Can you briefly introduce yourself and share a bit about your journey and work?
My name is Lacey Evans and I am the owner and operator of Disco Lenny currently residing in Elizabethtown, KY. My journey into the disco world happened by accident. If you were to tell me a few years ago I would be running a disco business, I would say you're crazy and that's quite a joke. Last summer, I ordered a disco charm from Etsy and was so excited to receive it. But I was quite disappointed when I saw it in person, the seller didn't use any of the information I gave them to create my custom disco charm and it wound up breaking two days later. I thought to myself, I can make this and I can make it better, so I did. What I wasn't prepared for, was people seeing what I created and asking me to make one for them as well. Fast forward to today, I have several variations of what I lovingly call Disco Lenny's and each one is custom-made and tailored to each of my customers. I never planned nor dreamt of becoming what I call a Disco Dealer.
Currently, I am an active duty Soldier in the United States Army and have been serving for 15 years. Thus, you might think to yourself, that government work and disco don't mix but I'm here to say it does. What makes Disco Lenny stand out from our competitors are a number of reasons. I greatly pride myself on hand-making each Lenny with high-quality materials. It's normal for me to go "above and beyond" for each of my customers, I maintain an open channel of communication with them after they place their initial order to discuss design details, theme, specific elements they may want for their Lenny and show them their creation along the way as I build it. Further, if I don't have something in stock that they request, I will shop for it versus telling them I don't have it. It's incredibly important to me that each of my customers get a product they love and are proud to have. When they open that pink envelope, my hope is that they gasp with joy and love their Disco Lenny.
2) Looking back, was your journey relatively smooth or did you face significant obstacles?
I faced significant obstacles and still do. The biggest is that a lot of people I know didn't take me seriously when I began Disco Lenny and some still don't. People have voiced what a frivolous product I sell. I argue that it's not frivolous, that Disco Lenny is equivalent to buying a daily coffee or the purse you have been wanting; you don't need it, but it brings you joy. I also had to learn how to streamline and optimize the business for maximum efficiency. This came with a lot of unknowns that I had to face head on such as building a website, creating merchandise, how to price properly, how to deal with naysayers, and developing the overall brand to name a few. I still have many interactions where people imply that disco is not for everyone and I disagree. I wholeheartedly believe Disco Lenny is for everyone no matter your gender, color, ethnicity, preference, sexual orientation, etc. Disco doesn't discriminate, it has the ability to bring joy to anyone who is open to it. I've made Disco Lenny's for just about everyone under the sun, not just for women. I've made Disco Lenny's for farmers, for soldiers, for business women, for kids, I mean everyone.
3) Can you highlight a few key milestones in your career that you consider pivotal moments? How did they shape your trajectory?
I can honestly say that I am currently where I am with Disco Lenny because of my military and educational background. I have a Master's Degree in Organizational Management with a specialization in Leadership and serving as a minority (Hispanic and female) senior enlisted leader in the military has helped me develop crucial leadership and organizational skills. My organizational leadership experience from a business perspective has aided me in shaping my mindset of how can I make this the best business it can be? And this evolves into attacking issues swiftly and efficiently as my military background taught me to do so and considering elements such as knowing your audience. As a leader, I've led troops for many years and a key lesson I've learned is that you cannot buy respect from your Soldiers. Respect is earned. Thus, building a reputable brand is equivalent to earning your customers respect and trust by being dependable, honest, trustworthy, and being a steward of your profession. All of these characteristics translate over into being a business owner.
Disco Lenny is still young, yet, I have had some pivotal moments that continue to shape the business and brand. For example, building a website and storefront from scratch with zero knowledge on how to do so was a game changer for my business. I went from taking orders through social media and using various methods of payment to streamlining everything into a one stop shop webstore. I lost customers when I converted over to a website but the risk was worth the reward. I was also approached by local women owned businesses to participate in their grand re-openings in my area by selling Disco Lenny's in person at their events. This really bolstered the business as I got to interact with people in person, they were able to see and touch the product, and the exposure I got from those events, you just can't buy that. Around town, people now know me as Disco Lenny.
All of these elements shaped the trajectory I'm currently on with Disco Lenny's currently being sold in a storefront in Florida and will also be sold here locally in Elizabethtown which is in addition to maintaining my internet storefront.
4) Can you tell our readers more about what you do and What sets you apart from others?
I touched on this earlier, what sets Disco Lenny apart from other sellers is my pride and passion for my product. I love to interact with my customers and bring their vision to life, they are not just an order number to me. I truly believe Disco Lenny's are for everyone no matter your background because it brings just about everyone joy when they see one in person and sparkling in their rearview mirror on a sunny day. I'm not like other sellers where you fill in the box of what you want and you never hear from me again until you receive the product. Disco Lenny eclipses the social norms, I am focused on building connections with my customers, developing relationships, and creating a Disco Lenny community of those who love disco balls and it brings them just as much joy as it does for me to create them.
I also recently began offering custom consultations because of the overwhelming choices that can come with creating a Disco Lenny in hopes that it'll make the process easier and fun. The actual process of making a Disco Lenny is entirely dependent on the customer's vision of what they want. I help drive the creative navigation process and once there is an agreed-upon design idea, I will begin piecing it all together. From design to a finished product can take anywhere from 2 - 8+ hours depending on which Disco Lenny they've ordered. For example, I have one particular Disco Lenny where I apply hundreds of rhinestones to the hat by hand which requires me to do over several days due to the nature of the hand application.
5) Reflecting on your experiences, what important lessons have you learned along the way? How have they influenced your approach to your work?
The most important lesson that still rings true for me is to always believe in yourself and your product. If I were to buy into all the people who didn't believe in me, I wouldn't be here today. Secondly, don't remain comfortable - be consistent, continue to innovate, and collaborate. I believe it is very important to continue to challenge yourself and build upon your current successes by continuing to innovate my product and collaborating with fellow business owners to work together to bring disco joy to all walks of life. Thirdly, listen to your gut/intuition. I've had several people tell me to carry different products, to change something, or I should "xxxx" instead and I've always stuck with my gut and remained true to my brand and product. You don't have to carry several different products to be successful. I make one product with different variations, I do it very well, and it keeps my customers happy.
Thank you so much Lacey for sharing your beautiful work with us. You can buy Lacey's products below:
