We were lucky to catch up with Tashell Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tashell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

When starting a business you are automatically taking a risk and as you continue to grow your business you will be taking infinite risks. Every new idea, collection, collaboration, product, etc. I’ve taken so many risks with XOTIC from the very beginning when it was just “XOTIC” to then becoming “XOTIC LLC.” & Now known as “XC XOTIC LLC”. Every risk I’ve taken has brought me to closer and closer to my dreams! I’ve learned so many things along the way and that’s why Im so open to taking risks and I’m confident in myself and in my brand itself. I know for a fact that one day I will get to where I need to be with determination, manifestation, and consistency.

Tashell, 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?

My name is Tashell Johnson, I am 24 years old, I have two children, currently enrolled in college for Business Management, and I am the CEO of XC XOTIC LLC. The XC Brand is an urban fashion clothing line. Our clothing reflects a persons personality, attitude, individuality & uniqueness. The brand logo is BOLD which is a fashion statement in itself we want you to stand out in the crowd. Our fabrics and colors are always top quality and hand picked. I’m so proud of what my brand has become to this day, we launched in 2021 with an adult line and at the top of 2022 we’ve extended that line to kids and pets clothing as well. We’ve even added accessories to our brand. There was so much support from strangers when the line dropped and that gave me so much motivation, it assured me that I’m headed in the right direction & to keep believing in myself and my dream. I am so grateful for every single customer that has supported my brand in any kind of way whether it was a purchase, referral to a friend, a share on social media, or distributing our business cards.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started off with Facebook, I built a business page and invited every person on my personal friends page to like/follow my page. I also posted sneak peeks and launch dated consistently. As a business owner you can’t be afraid to give free products to get real and honest reviews, so that’s what I did which also helped me gain a higher audience. I chose 5 individuals to receive a free sweatsuit to participate in the launch #XCTIKTOKCHALLENGE & for an honest review on the clothing so I knew if I needed to adjust anything with my manufacturer. By doing this not only did I gain a higher audience on Facebook but I then also gained an audience on the tiktok platform. Recently I’ve been working on my Instagram platform and as for advice for those just starting to build a social media presence I’d have to say make sure you stay consistent, try unique challenges, contests, or raffles, and last but not least if it’s in your budget hiring a digital marketer would make your life so much easier.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve actually had to pivot away from my business during a very important time for the brand. After launch everything was going great, at the top of 2022 we did a spring shoot in preparation for our spring launch and it was amazing, we also did a local pop up shop right before launch and that went amazing as well. Launch was successful and things were going great until I got really sick due to pregnancy. I had to take a step back because I was going through a very hard time, not being able to get up and promote how I wanted to while also lacking motivation and creative ideas. This was so upsetting because my absence and inconsistency with the brand showed, I seen how significantly less the sales were than our original winter launch and this made me so disappointed in the fact that I could not be there for my brand at this time which also lead me to go into this cloud of depression during my first trimester. It was the confidence I had in myself and the love I have for my brand that got me through it. I just kept telling myself things will get better, and they did. Although I am still in a healing process I will never give up on my brand. At the end of this pregnancy I know that I’ll get my drive, creativity and motivation back. I’ve had 9 months to sit back plan and learn new things for my brand. I’ve also recently enrolled in online college to further my knowledge in the business industry more to apply to my brand! I have so many things in store for XOTIC LLC and I’ve learned that giant corporations didn’t get big overnight, they’ve had their trial and errors too. We are only 1 year in and things will start to gradually increase for my brand. Slow & Steady is a statement I live by.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.xotic.online
• Instagram: @xoticllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XOTICLLC/
• Twitter: @xoticllc
• Yelp: @xoticllc
• Other: Tiktok- @xoticllc Snapchat- @xoticllc

Image Credits
Heaven’Lee Kevin Woods Breanna Avery Ibn Furquan Ali Jay’ceon Tashell Johnson Na’Khloe Alexis