Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angel Swanigan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories 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.

The biggest risk I’ve taken was moving from NY where I was born and raised to Ohio where I barely knew anyone. I made the move here 8 years ago leaving behind everything and everyone I knew and loved including the foundation I was building with the youths in my city with my non-profit organization. Although it was mentally and emotionally challenging, my goal was to work towards the things I could accomplish when taken outside of my comfort zone.

I was able to overcome living in a homeless shelter in a new city by journaling positive experiences. I paid attention to the little miracles that others had who were in the shelter which empowered me furthermore. The tough part about living in the shelter was not just the five-minute-only shower rule, but the 6pm curfew (unless you were working or had a pass to be out late) and phones had to be off and turned in by 7pm for lockup. In addition we were not allowed to bring in outside food and drinks and it was mandatory for lights to be out at 9pm. It felt close to incarceration.

I stayed focused by working out, going to school and work. I also attended meetings with a local group of small business minorities where I met like minded individuals. I was out of the shelter within three months, into my new place and ready to write more of my story. Moving to a new city was the best risk I’ve taken because it truly showed me my strengths. Once I had moved in to my new place I went on to graduate college, speak at events and meet the love of my life.

Angel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My brand is Angel Inspires because that is what I do, inspire. I realized after having an abortion at the age of 21 that we can get in front of the things that may seem like a weakness, an embarrassment, or like a topic of gossip for others; and make peace with it by recognizing it as a truth or something that we can change about ourselves when we are ready to. We have the power to determine how things affect us in the long run. My situation affected me to the extent that it turned my pain into purpose because my actions were the result of underlying trauma that I hadn’t recognized initially. It forced me to ask myself the deep hard questions. Eventually my digging lead me to want to be a conscious and deliberate creator in my life and in the live of those who experience me.

Twenty one was the age that I set out into my community sharing my story as an inspirational speaker. I hosted three young women’s empowerment seminars and three young men’s empowerment seminars at the local city hall. I was most proud of being able to encourage other young individuals to bridge the gap of communication with adults as well as with their peers. I wanted to expound on the fact that everyone goes through similar things and that we shouldn’t feel alone or embarrassed. Aside from the seminars, I lead a group of young entrepreneurs to our local high schools to speak with them. I also taught a personal growth and development program at a youth center every Thursday evening and mentored teens.

It pained me to leave all the work behind that I was doing in my home city, however if I wanted to empower others I had to continue empowering me first. With my move 7 hours away from everything I knew and loved, I proved to myself that inspiring others is my calling. I created Conscious Conversations LLC which began as a call line where callers could listen in as I discussed various topics related to personal growth and development. Eventually it became a series on Instagram where I interviewed over achievers about their journey but about the least addressed topics. Conscious conversations is about raising awareness. Once we have awareness, our minds will feel dis-ease in any knowing less than the new level of awareness we gain simply just by asking ourselves the hard questions. Growth then becomes imperative.

One of the issues I had living in a new state was the fact that I couldn’t find a shopping mall like the one back home. I had a hard time finding stylish clothes as a plus size woman with style, so I founded Sexy SizeUp Boutique LLC. At Sexy SizeUp Boutique we cater to all plus size body types up to a size 5x. We are all about body positivity and inclusivity of plus size women. It was a great idea but it still needed to embody all that Angel Inspires represents, so I designed a brand ambassador program that not only pays but also supports and provides resources and opportunities for the ambassadors to further in their journey or businesses. For example, one of our ambassadors was able to fly in from Texas to perform at our Winter Wonder Woman- women empowerment fashion show. She got to gain exposure for her music career, make connections at the event and was styled by our team with hair and makeup and an outfit from our line. She was interviewed backstage by our media team and also gained exposure that way too. Another ambassador of ours was given the opportunity to walk in our fashion show for the first time. She yearned to model. She got professional pictures taken of her on the runway that she can use to build her portfolio and gained more confidence to do another show.

Sexy SizeUp Boutique LLC not only carries affordable great quality clothing, shoes, makeup and accessories but we also have high profile events in multiple cities and states that include media coverage and celebrity appearances. Our most recent event was held at the legendary Harlem Haberdashery in Harlem, NY. The Harlem Haberdashery is home of 5001 flavors Co who designs clothing for A- list celebrities. At this event which was a Fashion and Beauty Networking Mixer, we had the pleasure of having Bianca Golden (Americas Next Top Model Alumn) and Liris Crosse (the first plus size model to win project runway) present. We receive rave reviews about all of our events.

Although being in business has its difficulties, loving what I do makes it worth it. My two children get to see their mom being a prime example of what hard work and self love looks like. The main thing I want readers to take away from my brands is to be unapologetically and truthfully you because there will never be anyone who can be you. You and all you offer are the greatest gift to the world!

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

To keep in touch with my clients, I have an email list and text notifications. I’ve built rapport with clients and customers by making sure to stay in touch through email marketing or sending a simple email or text to let them know I’m thinking of them and wish them well. For my boutique customers, I send them promotions, events and resources.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

We utilize vendors for our inventory. When I first started my boutique, if I liked something I seen for potential customers, I would just order it for stock. After doing that I realized that if you buy from an overseas vendor that you first need to order one item to see if it is actually what is being advertised. I remember I ordered bulk on a few products that were not at all what they were advertised to be. They were either not true to size or had cheap quality. Therefore I wasted hundreds of dollars on products I refused to turn profit on. Our boutique only sells true to size items and we refuse to let customers down.      

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.sexysizeupboutique.com (Our website is being revamped and will be back up by August 1st)
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/sexysizeupboutique?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sexysizeupboutique?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Image credits for runway pics: Ronson McDowell of Ronson Originals