fallen and disabled service members, families. Okay. And then you were. so i received a scholarship from them. you know, they started in 2007. They were founded and i Became aware of them my sophomore year of college. and I was at Auburn and discovered them my sophomore year and applied for a scholarship and was fortunate enough to receive one. And then because the organization was so small at that point, like through the application, i had to fill in like our family story and all that kind of stuff.
00:04:10
Speaker
And so I randomly got a phone call one day, like my spring semester, sophomore year. And it was this guy from Oklahoma and he was like, Hey, you know, we're doing this big event at Atlanta motor speedway. Like we would love for you to come speak. And I was okay. That sounds great. Like, let me ask my mom. yeah i you you know and I did. And that was my very first time to ever share our family story publicly. And i met our founder, the founder of the Folds of Honor, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney. And i think from then on, again, because the organization was so small at that time, it just really created a unique relationship between
00:04:51
Speaker
our family and the organization and our founder. and so really for the rest of my college career, I would travel with them, not all the time, but on weekends and when I could and share a family story and kind of lend my testimony as to what it meant to receive a scholarship from them. And i think I met you guys was definitely, i want to it was definitely after I graduated, but I was still so raw and new and vulnerable for me to talk about.
00:05:21
Speaker
that part of my life in such a public way. i mean, i really learned through How By Fire because i was just kind of thrusted into it, which was really a great opportunity. Yeah. And then I, when I graduated, i randomly moved to Dallas. I found my first job in medical sales. I didn't know a soul out here moved out here. And about that time they were starting a local chapter here in North Texas. I got involved and started sitting on the board. And then a few years into that. They asked if I would be willing to come on board both times, how I got involved with Folds and how met you guys. And it's really crazy now in hindsight, obviously with y'all losing your mom and and Megan and I kind of randomly reconnecting, like how just all the similarities, how cool it is that God would use. You know, it's like you look back and like, you just have no idea. ah you do know, like, you know, that he's working on a thousand different things all in one moment and at one time, but that you obviously don't see the full scope of that. And so even just to see his faithfulness and like how he could use that small moment in time, to bring it full circle and connect us all again. So many years later, after what you guys have recently gone through, just similarities of our loss and just grief and all the things. And for us to be reconnected, like I just,
00:06:37
Speaker
I love that he wastes nothing. You know what I mean? And that we think we see the full extent and that the reality is we have no idea, you know, how good he is, but also the full extent of what he's doing in any given moment, you know? Yeah, for sure. It's so crazy because I think about since we've
Sarah's Faith Journey
00:06:54
Speaker
reconnected, since my mom passed And I remember your speech so distinctively about your dad passing and just thinking, wow, I don't know if I could be walking, let alone standing in front of people, losing a parent. And you just never know what that's going to be like until you go through it. And so fast forward, obviously we lost our mom. And so it's just been really interesting because I've actually thought about you a lot through our grief Because you were just somebody that talked about grief. i have not been around a lot of people where I've heard them share their grief. You were yeah one of few examples that I really heard from that i i would think back about. So yeah, agreed. Like it's crazy how he intricately wove that. Do you think talking about it almost kind of forced you to work through grief too in a way, even though you were so young?
00:07:42
Speaker
Yes. 1000%. is so crazy. And now like when I, I do still like sparingly speak for folds, obviously my story is evolving and getting older and just growing in different ways. But I just like when I talk about how the folds changed my life, it's so hard.
00:08:00
Speaker
to articulate all of the many ways because, you know, I was the oldest child. I have a younger brother. And so i lost my dad at age six. And when he passed, I was old enough to understand and process everything that was going on around me. And like I like really did understand it. And i I still have vivid memories from that period of time, and which is something that I get asked a lot about. But I don't think as a six-year-old, like you understand grief, what the gravity or the effects of what that kind of loss means and how it will impact you not only when you're six, but also when you're 16 and 36 and however old. And when he died, I just became everyone's protector because I was the oldest. And so I feel like I became unknowingly
00:08:48
Speaker
very strong and guarded. And like, even my mom says that she only remembers like handful of times of me crying. And i just think I put walls up. And i don't think I realized the extent of what that meant.
00:09:03
Speaker
in like my day to day life, if that makes sense until early adulthood. And when I started speaking for folds, it was so raw and so emotional, because it was just not something that I had really allowed myself to feel or process as a little girl or even up until that point. And so to do it so publicly, yeah it was everything was lifted. And there was no nothing blocking those emotions and like on the grief coming. Yeah.
00:09:29
Speaker
The grief, like really coming forward and coming out. But I actually went through, i was going to the village church, Matt Chandler's church at the time when I was single and living in Dallas. And I actually went through, they call it like a discipleship program, which I was like, yeah i always need to be discipled. Sign me up. And it was really modeled after the 12-step program, which I didn't realize before I signed up. It was just such a blessing.
00:09:53
Speaker
and God used it in such big ways in hindsight, because I think I didn't realize that I had a deep struggle with fear. And Enemee had really continued to make it such a stronghold in my life that I was so blind to it, to be honest. it I didn't realize that I would told you I had like no fears, you know? And i think like from a young age, I saw that God was good.
00:10:15
Speaker
the foundation of my faith is for sure for a long time was my mom's faith. And I i saw his goodness in every detail of the accident and how it happened and what happened after and what happened before and all the things. But i i think I also saw that God could use really hard circumstances change. show his goodness. And I was always so afraid of what he would ask me to walk through. And so through like that class at the village, it completely changed my life too, because I was already processing the grief as an adult in a way that I never had before. But then at the same time, I was also like releasing strongholds that had a grip on my life and on my heart too. And and I've been freed from that, which I'm so grateful for. It was such a process of daily surrender and having to lay that fear down literally every single day, every single morning until i felt like it didn't have that stronghold over my life anymore. And it's like, I feel like I am a different
00:11:13
Speaker
wife and mom than I otherwise would be. and I'm so grateful because by no means am I perfect, but even like my husband never knew that version of me, if that makes sense. Like he never knew a walled or guarded version of Sarah. Like he just found me as like a healthy and whole and healed Sarah, if that makes sense Did it show up as anxiety of like fear of like losing someone else? No, I actually think it showed up as control. Like I feel like i instead of, and that's again, why I would say like, I'm not, I don't struggle with fear. Like I don't, I am. It's not like a day to day, like, oh, I'm so afraid of x Y, or Z. It's more, so I'm afraid of what God's going to ask me to walk through. So instead I'm going to control literally everything i can control around me.
00:11:57
Speaker
And it didn't like manifest in control of other people, but it was just more so like, I'm going to let in what I let in and what I don't let in. Like that's me protecting myself or, you know, it was more so like guards of my emotions and vulnerability and like stuff like that, if that makes sense. And then just controlling that dynamic.
00:12:15
Speaker
Like playing it safe is what it sounds like. Yeah. And just like playing God, like protecting myself, not trusting him with. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's so relatable. I actually don't know your story since I didn't get to be there in New York and you don't have to share everything, but if you don't mind, how did your father pass? And you can give the short version, but, or whatever you want to share. Yes, will.
00:12:38
Speaker
So my dad flew F-15s in the United States Air Force. He was a weapons systems officer. So if you've seen Top Gun, he was in the backseat. He was the navigator. He loved to fly. we were stationed in at Seymour Johnson in Goldsboro, North Carolina at the time. And like I said, I was six years old. My younger brother, Brian, was four. And the week leading up to that weekend, both my mom and my dad actually had a dream that my dad's jet was going to go down.
00:13:04
Speaker
And my mom had the dream first, but decided not to say anything to him about it. But being a woman of faith, she spent the entire next day just really wrestling with the Lord on why he would allow her to dream this horrible, vivid nightmare. And she just couldn't seem to understand it.
00:13:21
Speaker
And then the next night, my dad had a dream and he woke her up in the middle of the night and started to describe the dream that he had. And she said, well, do you remember that nightmare you woke me up from the other night? And he was like, yeah.
00:13:33
Speaker
And she said, well, you know, in my dream, like I had the exact same dream that you did, but in mine, I dreamt that you died. Like I dreamt that you didn't make it. And in his, he had just kind of, she asked him like, what was the result? And he said, I just woke up.
00:13:47
Speaker
And she, they obviously commented on how weird that was, but they didn't really think anything of it. And I, I feel like obviously with young kids, they wake up the next morning and life happens and they're getting pulled in a million different directions and tending to different responsibilities. And so that weekend we were driving, it was Easter weekends and we were driving up to my grandparents. They had a beach house on Holden beach on the coast of North Carolina. And we were driving up to the beach. They had decided to put it on the market. So Easter weekend was going to be the last weekend that we could all gather as a family and like celebrate all of the amazing memories that we had made there and then make some
00:14:24
Speaker
final ones before we were no longer able to enjoy it. And my dad was six foot four and we, the whole weekend, like we died Easter egg, played in the sand. Like he was our human jungle gym for sure. Me and Brian. And when he came home at night, like he would not even have time to take off his flight suit before we were climbing all over him. And we were driving up to the beach and my mom looked over at my dad and she said, you know, Dennis, if God decides to call you home tomorrow, are you ready? And he was like, well, yeah.
00:14:51
Speaker
And she was like, no you know, I want you to really take some time and think about it. You know, if he really decides to call you home tomorrow, like, are you ready? And so he took a few minutes and he finally looks back at her and he just said, you know, it would never be my choice to leave you and the kids behind. But yes, you know, if God calls me home, I'm ready. And I think because we weren't in any type of combat situation at the time, they had never really talked about like the what if, like what it would look like if something were to happen to my dad. And so that day he expressed that he would want to be buried in Arlington and he would want her to remarry and find someone to help take care of our family and just little things like that, that they had not really discussed. So I think that that's kind of how they looked at it. Like not that anything was going to happen, but it was giving them like a good opportunity to have
00:15:37
Speaker
you know, conversations that they hadn't really previously had. And so, like I said, we drive up to the beach, we have an amazing weekend. And my aunt, my mom's sister decides to pull out the video camera one day and she walks out on the back deck and she she finds my dad and my uncle sitting out there. And she says, you know, Dennis, John, what are y'all doing out here? and my dad looks back at the camera and he says, well, we're just discussing the recipe for a perfect martini and talking about how good life is.
00:16:03
Speaker
And she's like, okay, well, you know, now that the beach house is being sold, you know, what are you going to do next? And he was like, I don't know, but it's just, it's time for us to press on. It's time for me to leave this place behind and just press on towards what's ahead.
00:16:16
Speaker
And she's like, well, you know, that's weird. You know, where are you going to go? And he just again said, I don't know, but it's it's just time for us to press on. And there's a verse in the Bible, it's Philippians 3.14 that says, I press on toward the goal, which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. And I don't, it was just really interesting verbiage that he chose to use that day. And obviously turned out to be prophetic. And about that time, my mom walks into the frame and she's like, we're going to Atlanta. And we had no plans to move to Atlanta at the time. But that's the last footage that we have of my dad on camera. And he left the beach early that weekend to go fly. it was a routine flight check off the coast of North Carolina where they were practicing formations and something went wrong and they were forced to
Impact of Personal Hardships on Faith
00:17:00
Speaker
eject. And we got that fateful knock at the door the next morning from the squadron commander, squadron commander's wife, a preacher, and our neighbor letting us know that there had been an accident. And
00:17:11
Speaker
The front seater had actually survived and was in the nearby hospital, but they had not yet found my dad. and several hours went by of them searching and us hoping and praying and wishing for the best before they finally came back to let us know that our worst fears had come true. And the Lord decided to call my dad home that day. And it's just so crazy because i you know, ah for a long time, like I would always tell that story and it would be like a huge part of my faith. And it is, but it's also my mom's story. It's not necessarily, I mean, it is my story, but it's, it's more so my mom's testimony.
00:17:47
Speaker
And there were were just so many details at that time of how the Lord was so near and intimate and kind. And, you know, like the morning of the accident, my mom was reading Oswald Chambers, my utmost for its highest in the day was all about readiness and being ready for the ultimate call, which is death and like going to heaven. And, and then just like little things like that, which is just so cool. And so I always, I grew up just knowing like that God was good and that God was faithful. And I believed that to my core still had that fear that I had to work through.
00:18:22
Speaker
Yeah. yeah Thank you for sharing. So sorry. Thank you. It's interesting that you mentioned Oswald Chambers in Bible. I went to Bible study this morning And I had never heard of his daily, it's like a daily devotional. Literally just put it in my Amazon cart this morning. Oh, good. My utmost for his highest in case any listeners are also interested. The way my peers at Bible study described it was sort of like a Jesus calling, but it was written before that. So the language is a bit a bit different where you read a sentence and might have to read it twice to fully read.
00:18:54
Speaker
to fully absorb it. But yeah, that's just interesting that I just heard about this morning. So my well, thank you for sharing that. That's really powerful. And I can only imagine too, like you said, your mom's testimony is I'm sure just as powerful. Yeah. She's an amazing woman of faith. I just admire her so much.
00:19:12
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I feel like our moms would have been friends. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we all kind of like, sure not as much Lauren, but I feel like me and Kristen for sure. Well, we all got a lot of our faith from our mom, but I feel like me and Kristen almost like used our mom for our faith for while until she was gone. So I can relate a lot, like with what things that you were saying about your mom. So sweet. Yeah. I feel like that was,
00:19:36
Speaker
You know, it's like at a certain point, like your faith has to become your own, you know, like you have to And I think like, as you get older, and you live your own life, it's it's like so wild, because I lived such like i walked through things in my life that like most people don't even into adulthood. And so It's so weird that i I have that perspective, but at a certain point, it's that can't be the foundation of my faith. like My faith has to become my own. And I feel like as I've worked through fear and everything, it's a long story and maybe a story for another day. But when and I first got married, you know like I said, I entered into our marriage healthy and whole and healed. And I'm so grateful for that. But we got pregnant.
00:20:18
Speaker
soon after we got married and ended up having some complications at 15 weeks. And then, you know, for three weeks, we were just waiting and didn't know if God was going to answer our prayers or how he was going to answer our prayers. And it was one of those moments where I just remember praying and believing like that he was going to do the impossible and like that he, that we were going to be a testimony for like those nurses and the doctors who were telling us that we should terminate and like all of these things. And I just,
00:20:46
Speaker
I had full belief, but it was also one of those moments where, like, now one of my favorite stories in the Bible is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, where, you know, they basically say, you know, my God can save me from you King Nebuchadnezzar, but even if he doesn't, like, I will not bow down to you.
00:21:03
Speaker
And it was kind of one the one of those moments of, I believe that God and answer my prayer and do the miraculous and do the impossible. But even if he doesn't, like, I'm not going to abandon my belief, like my conviction that he is good and he is faithful is going to be greater than any fear that I have.
00:21:22
Speaker
And so regardless of my circumstances, that can't be taken from me anymore. And so, and we did end up losing the baby. And it was my first time I feel like to walk through grief and process grief as an adult in a way that was healthy and like I relied on the Lord versus how I would have processed it in like an unhealthy way prior to if that makes sense but I feel like God used that as an opportunity to show me that like he can be good and faithful in the mountains and he can also be good and faithful in the valleys too and
00:21:55
Speaker
I got to live that out. And I feel like that's part of when like my faith really but became my own too, if that makes sense. And I wasn't just relying on that faithfulness to my mom. I was relying on God's faithfulness to me, you know? Yeah. I think it's interesting. Our last episode was about suffering um, we're, my family's walking through, we're in a valley right now. And so just kind of got real about those seasons. But to your point, you know, the Bible like lays out the Bible is full of weak characters, like I shared and it's suffering after suffering, like it's laid out for us. And I think it's through that suffering that we grow and are able to cling on to hopefully, you know, draw near instead of instead of the reverse, I think Paul Tripp said you can either draw near or, or blame basically.
00:22:50
Speaker
Those are kind kind of the two options in suffering. So yeah, I love Paul David Tripp. And I, I heard it called double fisted faith where you're like holding both things to be true. You know, both things to be true. And I think too, like there was a point in time, like in my grief where I was asking Ty, I'm like, I just don't understand. I know he can do this. So why did he choose not to do this and like why did he allow this what is he trying to teach me and like all of these things and I remember Ty who's like so wise and just such an incredible man looking over it and we were driving and he looked over at me and he was like you know babe and he said it in a very loving and sweet way but he was like you know not everything is about you it's
00:23:30
Speaker
you know, unfortunately, like we live in a fallen and broken world. Like just because this happened doesn't mean that God's trying to teach you some big important lesson that you're just not getting. Like, it's not about you in that way. Like, does he waste anything? No, like he doesn't waste, he wastes not one single thing, but God never intended for us to lose babies or lose loved ones or go through grief. And I think it's like, and he was just telling me, he's like, you know, it's just,
00:23:56
Speaker
a result of the fall. And I, I think sometimes, I don't know why, but like, for whatever reason that just gave me peace knowing that like, yeah, like this wasn't his intentions. And like, I can trust him to be with me in this, knowing that he knows how hurt I am, you know, and like, and I can trust him with that because he loves me. And like, this wasn't his original designer plan. So yeah And he's hurting with you, you know, cause he adores all of us. So yeah I think he feels our hurt just as much. Well, thank you for sharing all that. And we can kind of so I think we kind of left off in your story. If we want to switch gears to you ended up in the medical sales field. And then we certainly want to leave enough time to talk about your latest endeavor, which we're all so excited about and want all of our listeners to know about so you can get on board. Yeah. Yeah, it's so fun. feel like it's my background is so unique in the sense that, you know, I know I've talked to Megan a lot about this, or or we've talked a lot about it, just like how you like look up and you're like, wait a second, this is where I'm at. And like, you look back at like all of these different like life experiences you've had. And okay, i can see where I'm getting like bits and pieces from this season of my life and this season of my life. And certainly never thought that i mean, I always
00:25:16
Speaker
Like I liked the idea of medical sales and i loved my job. I never thought I would work for the a nonprofit or for the folds full time. So that was like a complete, the Lord just like completely a detour from here directed me down that path. Yeah. And it was such a blessing, obviously, and such a gift. And I'm so, I spent almost 10 years at the folds and just grew so much. I i've really had no idea what I was doing at the time. And, you know, I had been trained in sales, which is great and served me well, but I had never built a team. i had never, you know, just had no idea what we were doing, you know, and I'm, I was so grateful and I am so grateful to be surrounded by the people that I was surrounded by like Ward and just people that had been so successful in life. And,
00:26:03
Speaker
They were just such good people and they put a lot of faith and trust in me and in ways that I really hadn't earned. And I'm so grateful for that because I just really grew personally and professionally such crazy ways over those past 10 years. And I now, as I start this new business, I am in this season. Like I left old thinking, you know, we just have three kids. Like I feel like the nonprofit world world is maybe misunderstood oftentimes. And I was,
00:26:31
Speaker
working like a dog and just like working so so hard you know that's part of partly that's just who i am but ty's business was taking off at the time and we had three kids and and so i really felt like the lord planted a seed a couple years before i left of just being you know this might not be forever just so you know and i had never really had that thought before like i'd never really thought about like what's next anything And so it was just kind of a weird thought. And then the Lord was so patient and slow to let me get there on my own and come to terms with that.
00:27:04
Speaker
And it was something that, um you know, the fold is so personal to me. So it's complicated. It's not just another job. And it was something that Ty and I prayed for, prayed through for a long time. And I really felt complete peace about that chapter of my life.
00:27:20
Speaker
closing and I'm still involved, but the chapter me working for them closing. And, and so I left and I was, you know, at home with the boys, the younger two, two days a week. And then the other days, like while they were in preschool, I was helping tie with his business marketing. He owns a residential, a boutique, independent residential real estate brokerage here in Dallas. Kristen, aren't you in real estate? Yes. I thought, okay. And so anyway,
00:27:47
Speaker
Yes. So I was just like helping him with some marketing and stuff on the side and then had this idea and it was kind of out of nowhere and I kind of kept coming back to it. And then I had told Ty about it and it kept coming back and I talked to some friends about it and we really spent like a year praying about it, honestly, because I feel like I'm in this season of life where we're just so content. And our marriage and our life is like sweet and peace filled and joy filled. And just, you know, honestly, we want for nothing. And I mean, sure, like materialistically, like, are there some nice to have things? Yeah, of course. But I don't know, we just are in such a content season of life. And I'm so grateful for that. And i was just very
00:28:34
Speaker
weary of rocking that in any way, shape or form. Like, and I told the Lord, you know, I don't want to go anywhere. You're not. And i don't want to sacrifice this peace and contentment that we have in our family for not one single thing. So we prayed about it for a long time and ultimately decided that we were going to pursue it. And it's very hardward Everybody's probably like, what is it What is it? I'm so sorry. Okay. Yes. I'm like, what is it? Y'all already know. yeah Okay. So it's a peer to peer luxury fashion rental marketplace.
Louie: The New Fashion Venture
00:29:07
Speaker
So basically the idea is like the folds, for example, has a big gala every year on the field at AT&T stadium.
00:29:14
Speaker
And I would buy a nice dress for that event and I would wear it. And then it's not like I have a black tie event every weekend or like every quarter. So it's literally just sitting in my closet doing absolutely nothing.
00:29:26
Speaker
and then too, like there are times where another example would would be like my sweet friend planned high tea for my birthday one year at the Dolphins Hotel in downtown Dallas. I don't have like a dress to wear to tea. Like I'm a mom. Like I don't, you know what I mean? Like,
00:29:41
Speaker
And it's like, I don't want to buy go buy a brand new dress for this one thing, if that makes sense. So yeah the idea is really, it's kind of like Airbnb, but for clothes. And it's like, you know, I don't necessarily want to rent a dress from some big conglomerate that has a warehouse full of old like designer dresses that they've just been sourcing from stores.
00:30:01
Speaker
I don't really know where. Like I want to wear what another girl in Dallas bought and wore one time that's like current and now, and I just want to borrow it for a weekend and like pay and give it back, you know? So the name of the company is called the way l o U E r It's the French word for to rent. And I'm really excited about it. I feel like it's like I'm in just one of those seasons where I feel like obviously I'm doing it on my own in the sense that like I'm a solo founder, but i really feel like am partnering with the Lord on it or trying to.
00:30:37
Speaker
And as the oldest child, I'm ambitious and a hard worker. And I really struggle because I'm like, Oh, we'll just go figure it out. And we'll just do this and we'll do that. And like, we've got it. And like, it's going to be great. And it's like, I feel like the Lord. Yeah. Like, yes, exactly. Like Megan's.
00:30:53
Speaker
I feel like the Lord is really teaching me in this season. like Hold on. Like, I want to show you like in real time, not in hindsight that like, I'm going to open doors that you can't open on your own. Or like maybe you could try it open on your own, but like, I want to bust it wide open and I want to lead you in awe and wonder. And like, I want to provide. And it's this place of really trusting his timing and his speed and his pace, which may be be slower than mine. Same girl. Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:23
Speaker
But he's really just been teaching me so much. And yeah, so I feel really excited right now where we've launched kind of, i announced i announced the business and we have almost 500 people on the wait list. We launched with a wait list. And then right now I'm basically, we just finished, my developer was working out some kinks and some bugs. on the list side, like listing an item side. And so now that's buttoned up and finalized. So basically for the next month, I'll be reaching out to people to curate the right items and ask people if they would be willing to to do this and lend their clothes and or lend a few of their items or whatever. And then we'll eventually launch publicly once we've had time to like test it and we have a good amount of inventory to launch with. So is it similar?
00:32:13
Speaker
I'm guessing it's different than rent the one way in the sense of like, instead of having a bunch of clothes that they just bought up in a factory, it's actual people lending. is that the difference? Yes. The big difference is that it's peer to peer.
00:32:26
Speaker
And so like, I see that as being the differentiator in Working with peer-to-peer is that you're renting current pieces. Like I can go buy something that someone bought a week ago or rent something that someone bought a week ago versus a designer dress from like three years ago or something like that. is that awesome So it is also a way for people to like make money off their clothes?
00:32:47
Speaker
Yes. yeah Yes. And do this, do the sellers set the pricing or will you be doing that? Yeah. So the seller will set the pricing. So if it's like a piece that they really care about, well, I don't really want to rent it out, but if I can get x amount for it, then like, maybe I would do that one or two times. Obviously there's some risk factor in renting out your clothes. So like I would always tell people, maybe don't rent your wedding dress. If you don't want it to get ruined, like just be careful. We will have some like policies and safeguards in place. But at the end of the day, like there is some risk factor in participating. but yes, the rent the lender will set the price. And i don't have the data to back this up yet. But to your point, Kristen, I really feel like people are going like lenders are going to be able to make more money lending their items than they would if they just were at once and then sold it to the real real or on Poshmark or something like that.
Building Trust in Louie
00:33:42
Speaker
So i don't have the data to back that up yet, but I just feel like the resale market, it's like people spend crazy amounts of money on these clothes and like, you just don't get anything back. So I'll be interested to get that data and be able to share it. It feels like trust is
00:33:59
Speaker
going to be a big part of the business as from what you're describing and just in the pieces of clothing and the people in the in the process. And so I guess I'm just curious, how are you going to build such a luxury experience that's personal, but also trustworthy from day one. y'all, is there some type of like vetting process or Yes. And I think eventually like I, it won't be in phase one because we're self-funding. So it might be in phase two, but eventually I want to connect like social platforms to it, to where you're able to see really who you're renting from, but everything will be vetted through like website.
00:34:41
Speaker
payment processor, they'll do a good bit of like validation and accreditation on that side, just from like a transaction standpoint, social media piece brings in the social aspect of like yeah trust, if that makes sense, if you're able to see who you're lending from, or who you're renting, who's renting from you, i do want to include that. But I also think it's going to be about the community, if that makes sense. Like I feel like it's I want it to be very curated. Like not every, every item that's available to rent is going to be admin approved. So you can't just put like anything on there to rent. yeah So i feel like if we curate the right items, it'll attract the right people. And sure there will be like outliers of course, and we will manage that. But for the most part, like I think, and that's like one of my big goals is just curating the right community.
00:35:31
Speaker
Yeah. Bringing the right women together. I really feel like I see it as again, like I'm just connecting to people who have a lot in common. Yeah. yeah I think it's such a cool concept. In fact, I have a wedding in Austin this weekend and I've never done one of the rent closed services But I signed up for newly just to order six dresses to try on. And they, I liked all six, unfortunately, but I'm only going to wear one. And I actually, they have an option to purchase and I purchased it for $20. I was like, Whoa, oh that's amazing. I know. And it's like a over $400 dress normally. So that's amazing. Yeah. If Louie was up and running, and I would have done that. I know. I had a sweet girl message me. She's looking for a rehearsal dinner dress. And I'm like, Oh, we're like,
00:36:17
Speaker
and for it's like coming up soon. It's encouraging though, because I mean, that tells you that the need is there. so yes, yeah, I actually got the idea from a Facebook group here in Dallas that does something similar for it's like only one specific brand. And there are 1000s of people in this Facebook group and a few 1000. And so I saw the proof, like that's where I got the idea from. And there was definitely a proof of concept there. And I just kind of thought,
00:36:45
Speaker
I mean, I do like this brand, but I feel like it should it should be available for all luxury brands. Yeah. How does it work with the app? So it's an app, I'm guessing. And then do you like pay like a monthly subscription? No. So it'll just be per transaction. So per event. So literally like Airbnb. So no monthly subscription. Yes. Like Airbnb. Okay. Or Tarot.
00:37:08
Speaker
Yeah, that's great. yeah I just used her too. Really? Yeah. to We've used it probably the past like six times that we've traveled. I love it. Nice. Yeah. nice Yeah. I'm so excited. We're on your wait list. So I'm so proud of you. And i can completely relate with just being patient with God's timing and taking steps in step with him. It's so hard to do when you're just a go-getter. So yeah.
00:37:35
Speaker
It's so hard. And it's like his plans and his ways are so much better than like anything I can do on my own. I have to like literally pray about it constantly because i will like pick it up and put it in my own hands like so quickly and so easily. But it's so crazy because in my like Bible reading plan, I do the Bible recap and we're in the Old Testament and I'm reading all about Moses and man, he just fell face flat for the Lord though regularly. So like watching his dependence on the Lord. I mean, it's really been, i don't know the Lord's just been teaching me so much. And I'm just so grateful. And I feel
00:38:09
Speaker
so grateful for the community of people that I am blessed with and surrounded by. And I, I just don't know. i think it's so brave and courageous that y'all would do something like this and put yourselves out there in such a big way with a podcast. And i just have so much respect for people that put themselves out there because it's scary and it takes courage and And I just think it's brave. And I'm surrounded by a lot of women who are so brave and I think courageous and put themselves out there in such big ways. And I just, I don't know that I would have had the courage to do it if I didn't have those people in my life. And so I just feel so grateful. I'm really excited to see what the Lord does through this. And yeah, it'll be interesting and exciting.
00:38:52
Speaker
I love it. i think chris I think we interrupted Kristen. Sorry. What'd you say, Kristen? How do you get on the wait list? Oh, yeah. Oh, that is a great question.
How to Join Louie's Waitlist
00:39:01
Speaker
So if you go to www.shoplouer.com,
00:39:07
Speaker
you can sign up for the waitlist there. And then if you are interested in lending, you can either, you can sign up for the waitlist and it asks like what you're interested in or you could DM us and let us know. i'm going to be reaching out to people soon to start uploading things. ya Yay. Well, we are certainly rooting you on and can't wait to see what what God unfolds with this. And we just thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for being here.
00:39:33
Speaker
And this morning in Bible study, it was all about how Jesus calls us to be in partnership with him. And as you're speaking, i just think that that's what you're doing and you're prioritizing that. And Just a good reminder for all of us to start each of our days with just looking up and inviting him in in partnership and asking him to just light our path each day. And so i can't wait to see what happens. I'm so excited. I'm excited to rent. Sorry, I don't have very many designer things to list. No, that's great. Yeah. I can't wait to be wearing the clothes. But Megan, do you want to pray us out? Or is there anything else that you want to share with our listeners before we go, Sarah?
00:40:16
Speaker
No, I don't think so. Just shoptheway.com. And you can find us on Instagram at shoptheway as well. And then really just how cool is God? Like what a gift to get to do this with you guys. And just to be reconnected is is just a huge blessing. And I am so far sorry for y'all's loss, but I'm so proud of the way that y'all are. mean, it's a testimony and it's not being wasted and i know it's hard. So just have so much love for you guys and love that God used that little moment to just bring us all back together to this moment. He's so cool. Well, right back at you and we're sorry for you losing your dad and thank you for sharing it. And, you know, in and when you're in those moments and in the valley, sometimes it's so hard to even imagine or comprehend and might even anger somebody that a blessing could come from such a tragedy. But I think the four of us are, you know, just one example of that there is beauty in in those times. So yeah.
00:41:13
Speaker
yeah love that. Thank you so much, Sarah. Okay. I'll say a prayer for us. Father God, thank you so much for the Holy spirit. Thank you for guiding our every step. Thank you for our parents, for both of us, for our moms, our dads, and just, um,
00:41:31
Speaker
the earthly parents that you gave us, we're just so grateful for that. And we're grateful even when we don't understand your plan. And I just pray as we're walking through life that you just pull us back to you in those moments when we step away or run away, just bring us back to your heart, God. And I just thank you for this community. Thank you for Sarah and just for her heart for you. It's just it burns so bright for you. It's encouraging. And I want to know you more just being around Sarah. So like, she's such a disciple for you, God. And I just pray that she, she feels how much you delight in her today. And then she just feels that sense of peace over her and her family.
00:42:10
Speaker
And i pray that over all of us and all of our listeners as well. And we praise you today. We're in awe and wonder of who you are and that you want to know us and that And we just continue to want to know you as well. Thank you so much for all your love. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. man Amen. we thank you met and man Thank you so much, Sarah. This is so exciting. I can't wait to share you with all of our listeners.
00:42:35
Speaker
Yeah, guys. Good to see you. Thank you all for having me. You too. War Eagle. or yeah happy It's Auburn. I love it. All right. Bye.
00:42:47
Speaker
by Bye.
00:42:51
Speaker
Thank you for listening to another week of Girl I Slept In My Makeup. If you like us, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you want to learn more about us or get in touch with us go to our website, girlisleptinmymakeup.com, where you'll also find links to our Instagram and Facebook. Thank you so much for listening. We really appreciate it and make it a great week.
00:43:16
Speaker
God bless.