Meet the two babes behind Two Stories, a blog that covers all things they love from fashion to lifestyle and everything in-between. If these babes weren't busy enough, they've also just launched Two Stories THE SHOP, which features their favourite fashion accessories that are perfect to wear both day and night (every girls dream right?!)...
WHAT WERE YOUR TWO STORIES BEFORE LAUNCHING TWO STORIES?
Laura: After high school I wanted to pursue a career in fashion however I couldn’t sew so the next best thing was a Fashion Business course. I then went on to continue my studies in Marketing & Events and I have recently landed a Marketing & Communications position, which I absolutely love. Thank god for Hootsuite and having Dominique there to bounce ideas off so that we can have Two Stories run on the side while we both work full time!
Dominique: I also studied Marketing and found a passion for Advertising and social media. I then went onto working with a Blogging Agency, giving me a great insight into the Industry and the amazing opportunities out there for social media influencers. For us Two Stories is a hobby that we work on after work hours but hope it eventuates into our full time jobs one day.
WAS THERE A LIGHTBULB MOMENT WHEN TWO STORIES WAS BORN?
A lot of people don’t know that the name ‘Two Stories’ came from our first idea of designing and producing two-sided clutch bags that could be warn both day and night, formal and casual (hence the name Two Stories). In the lead up to the launch of our label we had started to interview social media influencers in the fashion world about their story and the essential items they carry in their handbag. With our busy lifestyle we had to put the production of the clutch bags on hold. However we really enjoyed interviewing people and the social media side of the business so continued to keep our Instagram and website running. Now Two Stories is a platform for us to connect with brands, businesses and digital influencers to share their stories!
ANY TIPS FOR WOMEN LOOKING TO PARTNER UP WITH A FRIEND TO START A BUSINESS?
We’ve been best of friends since high school and have the same taste in clothes, food, music (pretty much everything!) so starting a business together happened very naturally.
Some tips for women looking to partner up with a friend would be:
- Make sure you have common interests both inside and outside of the business
- Be open to a different point of view
- Make sure the workload is shared evenly
- Know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and delegate roles
- Trust each other enough to be able to make some business decisions individually
WHOSE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS WITH THE BUSINESS?
We both come from families who have their own businesses so we have seen the benefits of hard work paying off. However our biggest inspiration would be my (Laura’s) cousin Lauren Di Bartolo. Lauren is the Founder and Director of Australian Style Institute (www.australianstyleinstitute.com.au) which provides training, mentoring and support to people who want to launch their own business in the style and image industry. Lauren is a young, driven and motivated person and I have seen what can be achieved when you are willing to put in the hard yards and have a passion for what you do. She’s been a great mentor for us starting Two Stories.
WHO’D BE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST TO INTERVIEW?
Laura: Chiara Farragni of ‘The Blonde Salad’ - Her style, the places she travels to and having her own fashion label makes her top my interview bucket list!
Dominique: Margaret Zhang. She’s our age and is in with all the international brands – that makes for one good interview!
WHAT’S NEXT ON THE HORIZON FOR TWO STORIES?
‘Two Stories The Shop’ (www.two-stories.com), our online store, will be launching at the end of October, which is super exciting! We are starting off selling just a few of our favourite things (clutch bags and handcrafted rings) with the hope to grow our range of products on offer!
IF YOU’RE NOT IN THE OFFICE WHERE WOULD WE FIND YOU BOTH?
You’d find us at A Thousand Blessings café in Richmond (our favourite place to eat) and in summer time down Mornington Peninsula by the beach!
Stay up to date with the happenings at www.two-stories.com and Insta @twostories_
Health Lab x
