For Quenby Tyler, artist and owner of Audrey’s of Naples, business and art are inseparable. She painted for many years in Pensacola and sold her work at a boutique she owned with her mother. After Hurricane Ivan wiped out their store, her mother moved to Naples and Tyler followed a few years later. Together they opened Audrey’s, a luxury consignment boutique that has garnered a loyal following among Naples residents.
“Even when I was painting and making art, there was always a commercial component,” Tyler says. “It made me excited that somebody would want to buy my artwork. Even though I was creating art, in my mind I was always thinking about who would want to buy it.”
Making money, selling her work to clients—“I’d get a thrill out of it,” Tyler says.
Throughout her career, she’s had a good instinct for savvy business moves. When the former location of Audrey’s wouldn’t renew her lease, Tyler set out to buy a building for the shop. This was in 2017, and people told her she was making the wrong move. “Just sign another lease,” they said.
But Tyler didn’t listen. She was adamant about owning her own space. “I’ve always been that way,” she says. “I was a very willful child.”
As it turns out, Tyler was right. Her purchase was exactly the right decision, and the new location propelled Audrey’s into “another stratosphere,” Tyler says.
“Always follow your gut,” she advises other entrepreneurs. “Plug your ears to any negativity and trust your instincts.”
Though she has an excellent head for business, Tyler also recognizes when it’s time to bring in other minds. She said this is a key skill for every entrepreneur. “The beautiful thing is that I know where my deficiencies lie,” she says. “I also know what my strengths are. So, I make sure to have the resources around me that can make up for those deficiencies.”
In Tyler’s case, she has a perfect teammate in her niece, Ashley Means. Means steps in to handle the places where Tyler has a blind spot—social media, playlists for the store, technology in general. “Where my skills are lacking, she has those skills in abundance,” Tyler says. “I’m the round and she’s the square. Between the two of us, it’s a magical combination.”
Tyler skipped the formal training when it came to her endeavors. She never went to art school or got a business degree, yet she’s catalogued a long list of successes in both categories. Her suggestion for established entrepreneurs and those who are considering whether to make the leap into entrepreneurship? “Just get doing it,” she says. Don’t waste precious time perfecting a technique. “What it takes is will and a fire in the belly.”
