Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deshaun Diggs. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Deshaun, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
I would honestly say one of the main things that I do that differs from the industry standard is making clothing items from tapestry blankets. There are not many brands that design custom tapestry blankets, get them printed and then turn them into articles of clothing. Besides from taking these steps with my business, I complete all of this by myself. I feel as though this also helps me stand out as a clothing designer and shows a certain level of hard work and trust through my marketing videos.
Deshaun, 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?
My name is Deshaun Diggs and I started Diggs Designs in 2020. I’ve always wanted to learn how to sew but it honestly took covid and quarantine to give me that extra push. I began watching YouTube videos and started sewing by hand which later evolved into using a sewing machine.
I found I had a passion for upcycling things and especially tapestry blankets. As I stated early I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to think outside of the box and turn nothing into something. As time went own I began to customize tapestry blankets which ultimately sent my business to an entire new level and I am thankful for that.
I would say every homecoming season, is my most proud moments. I usually accept 5-8 major bulk orders and after grinding from sun up to sun down to finish, it always makes me happy to see my customers posting my product and happy all around with the outcome.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One major story that illustrates my resilience would be in early January of this year, my original Instagram page that I had for about 4 years was reported and taken down. Over those 4 years I had gained a little over 20k followers. Being completely honest this crushed me and I almost contemplated never sewing again. I remembered that God wouldn’t have gave me that challenge if he didn’t think I could overcome it so I decided to make a new page and I’m currently at almost 8k followers. I’m thankful that my clientele didn’t slow down and many old followers did find me.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I started to build an audience on social media through TikTok and Instagram. I can say TikTok helped me take off way faster and allowed my work to be seen by many more people on a daily basis. When I started on TikTok I was receiving about 10 views per video but I made a promise to myself to stay grounded and to record everything I post. 4.5 years later and I’m now at 17.2k followers.
If I had to give advice to someone just starting to build social media presence, I would simply stay remember your why and to stay consistent at all times. Even times when you feel as though you aren’t getting the recognition and audience you deserve, hard work always pays off.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diggs.designs/
- Other: TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@diggsdesigns?_t=8pS1sMjbBfT&_r=1
