Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Renee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

Believe it or not ladies and gentlemen but your personality will take you very far, that’s what happened for me. So I got my mink lashes in the hands of Darealbbjudy who is the CEO and founder of kaleidoscope. I honestly doubted myself when I first started my business. I would always say no celebrity gone wear my lashes. I learned to stop telling myself that I couldn’t get it done and instead I got it done. I know your wondering well how? And my answer is simple….. being myself and making myself known. I stayed in her DMs like hey I got lashes, you need lashes and I didn’t just say I got lashes of course I sold myself and my brand. If I don’t show my confidence and go hard for my brand then who will. Eventually she replied I sent her a package and like two weeks later she posted everything saying thank you. That made my day. Then on my birthday last year (June 17th) she dm me telling me someone needed lashes for the bet awards and she advised the girl to use me and it was the best feeling ever. I cried and smiled that whole day. Always make yourself known never give up keep going until they start coming to you.

Ashley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

You don’t know me but I’d like to introduce myself. Meet the face behind the brand, CEO of Xotic Minks Ms. Ashley Robinson. Im an 32 year old entrepreneur who started this business in 2013 when I was younger and uncapable of really running a business. I never believed i could start let alone own my own business. I was afraid of failure and so I chose to drop it. Years later I started it back up June 22nd 2019 to be exact. With the help of my best friend and stylist camille (ceo of 1207 hairco) and of course lots of research I started my business. Still scared and unsure of where life will take me, I let go of the fear and let God have his way with me. The fear of not knowing, the fear of failure, the fear of being scared. After my little brother Richard passed 3 years ago 5 days after his birthday I started to give up again but not just on my business on life period. I went into a deep depression mad at God and just upset with the losers that hurt my brother. I then spoke to my mother and my best friends and they got me back on track.I now talk to God more, read my Bible every day,, And I’m back and better than I’ve ever been. God is amazing and I’m a testimony. So I ask myself everyday what if losing was the quickest way to win?
Because of my heart ache, because of my failures, because of my disappointments in life I’m now winning. This is not a side hustle for me this is my brand and I vow to continue to push forward so I can take care of my family and I. This is my life and I welcome you to Xotic Minks.

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

A big lesson I had to unlearn is quitting on myself and my brand before i even gave it time to grow. I was so afraid of failure that I would down talk and block myself from so many blessings. I had to realize that my business would be what I make it and if I speak positively and uplift myself and my brand then others would do the same. I had to unlearn that just because things aren’t going as I planned I must keep pushing and giving it my all until it do. Be your best selves always and never give up.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I have to say word of mouth and social media definitely are my most effective strategies for growing my clientele. In this day an age social media is your best friend especially in business. You have IG, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter etc. use your platforms to get you where you want. The reason they knew who I was is because I told them. No matter how small your business may be keep pushing until it grows to where you want it to be. I never settled on the small stuff I always thought big and once I hit big I wanted bigger and it just kept growing from there. If I can do it so can any of you!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.xoticminks.com
• Instagram: @Xotic_Minks
• Facebook: Xotic Minks
• Twitter: @MinksXotic
• Other: Tik Tok- @xotic_minks