We were lucky to catch up with Coletta Tubbs recently and have shared our conversation below.

Coletta, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

Souled Goods was born out of a desire to amplify the voices of all my amazing friends and family that had businesses, but were struggling to make sales through Facebook or at local fairs. I wanted to give them an easy way to break into eCommerce (national and global sales) without having to dish out the upfront and monthly fees charged by web platforms. The Souled Goods business model operates on wholesale purchasing and marketplace structure, which is listing your beautiful goods for sale, and only paying a percentage of each sale. This allows creators and makers to test out their business ideas without having to invest a lot into making an entire website, domain, etc. that they may not be prepared to afford.

I sometimes reach out to dope brands in order to put them on the marketplace. But if a brand offers wholesale, I will make an order to have product on hand and be able to ship out faster. One brand (who shall remain nameless) offered wholesale ordering. I made an order and posted the item for sale, tagged the business in a social media “Newly Added” post, and even created a vendor page for them to get all the shine and exposure.

I was very politely asked to remove the product and accused of “counterfeiting” and “illegal” practices for reselling the product in my online retail store. I was threatened with legal action. Being a professional, I politely responded with some education as to what wholesale and retail fundamentals are in business. A reseller of goods (which is what retail is, online or physical) is able to resell goods that were purchased wholesale or at suggested price (hence sites like eBay, thredUp, Postmark, etc.). They then responded that their intention was to be a “White Label” – that is a brand that sells you the packaged item with a blank label that you can then put your own logo onto.

All in all, it resulted in removal of the product and any mention of their business. It was not a battle I felt like fighting, but it showed me that just because you start a business, does not mean that you know everything about business. Educate yourself and be understanding… we are all on a journey.

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.

Souled Goods is sponsored by melanin – the mysterious element that flows through our blood, skin, and outer space. The connectedness to all that ignites our minds, bodies, and souls – the uniqueness that Black people throughout the world bring to everyday life… that is what it’s all about. SOULed Goods.

Souled Goods mission is to amplify the voices of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and Minority (women, LGBTQ+, veteran, differently-abled, etc.) founders, owners and brands. Focusing on the beautiful diversity of the market that our groups bring to the table.

The Souled Goods Marketplace offers a no-cost entry into eCommerce that allows diverse micro-brands to get their products onto a global platform, lend credibility to their brand, and showcase their excellence. We’re helping build equity in a space that has been traditionally guarded and gated.

As a wife and mom of 4, I run this business in hopes of inspiring my children to entrepreneurial accomplishment. I hope to grow my team while helping grow the products featured. I have had the wonderful opportunity to be connected to and help amazing folks who do amazing things! It’s my personal mission to help creators like these succeed by showcasing their efforts, featuring their products, and [up]lifting every voice!

Follow me in this journey… be #featured, #support by making a purchase, or simply #share on your socials.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

So far, I have completely bootstrapped funding for Souled Goods. My best friend has been Klarna and Net Terms!! Using these tools, I was able to inject cash into my business (purchasing stock, equipment, etc.) in increments and avoid overburdening my household funds. I also set aside a small amount of tax return money to make a larger investment (for example, planning an event or running a larger ad campaign).

I have applied for numerous Venture Capital and Cohort opportunities, but I have found that marketplaces have a more difficult time expressing ROI (return on investment) and market value, and so are less likely to get chosen as an investment in these cases. However, I would recommend applying to as many as you can! Even though I did not get chosen for Black Ambition as a prize winner, I was able to participate in a mentoring cohort. The connections I made were valuable and worth the time.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients has definitely come from alternative social media that are becoming more direct sources of clients – namely Pinterest and TikTok. Every time I run a campaign on either platform, interaction increases. They also have very helpful account managers that will give you a free 30 minute consultation to focus your intent on those platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: souledgoods.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/souled.goods/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/souledgoods/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/80306528/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/souledgoods
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@souled.goods

Image Credits
I have all rights to the images used.