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

Alexiz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Any advice for creating a more inclusive workplace?

It is very important to try to create an open and safe environment within the workplace. I believe that all starts with ownership. If you as an owner display proper ethics and a willingness to be open and inclusive it can then also change the perceptions of the employees as well as the customers. Inclusivity should be viewed as more of a culture than just an objective thing. One thing i have done with my storefront is I have made it a LGBTQ safe place and I hope I have been doing a good job of fulfilling that, not only for myself but for others in the community as well.

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 started my business like a lot of other bored entrepreneurs, during lockdown. Eventually I made the risky decision of leaving my full time job as a server to further pursue my dream. I started off with my MadFlame Candle brand which consists of handmade crystal soy candles ( with a little bit of a twist). Candle making has always been therapeutic for me even when I would make them for people as gifts or just for fun. I spent my first two years attending craft fairs and selling online, but my biggest dream was to open my own shop. There was a lot of planning that went into opening The Cottage. Which is an eco-friendly eclectic boutique filled with thrifted curated finds and other local small businesses products. We also showcase a small refillery of local/non local soaps and household cleaners and also host frequent workshops. We value a sustainable company and working with other local small businesses. The amount of love and support since opening up in a quaint little town has been absolutely amazing. I couldn’t ask for better customers! Of course there have been many obstacles within our first year like many other new businesses. Including opening during a progressing recession. But fluctuations in our economy is normal when owning a business and unfortunately is the risk we all have to take. We learn from it, adapt and move on! I will say I’m quite proud of myself for doing all of this on my own, and with all the support from my friends and family. It definitely is not easy owning a small business and takes a certain kind of discipline, but I wouldn’t have it any other way and look forward to many more years.

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

I think contrary to what many people say about the internet being the strongest way of growing clientele, I am a firm believer in word of mouth advertising. When you create a brand that people will testify to and profess their interest in anything whether it is a product, business, service, etc. I think it carries more weight and can be more persuasive to people as opposed to just seeing an ad or reading an article. it is all about building a relationship and becoming personable with your customers if you can achieve that I have learned it can become infectious. It makes it feel like something a lot greater than a business, it’s like an ever-growing family.

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

There Isn’t just one story I can use as an example, but i believe it has been a culmination of events from the past even going as far as back to my childhood. Growing up how I did has taught me self discipline and I think has given me more of a mental resilience in how I approach adversities that i am faced with. I am going to continue to try to improve on this and hope to have it reflect in my life both personally and professionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theccottage.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.cottageshop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THE.COTTAGE.SHOPP