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

Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I believe that the ability to pivot instead of quitting when times get tough is the key to finding success.

When I started this business, before it became The Binary Code Shop, I made fidgets out of semi-precious stones. I spent a year and a half vending at every event and pop-up I could find. It was so much work for sales that, at the time, barely covered expenses for the events themselves. Week after week I would rework my set-up, packaging, and signage…it was a grind.

One night, after my husband and daughter were asleep – exhausted from another tough event – I sat on our couch in the dark. The business wasn’t working. I knew I didn’t have the right product. I felt completely defeated…but I also knew I hadn’t come this far for nothing! I remember getting up, walking over to my desk, flipping on the light, and seeing my binary code bracelet prototypes lined up in the corner. It hit me like a lightning bolt that I was looking at my future. It was time to let the fidgets go and focus on getting the binary code bracelets into the world.

Over the next few weeks, I created my zodiac collection. I worked around the clock making the bracelets, packaging, and new signs for my booth. At the next event, I sold only binary code bracelets. I tripled my sales – covering all my expenses and then some!

The Binary Code Shop was born.

It was a big pivot that led to increased sales, local retail partnerships, winning a local entrepreneurship competition, and most importantly – helping me find my voice.

I think about that night every time things get tough. Sometimes the pivot that will change everything is right under your nose. We are all closer to success than we think. Don’t give up.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Melissa, and my company, The Binary Code Shop, makes products with a nerdy little secret – we translate words and phrases into binary code (the computer language of zeros and ones) and code them into fun and unique products loved by nerds and non-nerds alike!

I spent over 13 years in tech as a user experience designer for big and small software applications. About four years ago, I was hit with a serious illness that forced me to step back from everything. It took me months to recover, and when I did, nothing looked the same. I felt a stronger-than-ever connection to color, to creating, to design…but instead of working only on the computer, I started to work with my hands.

Today, I get to do both as Chief Coding Officer. I combine my love of creating digital and tangible experiences, offering products that customers love to wear and interact with!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

So far, showing up in person has been the most effective way to grow my clientele – both retail and wholesale. My products are fun, but they are also about connection. When I can see my potential client in front of me at an event, or even when I’m visiting local boutiques, it’s not all about my product. It’s about relationships. Sometimes we become friends and end up following each other on social media. Sometimes it’s about creating a mutually beneficial business relationship. Sometimes it’s about simply sharing a moment with another person from the world of tech and relating to each other for a few minutes over a “code breaker” binary code wrap. Whatever the situation, connections I have made in person almost always result in repeat business and referrals.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

It took me a while to figure out how to manufacture my binary-coded accessories (which I do by hand). From figuring out how to represent the binary code in my pieces, to coding the words accurately, to determining the best materials to use, to designing and producing the product packaging, it is an exciting yet painstaking process. The major lesson here is patience. It took me many different prototypes, investing in different materials, and a lot of user testing to finally have a product that meets my design, durability, and wearability standards. If you want to produce something that lasts, it will take time to get there…and it’s totally worth the wait!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://binarycode.shop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebinarycodeshop/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebinarycodeshop