Small Businessperson of the Year finalist: 5 questions with Sarah Baucom and Carrie Barker of Girl Tribe

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Girl Tribe is much more than a T-shirt company. Though to be honest, that would be impressive enough: Girl Tribe’s clothing is stylish and witty, and a must-have for any woman.

But behind co-founders Sarah Baucom and Carrie Barker, Girl Tribe has become a force in Charlotte and nationally. They’ve hosted mega-successful pop-up shops around the city and region, launched a South End boutique and cultivated a community of thousands of women dedicated to empowering and supporting each other.

Founded in 2014, Girl Tribe has grown to 14 employees and is expanding into other cities.

That’s led Sarah and Carrie to be named finalists for Axios Charlotte’s Small Businessperson of the Year award in the Retail category.

Get to know the two and learn from their success through these five questions.

What’s the first hour of your day look like?

Carrie: When does this hour allegedly start? Work wise – I usually come into the office go over emails, strategize with Sarah on what the day looks like, creating priorities and drink a full thermos of coffee and probably spill said coffee on pants.

Sarah: First hour of my workday usually starts at 8:30 a.m. after dropping a kid off at school and includes going over my to-dos and goals for the day and deciding how to tackle them. We also check in on our team in the morning; we are a really close staff and enjoy this time! I also try to stack meetings and calls in the morning so that my afternoon can be spent creating and focusing while working individually.

What’s the most valuable business lesson you’ve learned?

Carrie: We could probably write a book – but to get out of the way of yourself. Where we see a lot of entrepreneurs get held up is waiting for everything to be perfect. You have to put it out in the world to start. Seriously just start.

Sarah: I say this constantly, and I have to credit my dad for this lesson. Sometimes moments arise that may feel like you can easily get stuck in them, and I have to ask myself: “Does this make me money OR does it lose me money?” If it is neither – move on. This helps stay on course and not let the little things weigh you down. Staying focused when every day is unique is a challenge in itself, so I only spend my time on positive production and growing Girl Tribe in the right directions.

What’s a recent purchase of less than $100 that you love?

Carrie: My tattoo – we got it at the end of 2018 to signify all our accomplishments.

Sarah: Same as Carrie 🙂

What’s the best book you’ve read in the past year?

Carrie: Going to change this to favorite podcast. I love “How I Built This” — it’s everything

Sarah: I had my second daughter in June 2018, so this past year has been spent in survival mode and just lots of joy. Ask me next year…

What other small businessperson do you admire?

Carrie: Easy. Sarah Baucom. Though we are a team, we both have our own strengths and we work relentlessly every day.

Sarah: Carrie Barker, of course!