Born in Louisville and currently based in the West End, entrepreneur Michelle Fields had grown tired of working long hours for companies that did not appreciate her. She wanted freedom. She wanted something she could own. She wanted something she could pass down to her children.
In 2021, Fields started selling size-inclusive fashion on her website, MAD Styles. Three years later, she launched Be Lavish Boutique, which expanded her offering to hats, shoes, graphic socks, sunglasses, vegan leather bags, Bluetooth tumblers, and cups—with more items to come. Be Lavish Boutique will be the store to which she will add new categories of products.
In addition to owning and operating two online retail businesses, Fields is a mother of three and a grandmother of three. Even with such a full schedule, she enjoys what she has been doing since she ventured into entrepreneurship. “I love meeting new people, having great conversations, and laughing with customers—and potential customers,” she said. “It’s a great day for me when I can do something I love and enjoy. It makes all of my hard work and long hours worth it.”
Fields chose fashion as her focus because when she was in her late teens and early 20s, she started to pay attention to fashion design and style trends. “I liked seeing someone dressed up, whether male or female. I liked seeing people out at an event or special occasion dressed all fancy.” Her increasing appreciation for fashion and style inspired her to pay closer attention to her own appearance. “I truly feel that if you look good, you feel good,” she said. “It gives me confidence. It gives me [the feeling that] I can take on anything.”
Because her retail businesses are online only, Fields participates in festivals and pop-up markets to increase awareness of her brand. At events like the Louisville Independent Business Alliance’s Buy Local Fair, she creates an inviting physical space as a way to represent the shopping experience she offers online. “When setting up, I look at it from a shopper’s side,” she said. “How would I like for a space to look? What makes me want to shop with a business?”
Activating physical spaces like the Buy Local Fair motivated Fields to put herself in her customer’s shoes in a way that virtual spaces do not always allow. “I hate to go to a festival or event with vendors and buy something just to get home and find out that I can’t fit it, or it just doesn’t look right on me. Now, I’ve just wasted my money.” Fields added a portable dressing room to her pop-up spaces, and it immediately benefited her business. “I feel good every time I see someone go into the dressing room and come out with a big happy smile on their face,” she said. “That warms my heart knowing that I have yet another satisfied customer.”
Not long after launching her businesses, Fields was invited to be one of nine authors in the book “Breaking Through: Startup Stories from Trailblazing Black Women Entrepreneurs.” Each entrepreneur wrote a chapter giving advice on starting a business or taking their business to the next level. In her chapter, Fields gave details of where she went wrong, areas that need improvement, and the challenges she has faced along the way. “Writing my chapter was particularly challenging, especially while managing two online stores,” she said. “However, I am pleased that I undertook this endeavor. Becoming a published author was not originally on my agenda. Nevertheless, upon completing the final draft and reviewing it, I felt a profound sense of accomplishment.”
Fields hopes that her contribution to “Breaking Through” will help the next up-and-coming Black woman entrepreneur. She also offers advice based on her lived experience: “Make sure whatever business you decide on, that it is something you truly want to do. Something that you are truly passionate about,” she said. “Be careful how you finance your business. Stay disciplined. Set goals and deadlines for things to be done for your business and stick to them.”
While planning can be exciting, executing plans can be frustrating for small business owners. “Come up with a plan and stick to it. The plans may have to be changed a little bit sometimes because of setbacks … But that’s OK! Change the plan to fit what is needed to get to the next step, and keep it moving.”
Fields plans to keep her business ventures moving by opening a brick-and-mortar location and/or a mobile shop. She already offers a variety of vegan leather products—including purses, cross-body bags, backpacks, travel sets, and duffle bags—and she plans to add more vegan products to her inventory, such as body scrubs and lotions created by local artisans. She will also be adding eyeglasses, home décor like candles that she will pour herself, and eventually, menswear. Whether in person or online, the future of Fields’s businesses is bright.
This article appears in Feb 14-27, 2025.
