Last week, I had a wonderful time chatting with Tania Richardson, founder of Hey Lady.
Tania birthed Hey Lady to be a lifestyle brand, curated for all women over forty who have a passion for fashion, a love of travel, and are interested in owning or growing their business. As she was looking for content, she couldn’t find any that directly spoke to women, 40 and over, that looked like her. So, her mission began.
The mission of Hey Lady is to empower, inspire and motivate women over 40 to live their best life. When most people turn 40, the light bulb gets turned on or is turned off. They get to 40 and feel like this is it. It is either too late to get started or it is already over. Hey Lady is here to remind women that this is the best time of your life, you are just getting started, and there are other women just like you... doing what they strive to do. The emphasis on the Lady is about being the example of greatness; to show young women that it is ok to be a lady, to have class and style while keeping yourself covered, to set the standard and raise the bar, and to see other women thriving and provide resources through their Wine Down Wednesday series.
Wine Down Wednesday is a weekly series on Instagram. It highlights the Lady of the Week during a 30-to-40-minute interview with Tania. These women are selected to promote and uplift phenomenal women that are crushing it! It started with friends and now it has turned into something that she never expected. She is touching many great women that otherwise may never have the chance to tell their story. She is so excited, that right now, Wine Down Wednesday is booked until May and currently on season 2. All Ladies of the Week are also featured on the website, and YouTube.
Tania is motivated to keep going by the emails or direct messages from those excited and appreciative about what is going on, loving what Hey Lady is doing and how inspiring Hey Lady is. People want and need to see the consistency. It is not about the likes; it is about the views. Tania says, “If I can get through to one person, that is everything and I have done my job. It is about the give and take.” She is a champion for women and believes there is enough for everybody. Her goal is to present something a little different and encourage ladies to live out loud. It is important to find your niche so you are not all over the place, and your greatness will spread.
During this pandemic, Tania closed her insurance office and started working from home. This allowed her more time to focus on the mission of the brand, and just do it. During this time, business for Hey Lady has been great; because everyone is home, and she has been able to captive the audience. It has reminded her of the importance of having multiple streams of income, to have some iron in the fire at all times.
Her goal is for Hey Lady to be an international household name within the next three years. As she travels all around the world, she will use Hey Lady to connect with all different types of people. As much as we think we are different, we share the same experiences.
Tania’s love affair with fashion began at the age of 6. She used to get in trouble for tearing out the pages of her mother’s Essence magazine. She saw that the models were doing these photo shoots in other countries, and her interest to travel peaked. Hey Lady currently has signature t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bracelets, pouches, and lipstick; but will be expanding their selection in the near future. The brand is to remind everyone that being a lady never goes out of style.
Tania travels about three times a year. What fuels her to keep going is to go to a destination, get lost and figure things out. She loves to show others that it is possible to travel without spending a lot of money. She likes to share tips on where to go and what to do. Her most favorite place that she has traveled to is Tanzania. She says, it is "so beautiful," and it was a "great experience" to walk around with people that look like her. She was welcomed, comforted, and didn't stick out like a sore thumb. "Being in the community, it feels like your soul is rested. A vibe with the music, dancing, and bright colors; that is who we are. It was definitely a life-changing experience." While on this trip, seeing how simple life was and how happy locals were, made her even more grateful and thankful for what she has.
Tania has been an entrepreneur for 20 years; Hey Lady is the third baby that she has birthed. She does independent coaching, mentoring, and is a resource for those that need to know where to start and how to keep going in business. She does her best to make herself available to answer questions.
Her inspiring word is, "learn to get out of your way." So much of what keeps people from moving forward is fear; false evidence appearing real. If you start out thinking of failure, you have already failed. Replace your “if” with “when." Speak the things that you want to have, and the universe will open up when you speak it and put some action behind them.
To learn more about Hey Lady and Tania, visit any of her social media platforms Facebook, Instagram & Twitter – heyladybytania or her Website: heyladybytania.com
