We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jaleesa Randle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jaleesa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

I know many have heard this before: A stranger will support you more than your family and/or friends. And like most entrepreneurs, I found that to be true the hard way. When I first started my business I had a hand full of family and friends that supported me. Hell, I could not get a share! Lol. Not even a 1 second click of the like or heart button! And that point you realize who REALLY got you. I’m absolutely not saying this will apply to all, but it has definitely applied to me and obviously others. My mother happens to be my biggest supporter in my family. If she isn’t doing one thing to support, she’s doing other stuff. At one point she was handing out my business cards to women (and still does). I have a few friends that support me – about 7 or 8. My circle is pretty small but considering how many people I know, you’d think that number was much larger. I have 1 friend who I consider my “business bestie”. She is my top friend supporter. She don’t miss a beat, likes, share comment, shop with me, etc. Oh, and she is brutally honest. But honestly I think we, business owners, needs that! We really do. It’s kind of like a checks and balance system.

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

I’m the owner & creator of JAce LeVon – a black owner brand. I sell branded items such as handbags, clothing and all things related to women clothing and accessories. I originally got into all this bc I love to design. I love to sew. And I turned my lovely hobby into a side huddle. Turn my side hustle because a real legit PT business. E-commerce has drastically increased their footprint. I feel I stand out because I am actually trying to build a brand. If I’m not creating, I’m customizing items so that everything is tailored to my brand. I am not rich, I work a FT job, and I’m a mother above all. As a result, I have to work with what I have. Lol. It ain’t easy but doable. I “took a break” so many times I’m embarrassed to say. I could have been much further as brand and business. But I didn’t quit – I’m most proud of that. I just want my customers/supporters/followers/fans to understand I’m not in it for quick money. My focus is to build my brand to the quality I need it be….to the quality it needs to be.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As previously mentioned, I struggle with consistency. Not that I want to, but because I juggle a lot. I get tired, exhausted, frustrated, discouraged, mentally drained, etc. So, I tend to take breaks. I even get discouraged from my inability to be as consistent as I’d like. I took more break than I would like to admit! But it is what it is. I realized the negative impact it had on my business and myself. Every break I took from my business set me back twice as long. It would lose 6+ months of hard work by simply taking a 2-3 month break. To add to that, it’s extremely hard to get back in the groove after being to set back. It was a cycle – a bad one, my bad cycle. This reflects my resilience, as an entrepreneur. I think the beginning stage is hardest for most entrepreneurs. But I want them to know, you’re not alone. Lol

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I have tried different e-commerce platforms. I found Shopify to be the BEST for my needs. I won’t mention the others I have tried but they were not for me. Shopify is absolutely user friendly. When I first started my business, I lack website building knowledge and everything else. Other platforms required me to build, set up, etc. I hated it. It’s easily integratabtle with a great deal of apps and/or programs. As a one man show, it’s easier for me to do everything through ONE program as opposed to many. I send conduct email marketing, text marketing, link my social
Media marketing accounts and more. Shopify also offers prebuilt website, both free and paid. Other platforms offered prebuilt site, but they weren’t as mobile friendly or the layouts were horrible. I can go on and on about Shopify based of my experience. I can’t see myself switching to any other e-commerce platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jacelevon.com/
• Instagram: @jacelevon
• Facebook: @jacelevon
• Twitter: @jacelevon

Image Credits
Image of myself in red Fedora & colorful jumpsuit by Anthony Williams.