Meet Deborah Rank | Co-Owner, Two Tequila Sisters (with Eryn Elliott)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deborah Rank and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deborah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Eryn Elliott and Debbie Rank have been friends (and enjoying cocktails together) for 20+ years. Seven years ago they decided to open a small custom denim business as a “side hustle” and an excuse to spend more time together. What they didnt expect was the overwhelming reception they would receive from the Houston market. Two Tequila Sisters has been a well known merchant with two area stores in Houston. The learning curve for running a busy small business has been steep (undoubtedly the result of having no business plan for years) but honestly, sometimes less thinking and more doing is the best business plan.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Debbie retired from the full time practice of law and Eryn Elliott, who had been at stay at home mom turned empty nester ,are the co-owners of Two Tequila Sisters. Eryn has a degree in fashion merchadising from Texas State but other than that, neither Debbie or Eryn had a clue on what it would take to start a clothing business. Luckily, it didnt take long for the ladies to assemble a team of soldiers to help. From a social media specialist who creates their content to a very patient bookeeper (a/k/a sister), the lesson learned is when in doubt, hire it out. Focus on your craft and trust others to provide support where needed.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In the spring, we would schedule outdoor music and an Astros game. The food would have to be Mexican (Lupe Tortilla’s, El Patio, Hugo’s) and eaten on a patio. In the fall, we would tour Memorial Park, play some golf or pickleball and hit a Texans game! We would insist they wear a TTS denim jacket the entire stay.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of the biggest and best surprises has been the amount of female mentorship we received getting into the business. So many women supported us by giving advice, buying our early products, and hosting events for us at their homes. We made our best friends buy our products and promote them. Special shoutout to the girls in our reading optional book club (you know who you are), Cookie Michael who took a chance on us at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (go see her at Romancing the Range during HLSR), Patti Chapman for giving us a “do over” after we had a terrible first Nutcracker and now we have a triple booth every year and Gretchen Gillian for inviting us to be part of her amazing concept store, The Hive (2431 Rice Blvd).

Website: https://www.twotequilasisters.com

Instagram: @twotequilasisters

Facebook: twotequilasisters

Image Credits
none