We were lucky to catch up with Shelita Grier recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shelita, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

The name of my company is actually my middle name(Bernell) shortened to a nickname that was given to me by my older cousin. Also, I wanted to honor my mom whose nickname is B, and also my dear aunt, who we affectionately called “Auntie Nell”. Her middle name is Nell.

Shelita, 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?

I started my business in 2017, while having to move me and my two children back in with my parents. I was in a really low point in my life and arts and crafts was something that helped me to stay sane. I started out making tu-tus for my daughter, then for her birthday I decided I want to create her entire outfit. That empowered me! I started watching countless YouTube videos to perfect my craft. I then ordered everything I needed to get started online. That was at the end of January, and decided that Valentine’s Day would be my official launch. I was met with so much love and support that it was truly mind blowing! I started getting tons of orders all by being consistent with posting on social media. I made free items for people just to have something to showcase my craft. I did so well, I was able to save a great deal of money to get me and my children back in our own space. I am most proud of the fact that I stepped out on faith and actually did it! I had no knowledge of owning a business, no one to help me or show me what paths to take, I had to figure it out on my own. I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m also proud that even though I may go on a hiatus from social media, I’m still able to get orders coming in from referrals and loyal customers. I have bad months and I have good months, but at the end of the day, I will not give up.

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

I built my audience on social media by first engaging with as many people as I could. Whether it was reacting to a post, commenting, or sharing, I just made it my mission to engage with as many people as I could. Doing that helped me tremendously when I launched on social media. All those people I engaged with returned the favor. I was very consistent with posting, even if it got no engagement. What I learned is, even though the may not react to your posts, they are definitely watching and will remember when they do need your services.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me would be social media and referrals.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: bnellscustoms
• Facebook: B’Nells’ Customs