We were lucky to catch up with Dana Buchanan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

If I could go back in time, I do wish that I had started my business sooner. Based on when I noticed my passion for fashion and starting my unique creative journey, being vulnerable and genuinely expressing myself I believe that starting my business earlier would have helped in the long run. When I started my very first business, which is my lash business “Dopeminkssss”, I had just gone back to Jackson State University for graduate school in 2019. During my undergraduate years 2014-2018, I was involved in so many creative projects and without even knowing I was building a portfolio that would help me grow in the future. I also was a very shy person when first attending JSU, but I always had this passion for fashion and expressed myself getting dressed for class faithfully. I was known for my unique hairstyles, makeup, and trendy outfits. During those times, I ran away from social media and deleted every Instagram and Twitter profile after gaining so many followers. If I had kept those platforms, I would have been far ahead with my businesses that I later came up with after graduating with my bachelor’s in political science. I thought I wanted to go to Law School, but after finding myself and noticing that I was a jack of all trades with my talents as well, I went back to graduate school for Mass Communication/Journalism. In 2019 I put my entrepreneur hat on, and I took a leap of faith and started with my lash business which eventually, after 4 years turned into my second business “Dopeunisexclothing”. I have the same platform at the moment, after taking a two-year break, I am now rebranding my business and about to finally drop my first official clothing collection this year. Reflecting on my journey, I do wish that I would’ve had this vision for myself before attending college and really knew which direction I wanted to go in. I believe that I would have taken my talents more serious and would have been far ahead in entrepreneurship when realizing the passion that I’ve been having for many, many, many years. I always like to say, “it’s never too late, when the time is right … what’s for you will flourish”. I am currently 27 years old and I’m grateful that I’ve given myself a head start on the. goals I’ve set for my business during my 30’s.

Dana, 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?

The thought process behind starting my own business “Dopeminkssss” was to create a side hustle based on something that I love which is makeup. I learned how to create my own look and I’ve always been very specific with the lashes I chose to wear to complete my look. At this time in my life, I just moved back to Jackson, MS for graduate school in 2019. I did not have a job yet, just a refund check to survive off of. This was one of the hardest moments in my life. With that money I ordered 50 pairs of lashes and that was the beginning of a successful lash business. I knew when I sold my first 50 lashes, that this was something I really wanted to continue. I knew starting my business, I would have to work hard to expand. Not only was I focused on my business and being my own boss, but I wanted to stay focused on graduate school as well. I eventually wanted to sell apparel/merchandise and jewelry for my business, and I did just that. I moved back to Atlanta, GA in 2020 and I continued to expand my business. I came back with a box full of customized Dickie shirts, I made for my lash business, which led me to my new business “dopeunisexclothing”. So many of my customers wanted those shirts and they were an exclusive set. I’m in the process of launching an online boutique for men and women, which will launch this year 2023. I want to create generational wealth for my family. Not only do I want to be my own boss, but I have the credentials now as well. I graduated with my master’s in mass communication, Spring 2022 and plan on going back for my Doctorate Degree next. What sets me apart from others is solely based on my background and how hard I’ve worked to support my businesses. Many would not believe what I have put myself through to get ahead in life and achieve my goals. I left my family in Atlanta, just to move back to Jackson, Mississippi in 2019 to successfully achieve a master’s degree in Mass Communication, which was unexpected, but I did it. While attending Jackson State University, I chose to work for the United States Postal Service. There were plenty of nights I would have to rush to finish my route, sendoff packages to my own customers, then attend class in my rain boots. I’m most proud of my dedication and strength. Everything I did was by choice, because I’m determined to be successful. This journey has not been easy for me, these moments have built my character and made me realize success does not come over night, but if you continue to work hard, you will eventually see that day and achieve many goals. My brand is strictly based off hard work and I take pride in that.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There were multiple times when I have had to pivot in business, career, and life. Based on my lash business, I knew at the end of 2021 that I wanted to switch over to the fashion industry and start my own clothing line. I thought about just selling apparel for my lash business, but I knew that would only attract women clientele and my style is very “unisex”. I then decided to create a whole new business and went in the direction to grasp not only women attention, but male attention as well with my clothing line. When I released my first set of customized Dickie shirts, there were a lot of men asking for them and that really confirmed the change that I was going to make. This decision forced me to take a break so I could get my vision together as well as more funds to support my new business venture. I personally feel like going from a lash business to a clothing line is definitely an upgrade for me, since I’ve used my lash business to experiment with. Moving forward with “Dopeunisexclothing”, there are a lot of lessons that I’ve learned in the past while getting my feet wet with “Dopeminkssss”. I am in the process of rebranding my logo as well as adding different styles of clothing to the new collection.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is constantly posting on my social media platforms, especially Instagram. I use Instagram to gain more followers and to network with others who are on the same path. I believe the more you put your vision out there, you will gain the correct audience by using certain hashtags, making reels, and building knowledge on the algorithm. I constantly create posts on my business page, as well as my personal page to display and show my fashion sense through modeling pictures with my photographer Visuals.AF. Using the location option on my posts is very important as well, I have gained a lot of followers in the Atlanta area just by showing up on the explore page. I also have a lot of my followers from my hometown, St. Louis, Mo. and Jackson, MS where I attended Jackson State University. All three of these locations make a huge impact on my growth as well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dopeunisexclothing/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cashhhcali
• Other: linktr.ee/cashhhcali

Image Credits
Visuals.AF francoisvisuals_