231 – Fashion is her game: Tom interviews Rayne Parvis

Episode 231 – Rayne Parvis
[00:00:09] Welcome to Screw the Commute. The entrepreneurial podcast dedicated to getting you out of the car and into the money, with your host, lifelong entrepreneur and multimillionaire, Tom Antion.

[00:00:24] Hey, everybody, it's Tom here with episode 231 of Screw the Commute podcast. I got one of my favorite people in the entire universe and if they even come up with some other universes, she'll still be one of my favorites. It's Rayne Parvis. I kind of met her like wandering down the street and you know, she was wandering in circles basically in her life when I met her. And now she's a big superstar in Los Angeles. So I can't wait to introduce you to her in a minute. And hey, she might even make us look better when we're done with her. All right. So I hope you didn't miss episode 230, Becca Tebon. I mean, this girl, I mean, she suffered all these, you know, crazy pain and asthma and bronchitis since birth. And she she chucked all her medicine. She finally got sick of it and fixed herself holistically. And I guarantee you on Bumble and Tinder, there's thousands of 18 year olds that wish they looked like her. And she's 55 years old. You just can't believe it. So it's Becca Tebon. That was episode 230. Now make sure you get a copy of my automation e-book. We charge 27 bucks for it on the open market, but you get it free for listening to Screw the Commute podcast. So check it out at Screwthecommute.com/automatefree. And this is the book that will give you all kinds of tips like it. It's helped me handle up to one hundred and fifty thousand subscribers and forty thousand plus customers without pulling my hair out. So make sure you download that at screwthecommute.com/automatefree. And while you're over there, go to screwthecommute.com/app where you can download our podcast app that does all kinds of cool stuff on your cell phone or tablet. And we have complete screen captures and everything to show you how to use all the fancy features. So check that out while you're over there. Now, our sponsor is the Internet Marketing Training Center of Virginia. It's a distance learning school which teaches legitimate techniques to make a great living, either working for someone else or starting your own online business or both. And we've got a really interesting quiz if you or any of your kids or nephews or grandchildren are thinking about higher education. Make sure you check out our quiz that shows just seven different ways colleges and universities are totally ripping you off. You can check that out at IMTCVA.org/quiz. Don't worry by writing that down. Everything we do, including all of Rayne's great stuff that she's going to have for you will be in the show notes. And this is episode 231. The way you go directly to an episode is screwthecommute.com slash and then the episode number. So this is 231.

[00:03:21] All right, let's get to the main event. Rayne Parvis is an L.A. based certified personal stylist and style coach. She's a media personality and she's the author of The Ultimate Guide to Style From Drab to Fab. She provides transformational style and fashion tips for individuals who want to look their best. Rayne, are you ready to screw? The commute?

[00:03:47] Always.

[00:03:48] I know you did some of that cuz you're a new mama.

[00:03:52] Yes. Well, technically, yes. But we did it IVF, but I guess that would still count.

[00:03:57] Well, OK. Well, close enough for us. So, yeah. So good to catch up with you. You know, I love you to death. We met in a very interesting circumstance, tell them about how we crossed paths.

[00:04:12] Let's see. I was about. So believe it or not, it was actually 10 years ago.

[00:04:17] Oh, my God. It's been that long?

[00:04:19] It's a decade.

[00:04:20] Well, you know why that sucks? Because you haven't changed a bit. You still look ravishing after popping out a baby.

[00:04:28] It's true.

[00:04:29] You do look exactly the same as the day I met you.

[00:04:33] I do think I just wear less spandex now, but that's OK.

[00:04:38] So tell them how we met.

[00:04:40] Yes. So I was let's see. I believe I was like 30 years old. And I said yes to a business seminar that a modeling agent referred me to and it was free so I went and I was a stand up comedian, former Stand-Up comedian. And I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. So I was literally living in my parents garage, teaching myself Microsoft Word how to chuckle. I had no idea.

[00:05:08] How to juggle and teach in Microsoft Word at the same time.

[00:05:12] Yes. I didn't know if I was going to stick with the stand up comedy, so I figured putting a juggling didn't.

[00:05:20] I didn't know that.

[00:05:23] Yeah, I didn't get too far. I guess I'm not a natural juggler. And then I was just teaching myself other stuff like PowerPoint and, you know, random things. And then I went to the seminar and I was sitting through the seminar for days and I ended up winning a consultation with a superstar seminar. Tom Antion is going to help me with my business. Even though I did have one at the time.

[00:05:51] So you won. She won me out of a raffle.

[00:05:55] Yes. Out of a fishbowl. They really just changed my life. Here I am 10 years later.

[00:06:01] Well, the big thing I remember is I was riding around in the car somewhere in L.A. and I was hitting you up about, you know what? So what are you good at? What do you like? What do you want to do? And somehow we got that you helped a lot of your friends get ready for their parties and dates and stuff. Right.

[00:06:22] Yes. There was only two things I was good at at the time, which was shopping, helping my friends get ready for dates and saving animals, and we all know that saving animals you can't refuse.

[00:06:35] So, so. And then the next vivid memory I have is us sitting in the hotel lobby. I think it was the Hilton or somewhere. And I don't know where it was in L.A.. And I'm telling you, you got to write a book. And and you thought that, you know, they told you you needed to cut your head off. Because you're like I can't write a book. And I refused to leave the table until you put out the chapter heading. You remember that?

[00:07:04] Absolutely. And I always there's two things that stick to my mind when it comes to your mentoring. Was Kim Kardashian started out as a personal shopper. So you're gonna do it because that was really when I had no business sense and I didn't even think that I could do it. And then you're going to write a book and. Yes, you made me write down. I think I did seven chapters at the time. But now my book's 17 chapter.

[00:07:27] Right. Just took a little catalyst to get started. I was so thrilled because, you know, a lot of times, you know, people just can't see what other people can see in them. And that was just all we needed to get get you kicked off. And then we did a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the book. Remember that?

[00:07:48] Absolutely, we raised somewhere around 4000. So I really didn't have to pay for any upfront fees for the book, and that was that was that was really helpful. And so there's something that I miss about starting out when you don't know any better is that you really accomplished a lot when you don't have some time. Sometimes it's easier to accomplish what you start out when you don't have any knowledge of anything else because you don't second guess yourself and you're just kind of following the instructions of someone who knows better, which would be you at the point versus now. And I'm like, oh no, I definitely want to do a second book. And you always have all your eyes on everybody else and it's hard just kind of start sometimes.

[00:08:32] Yeah. And when you have too much money, you also like all those dot com bust when people were got million dollars and they still didn't know what to do, so they blew all the money. When you don't have a lot of money, you have to be more creative and you and more careful that you don't make any major mistakes. And and again, with the crowdfunding, that's that's, you know, a gift from heaven. But it wasn't like it. The people just threw four thousand bucks at you. You you busted your butt for that. You made videos. And, you know, hassled everybody from kindergarten that you knew.

[00:09:06] I mean, really, Tom, I mean, I really would not have done that unless you and your staff didn't make me. And now I I look back on like, oh, my gosh, I could never do that again. I mean, I could, but I couldn't. So, yeah, I was hitting up people from elementary school. And here's the thing. One thing about that's really great about having accountability or being part of a mentorship or something like that is not only did I not want to let myself down, I figure since I was taking your class, I didn't want to let you down, so then all that stuff would be wasted. Your time, the money. So I really just having that accountability really helped.

[00:09:46] Yeah, it's really good. But, you know. I think it's kind of equal because you you collaborated with me on when I spoke for, I don't know, a couple of years after that. And you were a great salesperson. I did. OK. But then all these guys are chasing after you and you made them sign up before they could talk to you.

[00:10:09] Oh, my goodness. I still think I should get 10 percent. Right.

[00:10:14] Right. We'll send the send the bill to my Juneau, Alaska office. How about that? Wait. Wait for the check. So so tell everybody how you work with people now.

[00:10:26] Now I work with people. We can still do one on one. So I still do closet audits, but it's really part of a bigger package.

[00:10:33] You said closet audits. Right. So tell them what exactly that is.

[00:10:40] That is where we would go through your closet, kind of do a style analysis and pretty much see where your style is at what you're doing right and where you could improve. So versus when I when we started, we like you on part of my business. We started 10 years ago. There was no stitch fix. There was no personal stylist at a department store. So it was like a different ballgame now. So now it's so much easier. Because before I would have to go to your closet, say, hey, do all these outfits. But now I kind of just look on your social media or I have you email me seven days of selfies and then we kind of go over that to say, hey, here's what you're doing right, here's where you need improvement. You're doing a great color here. And someone's literally it's just like a really simple trick, like half tucking in your shirt or us changing out a different shoe or getting an updated blazer and making everything else work. So I have three packages that are on rayneparvis.com that we can work with together as well as we can do outfits, do a Nordstrom app that is absolutely free.

[00:11:46] All right. I got to stop you here because now I'll be talking to you before they ever hear this. So you you can jump jump on this. Seven days of selfies. That is a domain name and a book title buy the domain name today. They won't hear this. Nobody else will be able to steal it until in the next week. Seven days of selfies. Now, you might have to have, you know, get the the numbers and buy a couple of them because, you know, if you have a number seven as opposed to seven, but that is right there. You see, I see things that it just screamed out at me. I didn't even hear the next 30 seconds of what you said because I'm thinking seven days of selfies. That's perfect.

[00:12:32] I love it. Well, maybe that'll be my next book.

[00:12:35] Well, there you go. So I want that domain, those domain names purchased as soon as we get off here. So you can work with any anybody around the world in that capacity, right?

[00:12:45] Yes. I've worked with one of the top branding agencies in Los Angeles, and they have clients literally from Cancun, I almost said Siberia. But I think my point was that from all over the world, I was taking people from London, Europe, even some in Africa. Oh, Cayman Islands was one. And yes. So they were all top entrepreneurs that have very successful online businesses. And what I would do with them, which is my camera ready package, is I would set them up with three outfit formulas so they would get ready for their business shoot. Is one of the best, most important things is before anybody hires you or anyone else are going to Google you and they're going to see your social media and, of course, your Web site. So you want to make sure that all those photos are up to date in your in. Not necessarily trendy pieces, but ones that fit you, your business, your style, your coloring. So that way there, nothing's going to say, oh, I don't want to work with this person, even though it's subconsciously it literally maybe because they don't like your outfit.

[00:13:53] So, I mean, kind of since we thought maybe a year ago any kind of business dress trends for both men and women.

[00:14:01] So a main thing that I would just tell anybody is if you purchase a suit that was five years ago, you need a new suit. So it's just there's different styles, like for men. People are wearing their pants a little bit tighter and a little bit shorter. Now, obviously, if you are in your 60s, I'm not going to put you in really short pants that shows your fancy socks and your sexy ankles. Right. So there's always adjustments that you can make. But one of the things that we are finding around women is an updated white shirt. So this is not just your basic button shirt. Maybe it's a fancy sleeve. It's an updated hem. It's a puff sleeve. Another great thing that we're seeing now is a collarless blazer. So that's either like a blazer that doesn't have the neckline, which is really easy to style with certain pieces, because then you can wear your updated white shirt with your blazer.

[00:14:58] Talking about for women.

[00:15:00] Yes. Yes. Yeah. This is tips for women. Okay. I'll go and then I'll go to them. So another great thing for women is a vest with a belt. So you're going to have Blazer's or a blazer dress and you can add a belt, a leather trench. So this may be a little bit even if you're not into leather, you can do a full leather. Just really nice camel one that's a little bit updated and polished. And then, of course, houndstooth is a little checkered pattern that a lot of people are wearing

[00:15:00] Are you able to give us some pictures to put in the show notes so people can go there and see it.

[00:15:44] Actually, you know, what I'm gonna do for you guys is I will do a Pinterest board of all these trends. And I'm talking about no, just before you guys then can just click it on and see all the trend.

[00:15:55] Awesome. That's great.

[00:15:57] All right. And then for the men, literally, it would just be a. Of course, if you're still walking around the black suit, you definitely need a Navy one.

[00:16:07] You know, I was looking at stuff online and they were even talking about, hey, your lapels width is out of style, stuff like that.

[00:16:15] Yes. Like the different collar trends, you know, the different, the different. Basically, it's the colors and the collar trends and the fit of the suit. So you just definitely want to make sure that everything's tailored, even if you have an older suit, but it's like brand new. You know, you have maybe only worn it a few times. You can take it into a tailor and say, hey, I really want to update the fit. Is there anything that we can do to save the suit before you invest in a new one? But I think the major thing is, is the colors. You don't want to just be in a solid navy, black or grey suit. If we can get a little bit of texture in there, that will definitely update your style.

[00:16:50] Ok. So so I could take some of my old suits in and I can get them to let the waist out like fifteen inches.

[00:16:59] That's true, Tom. I know. Regardless, you're so rich, you don't need to shop anymore. But I'm still waiting for you to update those suits.

[00:17:09] I have to get them out of mothballs. I told you. I was only had a tie on twice in the last 10 years.

[00:17:17] And that's good. And I hope it's done a really thick tie. Slimmer ties are in.

[00:17:25] I think I was a little old fashioned there. It was a funeral, one of them. Nobody cared. All right. So what else for men? What about shoes for guys?

[00:17:36] I would definitely say shoes for guys. You want to go brown shoes, brown belt.

[00:17:41] Especially if you have dogs like I do, because it's if you step in it.

[00:17:49] You step in it, you can't see it, but you can still smell it. So definitely go for a brown dress shoes over black shoes for men.

[00:17:57] These are lace ups.

[00:17:59] Lace ups, a chukka boot, a monk strap boot. I don't know where it originated with. But, it is a basic casual boot. So, you know, nowadays you don't always need to wear a suit with a lace up shoe. You can wear it with a boot. One of the things I really, really love out here that's really popular in Los Angeles is I sell a lot of like top agents and top entrepreneurs out here is wearing a white clean designer sneaker with your suit and a polo shirt or a t shirt.

[00:18:40] But there probably wouldn't fly in some places right.

[00:18:43] Not all places. That's why when we do work together. I have to find out what city you live in what you know, what's the climate like? What's the style like there? Because even the difference between Los Angeles men and New York men or men or women is really it's literally it's really different.

[00:19:00] Well, I can't wait to see if you if you get that job with the folks. He's up for a job with QVC, which is filmed in Pennsylvania. And this is you're talking to a valley girl right here that is barely ever seen a flake of snow. I can't wait to see like, oh, well, that Amish guy. That's the style in this neighborhood in Pennsylvania.

[00:19:24] Yeah. It'll definitely be a culture shock. But you know, we make due.

[00:19:28] All right. Let's take you back a little bit. So you're in the transition period. You were still working part time jobs and doing comedy and stuff, waiting to break out in this. Right.

[00:19:42] Yes. When we were when I first started, I believe I was still doing reception work. I was hosting single parties. I was working for doing sales and styling for matchmaking agencies. I was styling for other matchmaking agencies. So it was really kind of you know, it was a little bit of a longer road than I expected. But literally now I'm everything that I put down and I wrote down. So if your people are not writing down their dreams, hopes and all, they need you. That's really cool to look back five, six years ago and say, wow. I mean, I randomly put in a diary somewhere. People will be e-mailing them to style them every single day. I was like, yeah. Right. Like going to get, you know, who's going to get clients every single day. But literally through Nordstrom and through my personal client business, I'm going to emails every single day to sign them. Sometimes I open up my Nordstrom app and there's like eight customers there that need outfits for whether it be a party, you know, business, whatever it is. And it's just it's just a lot. And then in addition, I also put I would be on camera. Helping people relate to fashion in a very fun way. And now I'm doing filming for Nordstrom.com. And I always try to throw in a little bit of like really fun in a sense of humor when I'm talking about the new fashion that's out.

[00:21:03] Yeah. And the Nordstrom's was a big turning point and then getting a hold of you because a lot of older fashion people are very staid and stoic and just, you know, put you to sleep. But they got a hold of you and. Oh, my God. Because you have the comedy angle. You have the great looks and your younger. So that but that was a big turning point for you is hooking up with Nordstrom's. Right.

[00:21:29] Yes, but what is also cool about being, Well, you said I'm younger and I appreciate that,.

[00:21:35] But I remember you as younger. Leave it at that.

[00:21:40] But what's really cool is there is a void with women who are over the age of thirty five in the styling world. So the fact that I'm still around, you know, ten years later and I am 40 and I do have a baby now, so it's a little bit different. So there's a little bit more of a niche there, which I think is why I'm doing so well at Norstrom is because there's a lot of stylists there who are like, you know, twenty one, twenty two. But they're not going to know how to style a mom or someone that's, you know, speaking in business because I was helping you. So I sit through so many seminars, so I know how to style people for seminars because I know what drove me nuts when I was watching other speakers when I was working for you helping you.

[00:22:23] You know, I still have a collection of videos and a bunch of backup hard drives of you speaking because, you know, you did some great speeches. I think you're going to start pushing you into that more if you really want to get a bunch of clients at once.

[00:22:37] Yes. That would be scary.

[00:22:39] Why scary. You weren't scared when you did it before. I mean, I've been scared a little bit beforehand, but people just loved you when you when you hit the stage.

[00:22:49] I appreciate that.

[00:22:50] Let's let's dive into this a little bit of. Yes. You had a baby and you kept the business going somehow in the midst of that. So tell him what that experience was like running a business and and having a baby.

[00:23:06] Well, here's the thing. You know, if you're really in your wheelhouse, as they say, and you're on the right track. It's one you're continually growing every single year. And if the world's throw stuff at you, but you still continue to do your job. So I was still working up until literally probably the day before I gave birth. One, I want to take my mind off being pregnant, which I hated.

[00:23:32] You didn't have that glow about you that everybody talks about?

[00:23:37] No, I don't know where I was. No. I don't understand how people did this, how women do this more than once. I did not like being pregnant at all. I'm really happy to be just kind of back in the swing of things right now. And yes. So but when it comes to regarding with work, if you really love your work and you have a bigger purpose than just. Oh, I have to work to make money. But it's the connection through people. And people are still shopping with me like some of my clients have been shopping with me since 2010 and helping me style them. So it's really cool to have them come see me at four months and then they would come see me literally at nine months. I was still in the stores doing shopping for people. So it was just a really cool transition and bonding experience with my clients and slowly being able to help because I really took my mind off a lot of the fear of being pregnant, of giving birth. So it was really just nice to still work and be able to continue that. And then after giving birth three months in downtime, it was really awesome because I wasn't on social media stuff. I wasn't necessarily working with clients on Skype because, you know, there was a crying baby literally here like 24/7. However, I took that time to watch all of these videos that the Style Coaching Institute put put out that I was too busy to do when I was working. So literally, I took the three months that I took off for maternity break and I watched all these styling videos. I updated my Web site. I redid it. So it was just I redid my copy. It was just a really nice. What do you call it? A break from everyday baby life at the time.

[00:25:22] Yes. So but you kept it going. Right. And some of the clients that already had, you know, stuck with you through that period when they're probably thrilled about it, you know, to be part of it. And see see how it progressed.

[00:25:34] They were so thrilled, especially the moms. Some of the moms were e-mailing me breastfeeding tips, at like 2 o'clock in the morning.

[00:25:47] You know, that's because I know all about that, because people ask me when I'm losing weight, like how much weight I want to lose. They say I just want to get down to a B cup. So. So where do they go to find out more? And, you know, this can really make or break a person in business. I mean, you know, I'm hidden in my house. Most of the time working online. But yeah, people that are trying to do well in business, this is not any kind of frivolous bonus kind of thing. This is an important part of your overall look and credibility when you meet people. Yeah. We're talking about if somebody has to go in their business to meetings and and try to get business and go to networking stuff, they're look really does matter. They can't be looking old fashioned because people won't want to do business with you.

[00:26:40] Oh, yes, absolutely. It's I mean, I know everyone knows this, but it only takes three seconds to make a first impression. But nowadays, with everything that's been online and people Googling people before they meet and all this kind of stuff, it really the person will get the job that has obviously a better personality and is confident and dress well over the person that may be a graduate of. I don't know, one of the top schools. So in order to get your personality shining and confident. I feel like your clothes have to not be such a hindering to you. If you're uncomfortable, if you're just like fidgety and if you're not wearing in the right stuff, you're not going to be confident. So you're really not going to give your best interview or your best Skype session or whatever it is if you're not on your top game.

[00:27:26] That's for sure. So. So tell me how they get. Well, before we do that, tell them a little bit about your work with animals, because, you know, both of us are animal crazies.

[00:27:37] So I have two cats right now that I absolutely love and one is Goldie and I named her after the five Golden State Freeway because that is where I rescued you from. And I was I was literally almost one of those idiots that dies because they're trying to squirrel. And then I have another cat named Allie, who I rescued from an alley. Absolutely. And then. Yes. So I still I don't because of the baby, because I work so much right now. I don't really I'm not really able to volunteer through the shelters anymore. However, I am always, always, always driving around town looking for a cat to rescue. So if I see one on the street or an alleyway or anything like that, I will definitely snatch them. I find them foster home. We had one. We named him Tigger, oh, my gosh. God bless his little heart. He was he was such a nightmare the first night he spent in my foster family's house that I had him in, like, ruined everything in the bathroom because he was so scared and we really had to work with him for a couple weeks. But now he is thriving. He's napping in the sun. We got him all of his shots. So it's just, you know, I'm still driving around town looking for animals to rescue.

[00:28:54] So folks, anybody in the Los Angeles area. You have a bunch of cats throw them at her doorstep.

[00:29:02] That was actually Not really, but one of my New Year's resolutions. But I was like, I can not save them all. That is best friend's job.

[00:29:12] So do tell him, though, how they get a hold of you if they want to book a session, no matter where they are or if they happen to be in Los Angeles. You know what? How are they going to hold you for all this stuff?

[00:29:23] All right. You can go to rayneparvis.com or you can find me on Instagram at Rayne Parvis or on Facebook and just tell me that Tom sent you and I'll take good care of you.

[00:29:37] Yeah. All right. Yeah. If you don't tell him that, she'll poop all over you and tell them about your book.

[00:29:45] I have a book, Ultimate Guide to Style From Job to Fab and that you can find on Amazon, which Tom made me write.

[00:29:55] And the new one is seven days of selfies.

[00:29:59] Yes, exactly.

[00:30:00] You know, watch for that coming soon. So. So. All right. So it's rayneparvis.com and we will have all of this in the show notes so you can make sure you get and we'll try to get her a Pinterest board for you so you can see the kinds of styles that are current. And maybe we'll have her back every every so often so she can update us on the style tips and then help us get more business. So Rayne. Thanks so much for coming on today.

[00:30:29] You're welcome.

[00:30:30] All right everybody. We'll catch you on the next episode. See you later.

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