Q. We love the name - but what the heck is the T-Shirt Deli?!

A.It's a T-shirt boutique set up like a New York style delicatessen. Customers can create their own custom-made T-shirts just like they would create a sandwich at a deli. There's a white enamel deli counter, but behind its glass lies T-shirts! You choose what you want on your shirt, we print it while you wait and it comes folded up while still warm and wrapped in butcher paper.

Q. Does that shirt come with chips on the side?

A.Actually, yes!

Q. How did you come up with the T-Shirt Deli concept?

A. I was working in advertising and I just felt like people were tired of being "branded" and wearing other people's logos. People have a lot to say and they want to say it for themselves. That realization led me to launch my first store.

Q. Was this what you dreamed of doing when you were younger?

A.Actually, I wanted to be a doctor, like my mom. It was the only thing I knew. My mom was the only woman doctor we knew growing up in Kansas City.

Q. Was your Mom your first role model?

A.Absolutely - my Mom was amazing! While she was studying for her medical exams, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor but she continued to study the whole time. We were from Russia originally, and my mother's English was not very good when she was in school. She sat with a Russian dictionary translating her medical textbooks.

Q. So you learned about hard work from your Mom. Still, it takes more than work to start a business. Were you scared?

A.I was afraid but I really did believe that absolutely anything was possible for me. It is important to realize that you can do anything - not just what your parents did, or what you see around you.

Q. What was your biggest fear?

A.I knew my T-Shirt Deli concept was a really original idea, but I was still afraid that it could fail. But it took off, and I never imagined that it would have such a positive impact and response. It was the best business school experience ever!

Q. Did anyone try to discourage you from starting your own business?

A.My Dad is very practical and did not fully understand the T-Shirt Deli idea. He likes to play it safe. When he saw the store start to take off, he was then very proud. One really important thing I would tell girls is that it is important not to take on other people's fears. People give advice from where they are coming from...

Q. And sometimes you have to ignore it!

A. Yes!

Q. What inspires you?

A.I am really inspired by other people's businesses and what they have overcome to be successful. With my own business, my challenge is to keep things fresh. Things change so often, and entrepreneurs have to change with them.

Q. When you are discouraged about something, what do you do?

A.I stop doing it for a minute and put it aside. Then, I pick it back up when I have the energy. You should try it.

Q. Dully noted. What else do you think every Girl360 girl should know?

A.No one ever regretted trying something. People regret not trying something.

Q. Any other advice for our girls?

A. There are two pains in life, the pain of regret, and the pain of discipline. Which would you prefer?

Q. Is that your way of reminding us that hard work counts?

A.You're pretty smart over there, aren't you?

Q. OK. Take us back to the night before you opened the T-Shirt Deli. Any last minute jitters?

A.I knew nothing about retail. I literally learned how to use a cash register the night before I opened my store, from a cash register manual and video. Obviously, I managed!

Q. What does your own favorite T-shirt say?

A.Black is the new president.

Q. Can we buy that one?

A. OK. But don't you want to come up with your own?