Meet Rachel Swatzell | Higher Education Coordinator & Business Owner

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

Hi Rachel, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think about risk as stepping outside of my comfort zone or trying something new for the sake of growing.

I feel that I take risks each time in my business as I take a step forward to grow. I took a risk starting my business as a young adult with little experience, especially in the economy coming out of COVID. I took a risk when I decided to join storefronts, even though I knew it would help my business grow and establish new relationships with customers, maintaining a storefront and online is challenging. I recently took a risk on adding a new featured item (burned hats) to my business, and I recently turned my business into a mobile boutique, and that imposes a major risk on ROI and just how I operate now. However, if I want to continue to see my business grow, I have to continue taking these risks.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Getting to where I’m at today was not easy! When I’m asked about what I do for a career, my answer is educator by day and business-owner by night. I work in academic support during “normal business hours,” helping students get the help they need to succeed. It’s when I leave school that I put on my business owner hat, and I go home to put in work on my business. I just completed my masters degree in marketing, which has helped tremendously in engaging students and my customers, I’ve learned more about business by continuing my education. It is a challenge balancing both jobs, but the only way to overcome the challenge is remembering why I’m doing what I’m doing, why I care. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that if you want to do something or you commit to something, do it with your whole heart.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Johnson City, TN

East Tennessee is known for the mountains, so we would have to take a nice scenic drive or take a hike in the mountains.

Places to eat and drink: Label, Midway Social, Bella Vita, Blackbird Bakery

Visit: downtown Bristol, TN/VA. This is where I have a storefront space for shopping so I would have take my best friend to see my space, and then the downtown life of Bristol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my family, friends, and customers who have stood by me through starting my business, help me out when I need help at events, and continue to support my business. I wouldn’t have a business if it wasn’t for the customers I have and continue to meet/establish relationships with.

Special thanks:

To my mom (Debbie Swatzell) – has been with me through every business decision I’ve made

My aunt (Trish Wilkerson) and cousin (Andrew Wilkerson) – help me out with events, and my cousin helped me do the labor into turning my trailer into a mobile boutique, could not have done that without his help

Brandi Glasscock – a dear friend and business mentor

Instagram: @wingsandrosesboutique

Linkedin: Rachel Swatzell

Facebook: Wings & Roses Boutique

Image Credits
Rachel Swatzell