CO.STARTERS Spotlight: December Hansen's Journey from Conception to Reality
By Maddie Steele | Photos by Maddie Steele
“I’ve worked all different places in my life and I wanted to create somewhere that I really liked to be. Something I love about daily life here is that it forces me to be present,” said December Hansen, owner of Silk Sleepwear and Lingerie in Trenton, TN.
Hansen had worked at various places throughout her life, but she was never satisfied with any of them. There was always something missing. Something that has been fulfilled in taking the leap of owning a small business in a town where very few exist.
Her best friend, Samantha, who owns SamSlay Photography, a boudoir and elopement business, is located next to Hansen’s current location. They would often dream about the possibilities of a local lingerie store because nothing like that existed in the area. They are both passionate about creating more businesses in Trenton so that there is local shopping in their own town. After dreaming with Samantha for a while, she decided maybe this idea of a lingerie and sleepwear store could become a reality.
“I didn’t know what I was doing, but I took $100 and went to Goodwill and was like ‘well I’m just gonna buy some stuff,’” said Hansen. “So then I made a Facebook group to sell these items on and then I got excited and thought, ‘maybe I can actually do this.’”
She learned about CO.STARTERS soon after this Goodwill trip and decided to apply. She didn’t even know she was accepted until Lisa Garner texted her only 3 days prior to the program starting. She was so committed to making her dreams a reality that she drove from Dyersburg everyday, arriving and staying late at class. The timing worked out so perfectly that she took this as a sign that she was doing the right thing.
“The main thing the program showed me was just to have confidence and to do it,” said Hansen. “You get into it and you think you’re the only one who doesn't know anything, but really you’re all in the same boat which is really nice because you don't feel intimidated at all. Everybody is really excited about what they’re doing.”
Being around the contagious, excited energy was essential when she was first starting her business. When she was by herself, it was easy to lose steam, but being around a community helped motivate her.
The whole conception of this idea of a sleepwear and lingerie shop, to opening her physical store, was only about 6 months from start to finish. It was fast and was very rewarding because all the right doors opened one after another.
“Moments are frustrating when you’re in it, but looking back it was a pretty smooth and fast process,” explained Hansen as she shared advice for potential entrepreneurs. “But sometimes I’m like ‘oh wow it was really hard.’ And I forget about the hard things at times because in a year you’re not even going to remember those moments.”
Her advice is simple: just do it. Even if you have an established business, CO.STARTERS is valuable. No matter the stage in starting a business, this program has benefits and tools to change your career. And those benefits changed December Hansen’s life.
One moment that stands out to December was a night where she had the chance to meet with Lisa one on one. She started with very attainable goals and then she began to dream about long term goals. Lisa reassured her that her dreams were closer and more attainable than she thought they were.
“That one on one time was super impactful for me and it helped me be like ‘oh my gosh I can totally do this.’”
And now she is doing it. The very thing she used to dream about has become her daily reality.
You can follow Silk on Instagram @silkcurated and visit her shop at 103 NE Court SQ Trenton, TN 38382.