We recently connected with Devin Faulkner and have shared our conversation below.

Devin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

During my freshman year of college, I sat in my dorm room thinking of ways that I could use my platform to commemorate Black History Month. While reflecting on what that month stood for, I was instantly reminded of prominent leaders, accomplishments, and the amazing stories that Black people have to tell. I started researching historic facts about my history and culture. While doing this research, I came to the realization that ‘Black History’ will never stop being made! Therefore, we will ALWAYS hear and learn about Black history. The moment I had come to that realization, the name “Black History University” came to me.

Devin, 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?

I am a 20-year-old student at Prairie View A&M University. For the past several years, I’ve used graphic design as an outlet and a way for me to express my feelings. I have a computer full of unreleased projects that I’ve constructed when I was impacted by certain situations or thoughts. In 2020, when reflecting on Black History Month, it was second-hand nature for me to pick up my computer and design graphics that helped me to release how I felt. I ultimately ended up designing sweatshirts that had a powerful message behind them. The message is that we will NEVER stop learning Black History.

Since its launch, Black History University has been featured on FOX News, SpiritualWord, DailyAdvent, and more! I am proud of the fact that I have shipped orders to almost every state in the country!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Of course. I am currently building my audience on social media by building a community of individuals who resonate with what I post. It’s a fairly simple concept. I’ve learned that people don’t like to constantly see posts that advertise a new product or sale. People would much rather see content from brands that either entertain, educate, or inspire!

The majority of the content that I post on my brand page is content that Black people (my target audience) actually want to see. So, I post funny TikTok videos, relatable memes, and interesting facts about Black culture. Once you build a community of people who trust you to entertain, educate, or inspire them, it won’t be hard for them to want to patronize your business.

Also, another major principle is promoting your story. Since I started telling people who I am, why my brand exists, and why they should purchase from me, my sales have soared! People buy you before they buy what you’re selling.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I use Shopify for my E-commerce store. Shopify is the #1 E-commerce platform and I highly recommend it for stores of any size. Shopify has thousands of apps and integrations that you can tie to your store that can drive success. Some E-commerce platforms are cheaper than Shopify, but the quality of their platform is worth the small fee.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blackhistoryuniversity.store
• Instagram: blackhistoryuniversity
• Linkedin: Devin Faulkner