Sophia Rodriguez
I was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas. I graduated from Texas Tech University in 2007. After graduation, I left Texas for eight years. I resided in Southern California, Eastern North Carolina, and Northern Virginia. After three years of working in healthcare, I obtained my master’s in healthcare administration in 2012, and I continued working in healthcare until 2021. I worked in healthcare marketing and sales for 12+years. Begrudgingly, I moved back to Texas in 2015. But now, I tell people, “You couldn’t pay me to leave.” I love Lubbock! I am a dog mom to a large, stubborn saint Bernard. His personality is as big as he is physically. I am blessed to have my entire family living in west Texas. I am one of five children, and I am very close to the three living siblings. And I talk to each one of them and my mom daily.
My parents started investing in long-term rentals the same year I was born. I call myself a “small business baby,” meaning, I was born into a family who believes in small businesses and was able to witness to the work it took to run a small business. In 2018, after our father passed away, me, along with my siblings took over the family business. Since then, I have been able to more than double the number of doors within my own entity. In this same time, I developed, Sophie’s Sweet Seams, an online secondhand women’s consignment group. Since 2020, when I started this Facebook group, it has grown to over 4000 members. What was once a hobby has now turned into a community of women (& a few men) who love to shop affordable and trendy clothing. In 2023, SSS averages 850+ items sold monthly. Some items traveling as far Japan. This little corner of the internet, Sophie’s Sweet Seams, is my passion. I am truly blessed by this business and because of this business.
Session
Finding Your Niche
Session Description
As a small business owner, it has been very important to identify my niche clientele. By identifying and being able to home in on my niche clientele, I have been able to continually grow my business. Finding a niche clientele can help build a strong foundation and/or platform to help a business grow and become successful. If chosen to be a speaker, I would love to discuss how small businesses can identify their niche, developing their brand, and standing out from competitors.
