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

Hi Julia, how do you define success?
To me, success is about finding one’s purpose and fulfilling it. The day we realize what we are meant to do and why, is the very first day toward a successful life.

My purpose in life is to inspire and motivate others around me. I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and business, and therefore started my own company to have a positive impact on the world and become an inspirational figure. Through my entrepreneurial ventures, I hope to inspire others to pursue their own goals and what they truly want in life. I want to help people realize their full potential and that anything we set our minds to is achievable. I want people to believe in themselves, keep pushing, and never give up.

Before starting my own company, I launched a motivational platform in 2020 called “Motivational Project.” It is an online platform for young leaders and entrepreneurs that aims at building a community of highly ambitious individuals by highlighting their goals, aspirations and achievements with the hope it will inspire and motivate others to also believe in themselves and go after their dreams.

As I interviewed many Pepperdine University undergraduate students, the platform was featured in Pepperdine’s newspaper and described as “helping the Pepperdine family chase after their dreams, while also encouraging others within the community. The project provides practical tools, plans and guides on healthy mindsets through shared inspiration and how to believe in the power of self, which motivates the reader to work harder and strive higher than ever before.” (Read full article by Beth Gonzales here: https://pepperdine-graphic.com/the-motivational-project-helps-pepperdine-students-and-alumni-catch-the-wave-of-success/ ).

This project gathered ambitious young entrepreneurs and professionals operating in various fields such as technology, sports and fitness, research, real estate, international organizations, investment, advertisement, to name a few.

For more information about Motivational Project, please check out our website (www.motivational project.com) or instagram page (@motivational.project).

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Introduction:

Hi! First, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to share my story.

My name is Julia Strouk. I am a 22 years-old entrepreneur. I was born and raised in Paris, France, and moved to Los Angeles 5 years ago for college. I graduated from Pepperdine university with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Communications and a Master of Science in Global Business with a concentration in Leadership and Managing Organizational Change.

During my last few months of grad school, I came up with my business idea – a fashion showroom representing new brands from Paris, France. I have always loved fashion, and starting my own business has been a goal of mine for years. Since I was born and raised in Paris myself, I decided to open this showroom – JULIA STROUK DESIGN & CO – with the mission of bringing Parisian elegance and simplicity to Los Angeles’ fashion world.

About the business:

We are located in one of Los Angeles’ historic fashion buildings in Downtown, the Cooper Building, and we are currently representing two Parisian brands, GARCE Paris and OSE Paris, along with my own clothing line, JULIA STROUK DESIGN, which will be released very soon. I have now been working on my first Parisian-inspired clothing collection for months, and I am beyond excited to share it with the world!

We recently just launched our online retail store (website: www.juliastrouk.com, Instagram shop: @stroukdesign) where you can already shop the GARCE and OSE Paris collections. Once my clothing line will be available in the next couple of months, we will also be entering the wholesale market. Customers and buyers are more than welcome to book appointments with us to visit the showroom and take a look at the collections!

Both French brands I am currently representing share similar values than mine; we are all about empowering women in life and business. We represent strong, independent, and ambitious women and we strive to provide timeless, bold and essential pieces of clothing that allow us to feel powerful and beautiful.

My goal was to build a business that would have a positive impact on the world. I aim to provide sustainable fashion, as well as discover and support other young female entrepreneurs by representing their brands in my showroom.

More about the location:

As mentioned earlier, we are located at the Cooper Building, also known as the Cooper Design Space, in Downtown LA (@cooperdesignspace). It is known to host the “LA Market Week” at least 5 times a year. According to the LA Fashion Disctrict website, “the LA Market Week, previously known as LA Fashion Market, is the West Coast’s premier destination for contemporary fashions, including apparel, accessories, and footwear. The market hosts various tradeshows that highlight both established and up-and-coming designers. With thousands of brands participating in the LA Market Week, this is the place for buyers to discover new brands and create new shopping experiences.”

Challenges:

As I jumped into this venture without any prior experience in the fashion business, everything while building this company was a challenge for me: finding the right location, partnering with the right suppliers and manufacturers, hiring my first employee, etc. Each step of the process was an incredible learning experience, and I am proud to say that I have accomplished it all by myself. There is nothing better than having hands-on experience and figuring things out yourself. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to develop the necessary skills to manage any challenge that comes my way.

One thing I have for sure learned along the way is to always do my research before jumping into any negotiations and discussions with potential suppliers, manufacturers, partners or collaborators. You don’t want to get ripped off, so you have to know what you’re talking about. Be the expert. Put simply: knowledge is power.

Another point I would like to share to anyone thinking about starting their own business is: JUST START. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a lot of experience yet: LEARN ON THE GO. Read, ask questions, attend events, reach out to people — all you have to do is jump right into it. You’ll be surprised how doors can easily open once you put yourself out there. Sometimes we tend to create our own limitations in our heads as to what is achievable or not. Through starting my own business, I have reinforced my belief that we truly can achieve anything we set our minds to if we give it all we’ve got. Put all your heart, mind and energy towards your goals. You really have to go all-in.

More about me:

As mentioned in my response to the first question of this interview, my purpose in life is to inspire and motivate others around me. Since I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and business, I decided to launch an online platform for young leaders and entrepreneurs during COVID-19 in 2020 called “Motivational Project.” It aims at building a community of highly ambitious individuals by highlighting their goals, aspirations and achievements with the hope it will inspire and motivate others to also believe in themselves and go after their dreams. As I interviewed many Pepperdine University undergraduate students, the platform was featured in Pepperdine’s newspaper and described as “helping the Pepperdine family chase after their dreams, while also encouraging others within the community. The project provides practical tools, plans and guides on healthy mindsets through shared inspiration and how to believe in the power of self, which motivates the reader to work harder and strive higher than ever before.” (Read full article by Beth Gonzales here: https://pepperdine-graphic.com/the-motivational-project-helps-pepperdine-students-and-alumni-catch-the-wave-of-success/ ).

This project gathered ambitious young entrepreneurs and professionals operating in various fields such as technology, sports and fitness, research, real estate, international organizations, investment, advertisement, to name a few.

For more information about Motivational Project, please check out our website (www.motivational project.com) or instagram page (@motivational.project).

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, there are so many!

If my best friend came out to visit me, I would spend each day in a different area of LA for a completely different experience.

I would probably start with a chill day on the West side. Maybe take a walk on 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica, and go down to the beach by the Pier. At night, I would take her to dinner in Venice at Great White, followed by some drinks next door at Gran Blanco.

The next day, I would show her LA’s famous spots; we’d have lunch at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills and walk on Rodeo Drive, get a coffee at Alfred’s on Melrose Place, and perhaps go to The Grove for some shopping.

If my friend feels like working out during her visit, I would definitely take her to Barry’s Bootcamp for a fun, kick-ass workout class or to Gold’s Gym Venice for some weight lifting with the pros of the industry! I got into weight training two years ago, and let me tell you there are no other gyms like Gold’s Venice, aka the mecca of bodybuilding.

For a fun night out, we would go to West Hollywood – so many good restaurants and bars over there! I would probably make a reservation at Catch LA or Cecconi’s in Melrose, and then go to La Mesa Lounge, Sunset at EDITION, or Bar Lis for some good house music and drinks.

For a more “artsy” day, I would take her to some Downtown LA art exhibitions and fashion events. Hauser and Wirth is a beautiful art gallery in the arts district, and is located right next to my favorite restaurant called Manuela.

On a weekend day, we would drive up to Malibu. I studied at Pepperdine, so Malibu was my home for a couple of years. I would take her to a private beach by Puerco Beach on Malibu Road. We’d spend the day there, and then grab some food at John’s Garden or Sunlife at the Malibu Country Mart.

Some other activities we could do would be: watch a comedy show at the renowned Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, go to museums (LACMA, Getty Villa, Griffith Observatory…) and hike the famous Hollywood sign trail. I am probably missing some other cool stuff… There are just so many fun things to do in LA!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family.

I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my mom, dad, and grandparents who live in France. They’ve always supported me in my endeavors. Although I haven’t been able to see them for 2 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I am very close to them and we Facetime almost everyday. I am beyond grateful that my family has always been supportive of my dreams.

I also have family in LA – my uncle, aunt and two cousins – whom I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to. Moving across the world by yourself at such a young age can be scary sometimes. So I am grateful for them because I know I can always count on them, and they’ve always welcomed me with open arms to make me feel at home.

Website: https://juliastrouk.com/

Instagram: Personal account: @juliastrouk /Business account: @stroukdesign

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliastrouk/

Other: Personal TikTok: @juliastrouk Business TikTok: @stroukdesign Personal Instagram: @juliastrouk Business Instagram: @stroukdesign

Image Credits
Photo 1,4 & 8: Chase Minor

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