

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Elizabeth
Hi Emily, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Emily Elizabeth, Founder & CEO of Circadian Intimates
I’m a Kansas City native who identified in high school the desire to own a business one day. The entrepreneurial seed was planted early but took some time to ripen. While earning a Journalism degree at Mizzou, I studied abroad in London and interned at an advertising agency, supporting their biggest account, Budweiser.
After college graduation, I came back to Kansas City and spent 12 years in advertising. I worked at GlynnDevins, a marketing firm that specialized in supporting senior living communities, including our very own John Knox Village in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Then, I moved to VML, an advertising agency that specialized in digital marketing, where I managed client accounts, including Gatorade, Revlon, Allstate Financial, and Assurant Health.
During all my years at GlynnDevins and VML, I worked on weekends as a bra-fitting specialist at a local lingerie boutique that closed in 2022. During this side job, I fell in love with the lingerie business and realized how empowering and uplifting bra fittings could be for women. Free time during these years included a lot of ideating new business ideas with friends, but we never found one that truly stuck.
While at VML, I was the first recipient of their full-ride scholarship to the Rockhurst University Executive MBA Program. This fantastic education blessed me with two years of intense learning in finance, accounting, and business strategy from some of Kansas City’s best business brains. When I graduated in 2015, I was honored to deliver the commencement speech. After receiving my EMBA, I moved into the B2B technology industry and ran global marketing for C2FO (a FinTech founded by Sandy Kemper), overseeing North America, EMEA, and launching the Greater China and India markets, before leaving to serve as head of marketing for Onspring (an automation software).
When the aforementioned lingerie boutique closed in 2022, I realized the universe was sending me a sign. It was time to embark on my entrepreneurial journey. By this point in my life, I felt confident in my professional experience and business training to start a business. I founded Circadian Intimates in January 2022 and spent a year getting it off the ground: securing retail space, building an e-commerce site, sourcing vendors, and training new bra fitters.
More than a year and a half later, Circadian Intimates has twice been a finalist for Best Lingerie & Swim Store in Kansas City (The Pitch) and a Finalist for Best New Lingerie Boutique in the U.S. (Intima Awards). The amazing women who visit us every day and whisper words of encouragement from their experience with us truly make this job the best in the world.
Today, I’m a proud single mom of three amazingly talented souls and an entrepreneur in my hometown.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’d love to tell you it has always been smooth sailing, but being a business owner has probably never been harder. Especially a retailer with a brick-and-mortar storefront (gasp! the fact that we do anything that isn’t online!).
Securing retail space was so difficult that I practically had to give over my firstborn. As a first-time business owner who was not opening a franchise, it took a well-defined sales pitch and a wonderful commercial broker (Tiffany Ruzicka from Open Area) to get a seat at the table with the real estate property owner.
The first three months our doors were open were mostly spent problem-solving. It was incredibly stressful, but also part of the first-time business owner learning experience. There are things you are not taught and have no idea to plan for – like city policies and compliance regulations – so I learned most of these by failure.
After that initial period, my challenges are two-fold: 1) keeping the right inventory in stock for customers and 2) growing our customer base. Because we specialize in bra fittings and carry sizes from 26 – 52 band and A – K cups, I am constantly reviewing inventory to see what sizes we’re out of, or which styles need to be added to a size range. Because every woman’s body is different, we will often try on a dozen bras in the dressing room to find the four that are perfect for her size and shape. Balancing inventory is one thing, but getting your name out there is a whole other beast. And remember, I’ve spent my entire career in marketing! Women are used to buying ill-fitting bras on Amazon and complaining about how they fit. So, actively searching for a place to physically visit to buy bras is not part of their daily routine. What we’re offering is a unicorn service to women who don’t realize we can help them feel comfortable and confident in their bodies.
Some of the new business owner challenges have automatically been mitigated by my amazing sales manager Meghan. This woman knows bras better than I do and has a passion for helping people unlike anyone else I’ve ever seen. Plus, she is so smart that she automatically fixes problems when they arise. Dream employee.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Circadian Intimates?
Circadian Intimates is a lingerie boutique that specializes in bra fittings.
95% of the women who visit us wear the wrong bra size and when they walk into our store they ask for only non-underwire bras because they’re tired of being uncomfortable and unhappy.
98% of those women leave in underwire bras!
The reality is that not just size but cup shape and bra style can play a big role in how well your bra fits. And there is no way to know which bras will fit your body best without physically trying bras on. That is why we opened a brick-and-mortar location. The bra fitting process requires physical presence. Yes, there are calculators online that tell you to measure this and look at that, but having done this for over 10 years and fit thousands of women, I have seen firsthand how bras differ from size, to brand, to style.
The bra fitting process itself can be emotional. If you were carrying around 8 lb weights all day long, at some point, you’d want to put them down and give yourself a break, right? Well, if you’re the average American woman cup size (G cup), you don’t have the option to take those weights off. You’ve lived your entire life since puberty, carrying the weight of the world on your back.
So when we help women lift that weight, it’s not just a physical experience, but an emotional lift. The confidence and empowerment that goes a long with it is truly incredible. The number of happy tears we’ve shed in our dressing rooms could water our plants!
This is why my job is the best. In no other job have I ever felt this rewarded and happy.
Besides the accuracy of our bra fittings, we are known for being honest with our customers. We tell them what looks best on their body and what they should stay away from. We want them to feel like a rockstar. This includes the hundreds of mothers-of-the-bride and mothers-of-the-groom who have come in for strapless bras and shapewear. We help them find the right pieces for their garments that are not only comfortable and supportive, but best complements their dresses (except the two times mothers-of-the-bride came in with an awesome jumpsuit and pantsuit – so modern!).
When I designed the inventory in our store I very much wanted to cater to the every day woman. We do not carry a lot of what many might call “traditional lingerie.” Most of what you’ll find in store are bras and underwear for every day. Think comfort and style – so mostly seamless options. I believe if you can’t wear your bra with everything you won’t wear it, so I’m incredibly conscious of the lace I bring in. Not to mention, being conscious of brand value.
Bras are an investment in your wardrobe, so every brand and style I bring in to the store, I personally vet. I test everything by wearing it for a week to make sure I like it or its serving its purpose (spoiler alert! I have favorite brands that I wear exclusively because they fit my unique body so well). One thing I am very proud of is the size variety and beauty of what we offer. Each brand we carry caters to a specific body shape. Two of my favorite brands sit on the edges of both size and budget ranges, yet each serves very specific purposes and delivers incredible feminine beauty and comfort to our women.
The biggest surprise I’ve experienced to date?
The number of men who bring their wives and girlfriends into the store (often purchasing gift cards and making the bra fitting appointment on the woman’s behalf) has blown my mind! Men are listening, they’re paying attention, and they’re helping their woman feel better about their body. Not just feel better, but appreciate their body (probably as much as their men do!). I’m constantly blown away by the love and compassion in our Kansas City community.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If you’re just starting out, I’d ask other business owners, “what do you wish you would have known beforehand and what would you have done differently?”
The little details cause the stress points, and those little details are often the easiest to fix to avoid the big stress moments.
I’d also highly recommend building a network of supporters. My friends and family have been my biggest sources of encouragement. When all the risk is on you, it really helps to have cheerleaders in your court.
Pricing:
- $38 lowest bra price point
- $225 highest bra price point (Ferrari Bras!)
- $84 average bra price point
- $10 lowest panty price point
- Free: Bra Fittings
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brafit.ing
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/circadian_intimates
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/circadianintimates/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Circadian_Intimates
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/circadian-intimates-prairie-village-2