Annie Mai Thai is the definition of resilience. In 2015, she chose personal fulfillment over money when she left a 7-figure real estate business to pursue her passion for fashion. As a woman under 5’ tall, Annie understood the challenges women face finding clothes that fit. So, through her fashion and lifestyle website, Stylish Petite, she aimed to help other women like herself who struggled to find clothes that fit their petite frame. Her website is the go-to source to for all things fashion and motherhood. What started as a weekend hobby to de-stress from the grind of her real estate career, turned into a way for Annie to share her love of fashion. She also runs Meadow Ivy, an online baby and kids boutique, named after her second baby girl.
Selling her real estate business to dive into StylishPetite.com full force was a huge risk. But Annie knew she was tired of constantly being miserable and stressed. Unfortunately, she still had a major challenge ahead. A few years later, she ended her 19 year marriage. After navigating a brutal divorce, she has pulled through and is now thriving. Now, with her two beautiful daughters and wonderful fiancé at her side, Annie is free to run her two successful businesses with her heart and support the women who need it.
When Annie made her major life change, she learned how essential it is to keep your mind focused and determined. In a market saturated with influencers, becoming established is one of the biggest challenges facing the online community. Annie was lucky to have entered the market in 2010, which enabled her to build up a loyal, established following. She knows it’s not enough to be self-motivated. You have to be driven and have passion to succeed. You can’t be afraid of failure. “Fear is something that will ultimately hold you back. I’ve never been afraid of failing. If you fail, you keep trying,” she says.
As Annie’s life and priorities have changed, so has her definition of success. She left what most would consider a wildly successful career to pursue a hobby. Now, Annie doesn’t view what she does as “work.” Since then, she has decided that, for her, success is having a healthy family and doing what she loves each day. Unfortunately, even when you are doing what you love, you’ll still face obstacles. For Annie, it’s experiencing the negativity that comes with being a public figure. There are no boundaries for a public figure. So, to keep her family healthy, she has to work hard to set those boundaries.
What’s next for Annie? She has lots of exciting things lined up. Most notably, Annie would like to expand and scale Meadow Ivy’s clothing line into a multi-million dollar online business. After her successful launch in November of 2020, they are on track to triple their sales for 2022. In the near future, she plans to branch out into another online brand specifically targeted towards matching Mommy and Me outfits inspired by her first daughter Milan. Annie also has a dream of starting a nonprofit business for women dealing with narcissistic abuse, divorce, and infidelity to help get them back on their feet. You can follow Annie on Instagram @anniemaithai.
