We were lucky to catch up with BreAshia Bonner recently and have shared our conversation below.

BreAshia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I didn’t always have dreams of being a business owner. In fact growing up my dream job was to become a OBGYN. My mind quickly shifted once I started working in customer service. I learned a lot while working a 9-5. I had some good days and I had some bad days. 2019 is when it finally clicked that I needed to do whatever it was to start my business. I didn’t have any help. No resources, helpful tips, entrepreneurship stories. It was just me taking a leap of faith and getting out there.

My mission was to create a dope clothing line that would go global. A name that most won’t be able to pronounce just by looking at it but also a name that stands out. I knew I needed to be different so I studied big brand like Chanel, Balenciaga, Gucci, etc to see what exactly is it that people look for in fashion. Is it the trend, material of the product, certain colors, I needed to know what I needed to do to get started.

Balaji was created to let individuals freely express themselves while looking fly doing it.

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 wanted to start a clothing brand because I needed to push myself to get outside more. I came up with the idea of a clothing brand in 2019 when I was writing my 2020 New Years resolution.

I thought about all the ideas to make me get outside more and that’s when I told myself “.start a clothing brand that way it will boost you up to going outside so people will ask where you got your shirt , shorts, etc from “. I started planning and thinking about everything what style clothing I wanted to sell.

Balaji was created to be a clothing line. Providing luxury street wear for men and women.

My audience are those who are addicted to retail therapy. Those who use fashion as a way to express themselves no matter the cost.

The thing I can say I’m most proud of is actually starting. I almost talked myself out of starting in the planning stage because I was afraid of failure. Afraid that no one would buy from me. I had no experience in marketing so how would I get my content to reach those outside of my city. I had to believe in myself before anything.

I want my potential customers to know that at BALAJI we are committed to GREAT customer service, quality products, and all around amazing shopping experience.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

This was actually (and still is) the hardest part about the business. I had to search for a manufacturer overseas to design my product. I knew I didn’t want BALAJI to be a boutique where I purchase from wholesale vendors.

My co-worker at my last job worked for a Amazon distribution center and I was talking about the idea at work and she gave me a list of sites to find vendors. Of course I had to do work in searching but without her help I honestly wouldn’t have known where to start.

I am still having trouble finding the right manufacturer. I’ve lost tons of money on product sizing being incorrect, styles coming out different and the list goes on. Im still searching for the right manufacturer. I will tell any Inspiring business owner that wants to start a clothing brand, it’s not easy and it gets hard but the joy of seeing your brand on social media or in real life is something im most proud of. Keep going.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started off posting on Facebook and getting support from those who were locally in my city. In the beginning I was posting consistently. I would post pictures of my customers wearing my brand which would attract more people to my page, customers tagging me and even attending pop up shops.

I’ve learned that nothing beats consistency. You must apply the pressure in order to see growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: shopbalajiandco.com
• Instagram: Shopbalaji
• Facebook: Balaji and Co.