What is your name?
Mollie Lajoie
What is your occupation?
I am a Boutique Owner.
What is your business name?
Shop the Back Bay
How long have you been a Boston Business Women’s Member?
1 year.
What is your Instagram handle?
@shopthebackbay
What is your LinkedIn URL?
linkedin.com/in/mollielajoie
Were you born and raised in Boston? If not, what brought you here?
I was born and raised in a very small town in central Massachusetts, Oakham. Oakham has just shy of 2,000 people, which meant I grew up and stayed friends with the same 20 kids for the first 18 years of life. Early in my twenties, I moved to Foxborough to be closer to my mom and experience life outside of the small-town life I always knew. That’s when my love for the city of Boston and the New England Patriots grew! After all, you can’t live in Foxborough and not love the Patriots, right?
Tell us more about your job or company and what led you to your career?
For my junior and senior years of high school, I attended college full-time, earning an Associate’s Degree just three weeks prior to my high-school graduation. After obtaining both my diploma and two-year degree, I knew business school was my next path. College came and went, and I achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a concentration in management. I worked to build my savings and determine my next move. I then met the love of my life, someone who matched my level of motivation and drive. Eventually, I got involved in his construction business by managing office and field operations—something I love doing!
I wanted multiple streams of income though, as I have always been told that “your 9–5 pays the bills, and your 6–8 builds your savings.” Shortly after having our son, while out on maternity leave, I found myself shopping for clothes for my postpartum body. Body-con dresses and cropped sweaters no longer had a place in my wardrobe, but that was all I could find from major brands. Not having any luck, a light bulb went off: What if I could create a brand that’s trendy, yet comfortable and flattering for my new-mom role?
I decided to give it a go and opened Shop the Back Bay, a trendy, chic online boutique selling women’s clothing, accessories, and confidence. From that day, I’ve enjoyed every second of helping women look and feel great about themselves—something I needed for myself after pregnancy.
What would your clients say about you and your company?
I think after talking to my customers, they would mention my devotion to providing good customer service. At the end of the day, I care about my customers because they are the reason I can say, “I do what I love!” I’ve received such an overwhelming amount of support from them. A good friend of mine and former boss, Tessa, was the best role model I could have had at a young age to instill the importance of customer service through transparency and communication.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
One of my biggest role models in business has been Marcus Lemonis. Marcus has an approach to business that is very humane—money is not the sole reason for his investments and ventures; he always has an interest or emotion connected to his projects. The best business advice I’ve ever discovered is from him:
“If you don’t have emotion and you don’t have passion, then you shouldn’t be in business, because money is a by-product, not the purpose.”
What is your favorite book?
My favorite book, while not the most conventionally titled, is by Alexandra Reinwarth. Her 2019 bestseller, “The Good Girl’s Guide to Being a Dck,”* is truly a must-read for those of us who are painfully shy. It really helps you open up, speak up, and develop the life you deserve to live.
What is your secret weapon?
That’s my content-planning app—fittingly called Plann.
What is your most recent WIN? How are you slaying it in your career or business?
Since being in business, I’ve seen far more sales than I originally expected! I am beyond grateful for each and every person who chooses to Shop the Back Bay for their closet!
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Be patient! Good things in life truly take time.
How do you enjoy your free time?
With my family and traveling when I can! We love seeing new places and are super excited to take our son on his first vacation in the coming weeks.
What is something that not many people know about you?
I’m a pilot! I flew a plane for the first time on my own when I was 15 years old, and my obsession with aviation has never stopped.