Drew Dillard (13C) has turned what started as a Berry class project into the thriving Juliana's Boutique, a retail business offering stylish, hand-curated women's fashions both in three retail locations and online at shopjulianas.com. The company welcomes thousands of customers each month and generated more than $2 million in sales in the last 12 months.
The endeavor was Berry-born with Drew's Deerfield Hall dorm room becoming a hub of activity with classmates and friends working as clothing models, the website photographer and graphic designer. Their first collection, released exclusively online, featured product photos taken entirely on campus.
Reflecting on the progress of the last 10 years, Drew marveled that Juliana's started with just $5,000 (earned mostly through his on-campus job). While the entrepreneurship class provided a spark to ignite his imagination and the encouragement of friends and professors - both then and now - have helped fuel the way, it was his own hard work and determination that ultimately brought the marketing and management double major to success.
After opening his first store, Drew worked alone for up to 18 hours every day for eight months until he could afford to hire his first employee. He has weathered challenges from city construction to flooding to pandemic-related closures, always pushing forward with resilience and vision. Drew is proud to have never taken out a loan to expand his business, choosing instead to nurture growth with patience and time.
Today, Drew, alongside wife Anna, continues to lead Juliana's Boutique with grit and tenacity. He retains 100% ownership of the company and has faced the challenges of entrepreneurship head-on by making hard decisions about what is best for his company and taking necessary risks to expand.
