We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tenesha Chatman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tenesha below.
Alright, Tenesha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?
When I was asked this question, I immediately was like YESSSSS! Lol Because me, personally I feel that asking your friends and family to support your business is something that I consider to be completely up to you; but never a requirement. I say this because I do not feel like you should have to ask someone close to you to support your vision. It should come naturally or that you should not expect it. If someone really wants to see you succeed, they will be there for you no matter what. They will do what they can to help promote your business as much as possible. This is solely what I think, and I never asked any of my friends or family members to support my business. I am that type of friend who will go out of my way to help promote your business. Do you need me to pass out some flyers? Cards? Help you at an event? Ok, I am there no questions asked. I do not feel like you should have to ask anyone close to you for support. It is already slightly overwhelming starting a business, so a little support would help to ease some of the strain that comes along with starting a new business. Moreover, asking you about your business and celebrating your success is something of great worth.
I love it when I get support from my friends without even having to lift a finger! It makes me feel very proud to have such supportive people in my life. And the best part about it is, I have never had to ask either of them for support! I mean there are times when you may ask for support from your loved ones or people you may know and you may not get the response that you were initially looking for. But hey, that is ok! In life, you have to understand that you are not going to be able to reach everyone when it comes to your vision. You are going to reach who you were intended to reach. Overall, be grateful for the ones who do support you. A majority of the time your support is not going to come from the ones you want it to come from. It will come from those you least expect. Just remember that not everyone is going to support you; it will be extremely difficult at first but in time GOD will get you through it. Stay positive and most importantly stay focused!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello everyone, my name is Tenesha Chatman and I am the owner of Eleven 89 Couture. A little bit about me; I started this business because I have always had a deep love for fashion. Back in 2004, when I was 15-years-old I attempted to start my first clothing boutique. Being that I had no prior experience and had no one to help me to figure out what to do, I gave up on trying to open it up and it never crossed my mind again. After I graduated high school, I went on to college and double majored in Economics and Finance and obtained my BSBA. I wanted to become an Investment Banker once I graduated, but something unexpected happened. I got pregnant with my son and everything from then on changed for me. All my plans that I originally had set for my life were on hold as becoming a new mom was a lot of work. So, after graduation I decided to move to Texas to provide a better life for my son and I. Once I was completely settled in, I immediately started applying to numerous job postings related to my field. I’m going to be frank; it was very difficult trying to find the right job with the schedule that I needed. Most, if not all of the jobs were 9-5 and I could not work that at the time because I did not have the proper care for my son. Therefore, my job search was put on hold until I could find a daycare for him. Then in 2019 my son was diagnosed autism. It was very hard to take in at first because autism was very new to me and I really did not have a complete understanding of it. I knew then that there were going to be some major changes in my life. I was depressed for a while following the diagnosis and I kept praying for a change to come. It wasn’t until the beginning of 2020 when things started to change for me. After not having any luck with finding a better job, nor finding a daycare for my son; I was blessed with a better job opportunity and I was able to enroll my son into ABA therapy 40 hours a week. I looked at it as a blessing in disguise because I was on the verge of giving up and just moving back to Louisiana.
Moreover, my job took up a lot of my time and by the end of the day, I was always so drained trying to keep up with my job plus my son’s therapies. Because, my son was now enrolled in ABA therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. Also, there were monthly parent meetings where I would learn different methods to try at home with my son; I was barely able to implement any of the methods in his routine. And if I did try, it was never consistent. So, I decided that I needed to find another job, something less stressful and with reduced hours so that I could spend more time with my son.
It is crazy how fast the idea of starting a clothing boutique came to me. I knew it was something I had always wanted to do, but never pursued it because I did not have the knowledge; nor did I have the financial means to start a business.
Therefore, in mid-2020 I started my own clothing boutique and I was tremendously excited; let me tell y’all! I was so proud of myself for taking that leap of faith. I love the idea of helping “women find their ideal outfit for any occasion,” which is a part of Eleven 89 Couture’s mission statement. I constantly try my best to find clothing, accessories, etc. that I do not see at other boutiques.
I am extremely proud of myself in so many ways. I have come so far and I refuse to give up. With everything that I have been through this past year, I will stop at nothing to succeed. This is a tough business, but if I keep God’s word according to Exodus 14:14, which states, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” I will succeed if it is his will.
Any time I find an opportunity to be able to spend more time with my son, I will take it. Besides this being something I have always wanted to do my son is ultimately the reason why I started my business.
Overall, I will continue to operate my boutique online and eventually venture out to open up a storefront.
It has been said that, ‘The greatest mistake you could make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.’ As I have said, this is a tough business and it is normal to make mistakes; but fearing you will make one can be very discouraging. If you ever experience this doubt, remember to stay determined and to remain humble and motivated. Yet, always keep GOD first in all your plans and you will thrive.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Ok this question may actually cause me to tear up a bit, so I will not spend too much time discussing it, but this was very recent and it was a TRUE lesson that I had to unlearn. The lesson of being taught that “others’ needs should go before your own.” All my life, I have been taught this lesson and I have not once missed it. I am a very caring person, so putting others’ needs before my own was always something that I have done. Whether it is something involving my job, family, friends, etc. I was constantly putting others’ needs before my own without even taking a moment to focus on what I really needed. This past year my body went into complete overdrive, I was always tired and barely getting any sleep. I was fundamentally feeling like superwoman, but without the superpowers or the extravagant regalia. Everything around me was becoming overwhelming yet I kept a smile on my face and I was constantly making sure that everyone and everything around me was well taken care of. Because as long as they were good, I was good. Yet mentally I was not, but again I needed to remain strong because I felt like I always had to be there for everyone. Until one day, back in November 2021, I was out shopping early in the morning. I had just dropped my son off at school. I was feeling pretty good that day so I do not understand what happened exactly. All I remember was having a conversation with someone I knew, and the next thing I knew my body just gave out on me and I blacked out. I came to, then I blacked out again. After the second time I do not remember anything after that. The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital. I had to undergo extensive brain surgery and I was in the hospital for about a week. I was in so much pain and I was completely shaken by what had happened. I slept so much while I was in the hospital, so I was not able to enjoy the company of my family and friends as much; but I was extremely grateful. Once I got out of the hospital, my family took care of me for the duration of the time. I did not have to do anything and that felt really amazing. I was so accustomed to putting others’ needs before my own that I never knew what it essentially felt like for someone else to do the same for me. I healed pretty quickly, yet my doctors wanted me to take it easy for the next few months. Therefore, I was out of work for six months meaning I was away from my business and my full-time job and I hardly left my house, except for doctor’s appointments. Overall, I have now started to put my needs first and foremost. Because I need to be sure I am well and flourishing to be at my best. Crazy thing is I am extremely healthy and I take my health very seriously. The doctors at the time of my surgery could not determine the true cause of what happened. Even after going to see four different doctors after being released from the hospital; all my results came back excellent. But all I can say to myself is that everything happens for a reason, and GOD allows these things to happen for a purpose. That reason may never be known, but I am blessed to still be here and able to take care of my son and live my life. I always tell myself maybe GOD was giving me a break from my busy life, maybe he saw how hard I had been working and not resting. Who knows, GOD moves in mysterious ways, but I am forever grateful for his grace.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Thus far, I would say my most effective strategy for growing my clientele is by maintaining an inclusive and constant social media presence, making extra efforts to promote my business any time I am out running errands, and by attending any events that I feel would be beneficial to my business. By continuously doing these sets of strategies, I feel this has helped me grow my clientele significantly. It is very time consuming, but well worth the determination. I love to show as much love and appreciation as possible to my customers whenever I gain new clientele. I have come to realize that consumers love authenticity and businesses who really value their customers. I try my best to provide ample gratitude to my customers as much as possible when I am interacting with them online or in person. I love to offer my customers different payment options, special discounts, local pickup services for customers who are nearby, and I have even offered to drop packages off to them instead of them coming to me. These efforts have shown to increase my clientele because if the first customer is happy, they will spread the word to their friends about the services; and in return a majority of the time their friends want to shop with my boutique as well and the cycle really just continues from there. 😊
In my experience, I feel that it is very important to stay consistent with your social media accounts and checking your emails for customer inquiries about products and services that you offer. Customers love companies who respond in a timely manner to their inquiries. I find myself checking my email and social media accounts at least ten times a day in order to stay on top of my customer loyalty. I love my boutique and I love what I do. This is not just a side hustle for me, so I treat it the same as my full-time job. I created this business because although this has been something that I have always wanted to do since I was 15-years-old, now at 32 I really want to be able to enjoy my life and spend more time with my son.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eleven89.com
- Instagram: Shopeleven89
- Facebook: fb.me/shopeleven89
- Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@shopeleven89
Image Credits
Image credits: Me 😉