Nica Yusay’s FashioNica, an online store sometimes runs out of her vintage purse stocks so fast she thinks her website network must be jammed.
Indoctrinated into thrift Shopping from an early age, Yusay quickly discovered how to purchase luxury purses at the cheapest available deals possible. As she developed this habit, and became a collector of sort acquiring high end purses for personal use, Yusay did not see the potential for an enterprising business opportunity until her fiancé encouraged her to turn this to a business.
Taking the big leap in January 2021, she spent a considerable $15,000 on a collection of purses she planned to retail on ecommerce platforms which she supported with a promotional video on TikTok. This viral video which simply discussed negotiating prices with customers got Yusay a massive 10,000 TikTok followers, and has generated about 3 million views till date.
Yusay continued to build, and sustain her followership for six months before setting up a platform for FashioNica via Shopify. From earning $82,000 annually working for Pieology Pizzeria as a digital marketing brand manager, Yusay generated $300,000 from her new hustle gaining the confidence to abandon her 9 to 5, and work from her California home, focusing fully on FashioNica.
This journey has been puzzling and fascinating for Yusay to say the least. For an unstable job that requires selling your luxury purses to earn a living, Yusay has recorded an exponential leap in her business. She currently has 115,000 TikTok followers, and 137,000 Instagram followers, and part of these individuals are customers who have helped transform her life, and her business.
In 2022 alone, Yusay has seen $1 million from FashioNica. This business has also been confirmed to generate an average of around $55,000 for every weekly transaction batch.
Yusay follows a strict management protocol for her business, and she is already clear about what the future holds for FashioNica
Rigidly enforced schedule
Yusay attributes her successful experience so far to her rigidly enforced schedule. Resisting the temptation for laxity associated with working from home, Yusay works six days of the week. Her protocol involves a six days preparation which culminates on a new batch on Wednesday when she posts anywhere from 20 to 30 luxury bags which she sells from $170 to around $19,000 per bag. Surprisingly, Yusay sometimes sells out these batches within two minutes due to her well regulated preparation.
Although most people would think working from home full time is more convenient than running two jobs, this is never the case according to Yusay. The key to succeeding however is enforcing a strict schedule which she believes is what has propelled her business to what it is currently.
Yusay is very intentional with how she runs her business, and the business schedule for each day is strictly mapped out, and adhered to religiously.
Her Mondays involve picking the stock to be added to the next batch to be released. This is a very crucial stage as she dedicates hours to photograph these bags to get them ready for her Shopify platform, and social media accounts. The attraction these visuals can generate will determine how fast the products will be sold.
On Tuesdays Yusay posts these products, and does some copywriting product description to intimate her customers on what will be available. Her regimented schedule continues on Wednesday when she promotes her product on Instagram live, creating an awareness for the drop.
She spends Thursdays with her suppliers, and this is when she puts her thrift store knowledge to work scooping up unique luxury bags for her customers. On Friday, She attends to her direct messages on Instagram, and sorts shipping labels. All these procedures culminate on Saturday when she ships out products to her customers. Sundays are generally work free, and a time to rest.
Yusay’s business is now such a success story she has hired her sister, and her mother to assist with the shipping aspect of the business. Although this decision should ordinarily give Yusay more time on Saturdays, she does not use this time to rest,  but instead diverts the time to increase her product’s inventory. This is definitely logical since she sells out on every batch. Going all out is the only way to make something out of the very competitive industry.
In 2021, the second hand market for luxury goods was valued at $33 billion, and some luxury goods retailers are notching about a billion dollars annually. The implication for vendors like Yusay is that they must be distinct, and stand out with the products they offer. One of Yusay’s tactics is to seek durable designer bags. She has had 30 year old bags in her collection.
Yusay’s vision for the future is to increase her inventory, employ more hands, and move to a more befitting warehouse facility where FashioNica can maximize its potential.
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