We were lucky to catch up with Dixon Munro recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dixon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I’m really happy with every detail that has built the brand of Bad Fashion Company to what is today. I feel honored and blessed to have it run cohesively but I do have to give credit to being open in learning and growing with my business as much as I can. I still have a long way to go but it’s safe to say, I’m in it for the long haul and I look forward to every lesson along the way.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
My name is Dixon Munro and I am an Entrepreneur, Model and Creator from Toronto, Ontario. I settled in Orlando, Florida a little over a decade ago and I’m proud to call Orlando my home. I am the Owner and Creative Director of Bad Fashion Company, an Online Thrift Store that focuses on Frugality and Sustainability. I have also performed and produced a number of records in Orlando. I’m a Freelance Model but more recently, exclusive to Bad Fashion Company and paid brand Influencing.
I have to admit, I am a lover and enthusiast of the arts. I feel at home in creative environments and I would rather die broke doing what I love than hate my life being rich. I’m at a point of my life where I seek a strong work/life balance over everything else. Running Bad Fashion Company allows me to exercise full freedom and creativity over my life. It challenges me to better myself and better for those around me while encompassing who I am and what I stand for.
I didn’t get to this point easily. I had to work long hours at jobs I hated in order to create the discipline I now have for my small business. I had to get along with people I would never befriend due to moral conflicts of interest which taught me patience and respect. I had to lose money I didn’t have in order to know the value of investment for my business. I had to look and speak to racists and sexists courageously even though I was cast as less than a human being for being a black woman in business. It took years of messing up and starting from scratch to get to a point of peace. And, still I am only at the beginning of my full story as a business owner. The magic of entrepreneurship is never ending growth.
My goals as a business owner are to be able to cover the necessities of life with the revenue generated from my business. I want to be able to travel the world collecting pieces while working with other creatives and models across the globe that value sustainability and creativity as I do. The bottom line is, I want to inspire as many people along the way to live their dreams. I think often we forget how fragile and valuable life is, until it’s gone.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I am happy to say that most of my sales on Bad Fashion Company happen on Facebook and Instagram. To be honest, it all happened unknowingly but as I have caught on to the data, I have placed visuals at the forefront of my brand.
No small business will have the correct formula the first time when marketing their brand on social media. It all happens by trial and error. When we begin our businesses, we tend to map out our demographics and potential customers as we desire. Our businesses will show us who our customers are if we pay attention.
The key to getting to know your customers is repeating trial and error. Use insights and data to help you understand your customers. Consistent content creation and posting can provide you with the necessary feedback you need from your potential customer base.
If you’re frugal like me, you’ll try your best to cut costs while providing quality content. For me, I learned the basics of photography by taking numerous trial and error photos of products and models until consistency took its course. I could have hired models, a photographer, and a studio. I could have hired a graphic designer and retoucher, but I made the decision to develop those skills myself. Unknowingly, I had developed a photography skill that not only saved me money, but eventually would be another source of income for me. People hire me to take photos now!
Not only am I producing well received content on social media for Bad Fashion Company, I opened up more revenue for myself by investing time, resources and education. It’s easy to fall into the trap of doing what everyone else is doing, but daring to do what most people are afraid of is what will set you apart.
My advice is to watch as many Youtube tutorials as you can on how to market your brand on social media. Learn to take photos of your products and understand the insights presented to you on these platforms. Wake up, try, fail, then do it all over again until your failures turn into wins. You cannot cheat the work you need to do in order to build your business. This is the key to get up and do the work while remaining consistent.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
Before I knew I wanted to start a business I enjoyed shopping and purchasing Thrift Clothing for fun. Having a 9-5 is a necessity for me, as it provides the capital I need for personal expenses and for all costs of my business. Before I knew it, I had an entire collection of inventory for my business without even knowing it.
I unknowingly provided support for my business by creating a home studio where my inventory could be organized. With the overflow of inventory I was purchasing, I cleaned out and renovated my garage. My Home Studio would now act as my eventual fulfillment center where I wouldn’t need to rent or lease a space to store my inventory or display them. Since Bad Fashion Company operates Online, having a place of storage for inventory is a necessity to keep my business afloat.
Covering the costs of inventory and a fulfillment center personally, prevented me from closing my business during Covid, Inflation, and Job loss. Yes, Bad Fashion Company was fully formed and developed with my own capital. The business structure fell into place only after all inventory, point of sales, websites and social media were established. I have to be honest, I had and still have very little knowledge on how to acquire funding for my business outside of my own funds.
I preemptively provided a safeguard for my business, as all bills, supplies, and storage fees were paid for by my 9-5 job. As long as I was employed, I had capital for my business. However, we all know things can change in an instant.
I made sure to invest in equipment that could last and produce quality content. I produce and publish my listings often, so I invested in equipment that would last for a number of years without sacrificing quality. This investment has saved me from acquiring hefty future expenses.
When I was let go from my job, all I had were time and resources. I was left with zero debt as I cleared all necessary materials with my own funding. I also strategically prepared for any loss of income by opening a business account exclusively for my business needs. I built a savings and checking account for sales income and working capital for Bad Fashion Company.
Now working full-time on my business, my main focus is generating income from inventory. I literally just have to show up and do the work. I set myself up for success for rainy days and my careful planning has saved me from potentially shutting down my business and starting from scratch. Overhead costs are non-existent. I also learned coding essentials to minimize e-commerce costs. There are a lot of things I learned in order to save time and money.
I say all of this to say, changes to plans are inevitable, but preparation and planning will save you from unnecessary pain and financial hardship.
If my story resonated with you, see how you can shop sustainably and check out @badfashion.co today!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.badfashioncompany.com (photography)
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/badfashion.co
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/badfashion.co
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/badfashion.co
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTpCqfrGY2seRxlw7z99Dbg
- Other: www.bad.fashion (Thrift Shop)
Image Credits
All Photos by Bad Fashion Company Models: Jose Oro Zamaria Morrero Matthew-Tyler Nelson Amanda Pandohie