We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dani Joy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dani, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
The name Vanity A came actually about with a group of friends. People have always said I think highly of myself. Basically Vain lol so boom we were like Vanity. It was important that I include mg daughter so A is short for my her middle name Ariana. So Vanity A was born.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Vanity A came about 7yrs ago. I was literally at my lowest. Had just lost my job. Honestly I had lost everything. I was so burnt out on working jobs but I needed income. So I’m like “ok Yetta. What’s next?” Fashion has always been a passion of mine but over the years it grew. So I decided to open a boutique. I was taking my $275/wk unemployment checks and buying inventory. No website. Using inventory photos. Lol I mean just winging it literally. So basically everything I’ve done up until this point has been trial and error. Which I don’t recommend lol however it worked for me cause here I am at year 7 doing record breaking numbers in sales. Record breaking numbers on social media. Delegating tasks in my business because now I see I cannot do it alone. And literally enjoying the journey. Something I’ve literally dreamed of. Now granted I got frustrated a time or 2 because I couldn’t understand why no one noticed my brand. But I tell you one thing. GOD’s timing is not yours. And when it’s your time HE will put you at the front of the line. Go from being overlooked to in high demand. I’m walking proof. And I’m so thankful that I never lost my faith. I’ve always taken pride in not giving up. For having a setback and coming back harder. For putting 100% into it no matter what I’m going through. That’s literally the only thing that separates me from others.. I’m just to thankful to be on this journey. And as the late Nipsey said “the marathon continues..” cause that’s what I’m in in. Money is not the end goal for me. This is bigger than me. This a foundation. This is to break generational curses. This to show other women it’s possible. I’m just beyond thankful for where GOD has brought me and where HE’s about to take me. And if you with me now, stick around. We about to go up
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
A few years ago I decided to throw a pop up shop for my business anniversary. I was so excited but in the same breath so nervous. So I spent 10K + on inventory. Rented a venue, decorations, etc. Long story short the pop up shop didn’t go as I expected. The sales online didn’t go as planned. I didn’t even break even. One of the biggest losses my business has ever took to be honest. After that I wanted to give up. Legit was like I’ll never throw another pop up shop again. Fast forward to 2022 I hosted a #VainGang Party Pop Up Shop. Exceeded the goals I set. Vendors sold out. I sold out. Had a great turn out. Bigger than what I expected. A moment I’ll never forget. The fact that I never gave up allowed me to experience that moment this year.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Reels on social media. That has been my lottery ticket this year. I’ve reached over 1M people and that blows my mind. But the beauty is that traffic on my social media converts to traffic on my website. Which turns into sales. So anyone who is on social media please use Reels.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Maya Brown – Visions By MB