Today we’d like to introduce you to Myra Morant.
Hi Myra, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For many years now, I have had a passion for shopping “small” and supporting local businesses. I enjoy shopping at cute little boutiques and shops when I travel. I also like to be very thoughtful and intentional when giving gifts to friends. A few years ago, I started wanting to buy more gifts that represented black culture and began researching companies where I could find those items. This was as simple as trying to find greeting cards with images of black women and families. This eventually turned into a pursuit to incorporate as many black-owned products into my everyday life and gift giving as I could. I found this task to be somewhat difficult and often it took advance planning to allow time for shipping. From there, in 2023 I decided to start M. Michelle Boutique as a “hub” for gift items that represent and celebrate black culture. My shop not only makes these products accessible, but it also provides visibility and exposure for the black owned businesses that make the products I sell through my business. The business model for M. Michelle started as an online shop and has expanded to local pop up markets and vendor events. My goal is to eventually open a brick-and-mortar location. I have also participated in speaking engagements on entrepreneurship, developed custom promotional items for events, and curated black owned items for event gift bags. I have been amazed and blessed by the doors of opportunity that have opened and the ways that my business services have evolved over the past year and a half. I’m excited and expectant for the future of M. Michelle Boutique and the impact we will have on other black-owned businesses and the upstate community.
Lastly, many people ask about the name of the business. The boutique was named in memory of my oldest sister who is deceased. Her middle name was Michelle. It was important to me to have an element of the business tied to my family as they have been a strong support system for me in launching and operating this business.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road.
When I started M. Michelle Boutique, I looked into companies that offered wholesale products. I found a website offering an extensive selection of vendors and products, all available for wholesale purchasing. I had nearly everything ready to launch my website—everything except the products to sell. So when I went to place my first wholesale order, the company denied it because I was not an established business already and nor did I have a brick and mortar location. Long story short, they would not verify my account as a new online only business, with no products available for sale on my website. So from there, I started looking into Black-owned companies I liked, reaching out to each one to request to buy wholesale products directly. I was able to connect to 3 companies successfully and purchased my initial stock used to launch the website. At that time, since I only had limited supply and I was not sure if I would ever be able to purchase through the wholesale site, I decided to do a soft launch of the business and only reached out to family and friends to announce and advertise my business. After several months of having an active website with products and sales, I was able to get approval from the original wholesale site that I attempted to use in the beginning. That was my first major setback.
Then my next major setback came a few months later. I am a working professional in the field of Human Resources, so trying to launch and grow a business while working full time is an inherently difficult task. When I started the business, I was in a management position with responsibility over a team and several major processes for the organization. I had a very full plate at work and often times felt mentally and physically drained by the end of the workday. That made it difficult for me to find energy to focus on my business. Tired of putting my personal goals on the backburner, I made the difficult decision to take a step back in my professional career and change jobs. I was fortunate to find a role that had less responsibility but still provided me with career growth and stretch – because it was in a new industry that I had no experience in – healthcare. After spending several months primarily focused on learning my new company, position and industry, I was finally ready to begin working on the boutique again, after a nearly 6-month hiatus. I don’t regret the sacrifice I made in changing jobs because I am now able to devote more mental energy and creativity to building my business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about M. Michelle Boutique?
M. Michelle Boutique is a unique gift boutique with a curated product offering of items that are fun, practical, and inspiring. We have hand-made earrings, leather goods, greeting cards, journals, stationery items and more! What sets us apart from other boutiques is that all of our products are sourced from black owned small businesses.
Customers can shop our online store at www.shopmmichelle.com or contact us at boutique@shopmmichelle.com to host a private party for birthdays, girls nights, or small group events. We are also available for speaking engagements, and curate items for gift bags. Follow us on Instagram @shopmmichelle to stay updated on new product launches and to find our pop-up market schedule.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I have two key lessons that I have learned since starting M. Michelle that I think are key.
(1) The power of community. I participated in a business incubator program last year. The program is designed to equip under-resourced entrepreneurs with tools and information to help them launch or expand their businesses. The resources and support were extremely helpful to me, but the intangible benefits have been pivotal in moving my business forward. Specifically, the network of other entrepreneurs that I have created community with has been invaluable. I have a group of people that I can brainstorm with, share resources with, reach out to for help, share trials, and celebrate successes with! We are each other’s accountability partners, but we also encourage and motivate each other. I have learned so much from my entrepreneur circle!
(2) The second lesson I have learned is to just start. Stop waiting for the “perfect time”. There are basic things you need to complete before you launch, but don’t feel like you need to have every item perfect before you move forward. Often times, that can be an excuse for us letting fear and nervousness delay moving forward. Before I fully launched the business publicly, I felt so nervous about how people would respond, and would they like the products, that it caused me to find reasons to keep delaying the launch. Once I got going and launched the business, I was relieved, excited and energized to keep going. Crossing over that huge hurdle gave me the confidence to just try things after that. When I wanted to try a different service offering to the business model, I was able to have the confidence to try it out and see how it went. I had a backup plan for what I would do if the project was not successful, but most importantly I wasn’t afraid to try something different and just go for it! Businesses need to be agile and comfortable with evolving to continue to meet the needs of customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shopmmichelle.com
- Instagram: shopmmichelle
