We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sherele Myles. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sherele below.

Sherele , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

It all started because I loved wearing slide sandals. I got tired of buying name-brand slides that everyone else had as well. I wanted to be able to create a pair that was truly made for myself.

In March of 2018, I went to DTLA in search of a blank slide sandal to customize, but none of the shoe stores I went to had them. ALL of the shoe stores downtown had slides with designs on them ONLY. I then headed to Walmart and grabbed a couple of slides that didn’t have any words on them. I tried to customize them but since they were made of rubber it didn’t work well. As the search continued I headed to Target in desperate hopes of a BLANK slide sandals that I could customize. I finally found them! I headed home and kicked on my Cricut machine, I created my first pair that said “KEEP HUSTLIN”…

I wore the sandals and quickly realized they were not comfortable at ALL. I went to my best friend’s house and she wore the slides to go outside to get the mail, when she came back in she was like they made my feet hurt. It was at that moment all my happiness and hard work in searching for them, went down the drain. I was back to the drawing board.

After months of intense researching, saving money, drafting business plans, and talking to manufacturers I officially launched my business on April 23rd, 2018.

Sherele , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

TheSlideplugs specializes in customizing slide sandals using photos, logos, names and quotes. We take pride in offering high-quality premium sandals. Every product is handmade specifically for YOU. From the memory foam footbed to the stitching in the straps. We stand out from others because we allow people to express their creativity with our products.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Utilizing social media is very essential when it comes to business. We live in the Digital Age, everyone is on their phones being influenced. We have been utilizing Instagram to promote and market our business since we first started. I had an Instagram page before I had a website. All social media platforms made it to where you can utilize ads so your business is seen by more people. I recommend narrowing down who your target audience is and creating content that speaks to them. Create a social media account on every platform for your business!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Generally, when people first start a business, they rely on their friends and family to support them and after some time if they don’t receive the support they become frustrated. I had to realize that there are way more people out in the world who will like my product. Strangers will support you if they like your product or brand. Focus on creating a very nice brand experience with great customer service this will attract new and returning customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://exclusiveslides.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theslideplug