Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Quinlan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in raised in a small town in Skippack, Pennsylvania. I’ve always had big dreams and was always the risk taker type. When I was 17, I got scouted from a modeling agency based in New York and signed a contract with Major Model Management. I then moved to New York officially when I graduated high school. I walked runways at NYFW and got my first big job with a 3 page spread in Seventeen Magazine. Once I turned 19, I visited LA with my mom where I got scouted by Wilhelmina models in a restaurant called “Sur.” The owner of the restaurant gave me his business card and told me to contact him the next day. I walked into Wilhelmina two days later and got signed! I couldn’t believe that someone as short as 5’6 was living such a dream. I moved to Los Angeles two weeks later with my big pink suitcase which was all a I had to my name. I went on to work for top brands such as, Estée Lauder, Puma, Adidas, NARS and more. I lived in Los Angeles for 6 years where I continued to work with an events company serving the elites food and champagne. I was serving at a Netflix Event where a top talent agency scouted me and asked if I acted before. I had done a few commercials with Ross at the time but nothing crazy. That next day, I was invited into their agency and got signed to AEFH talent and LuberRoklin Ent. where I met Mara Santino, my now manager! That is where my acting career began. I got casted as “Sydney” on ABC’s The Goldbergs and was a series regular for 3 seasons (7, 8 and 9) before the show wrapped up after season 10. Playing a spunky high school cheerleader named “Sydney” was a dream. Took me back to my high school days as a cheerleader! I then acted in a Lifetime movie called “Secret Lives of College Escorts” as “Bryce” and an Indie Film called “The Flower that Never Wilts” as “Nicole”. I fell in love with acting as much as I did with modeling. I had accomplished so many things so far in my life that I can’t only help but thank God for it all. While living in LA, I did college online at Brandman University and got my bachelor’s in Business Administration (Marketing). Getting an education was always super important to me as I grew up with my dad being a teacher and a small business owner. I met the love of my life in LA when he was serving in the Navy. We had a lot of great memories there until we decided to move to Orlando, FL where my husband was from! I opened a small business called “Little Charlie’s Co.” selling hair accessories the same day I found out I was pregnant. I had a huge opportunity with The Ritz-Carlton Orlando when they wanted to meet with me to see if my small business would be a good fit in their spa retail store. I went to that meeting at 8 months pregnant and created a pitch deck to present my brand! I felt like I was on shark tank! It was a very cool experience as i’ve watched shark tank for YEARS just hoping i’d have an opportunity like that. This felt like that once in a lifetime opportunity. The meeting was a success and for the last year i’ve been selling Little Charlie’s Co. claw clips, scrunchies, spa headbands and more on my website (littlecharliesco.com), Modern Beauty Bar in Lake Nona and in The Ritz-Carlton Spa retail store! It meant a lot that The Ritz-Carlton Orlando saw value in my brand and gave me a chance! That was a huge win for me. Fast forward to now, I’m 27 and we just celebrated our daughters 1st birthday this past weekend! I’m still signed with my agencies in NYC and LA and travel for work. I pack all Little Charlie’s Co. orders myself and plan on expanding to more stores across the country! I also give 1% of my sales to a Christian organization to stop sex trafficking called A21. That is a charity i’m super passionate about, especially being a mom. I’m so thankful for every opportunity i’ve been blessed with and I tell myself everyday, If I stopped today, I’ve hit every goal i’ve ever wanted to hit so everything else is just a bonus!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My path has definitely not been smooth but it has been a learning curve and joyful. When I moved to NYC, I had $100 in my bank account. I lived in my car from time to time when a friends couch wasn’t available. I was sucked into the nightlife scene at a young age because of how the modeling industry is. When I moved to LA, I worked 4 jobs and I would only go back to my small airbnb in Inglewood to sleep. It wasn’t the easiest but it was worth it. I found the Lord in LA which I truly believe I wouldn’t be here today without Jesus. I was able to mentor young girls through my coaching program where I helped young upcoming models/actors navigate the industry without going through what I had to go through. I feel like i’ve made the most of every moment. I found out I was pregnant the same day I launched my business so the first year was tough, but I never gave up.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a model/actress, content creator and entrepreneur based in Orlando, FL! I specialize in beauty. I mostly book skincare and haircare jobs along with taking content for top beauty brands which inspired me to start my own small business where I sell aesthetic hair accessories! There are a few things that I believe set me apart. One of them being i’m ethnicity ambiguous being half black, half white so I know that sets me apart being a young female black owned business! I’ve also always used my background in business to know how to communicate with brands professionally and create my own content. With my modeling background, I know how to work in front of a camera so not only do I get to hand select accessories to sell on my shop but I also get to model them myself! I’ve modeled for a lot of hair care brands so being able to create my own has been a dream!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson i’ve learned is to be okay with rejection. There is a lot of rejection in the entertainment industry and a lot of trail and error. It took me years of auditioning before I booked my role on The Goldbergs. It took me weeks and weeks of time when building my website for my small business to finally get it right. For every 1,000 no’s, there’s 1 yes. I tell everyone who wants to get into this industry to never give up. I’m coming up on 10 years in the modeling and acting industry and I see how many blessings I would have missed out on if I gave up in year 1. My first year of modeling, I made $0. I spent more money than I made just to survive in New York, but I kept pushing, having faith and never giving up. Starting a business all on your own the same year of becoming pregnant was hard. I went to my meeting with The Ritz-Carlton at 8 months pregnant but I was determined to take every opportunity thrown my way. In the past when I got a “no”, I always said “thank you for your time” and I think that got me far.
Pricing:
- Claw Clip- $8-11
- Scrunchies- $8-11
- Spa Headbands- $17
Contact Info:
- Website: littlecharliesco.com
- Instagram: @littlecharliesco
- Facebook: Little Charlie’s Co.
- Linkedin: Sarah Quinlan
- Twitter: @littlecharliesco
- Other: www.littlecharliesco.com
