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

Ebone , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I started my business a good while ago (2010), however, looking back i wish that I’d invested in coaching earlier than I did. Although I started the boutique back then, I had to eventually re-brand because I had no idea what I was doing the first several years. I took a break in 2014 and when i came back a year later, I knew a little more, but still hadn’t grasped the idea of hiring a coach. A little after I decided to have a re-grand opening in 2018, I started to invest a little more in ecommerce education and and eventually entertained the idea of hiring the right coaches for my business, and it’s made a huge difference.

Ebone , 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 name is Ebone, and I own Uzuri Boutique. I’m the mother of one of the dopest 9 year olds on the planet, a scorpio born and raised in Baltimore, MD, and a homebody. I also have a deep love for colorful statement pieces, which is how Uzuri was created. Honestly, the main objective in the beginning was just to sell a lot of cute jewelry and make money, so in other words I didnt have a vision; it was strictly for fun. As time went on, I realized that I could really do this, and started to actually put my head in the game. As Uzuri started to grow, we added clothing and accessories and began to cater to a broader audience; currently, most of our customers are in the southern states. We sell jewelry, accessories, and clothing, for the sassy socialite and in the future would like to add shoes to the mix.

We love the fact that we’re able to provide confidence and pieces for women with natural bodies. Also, our statement pieces are convenient and bold, yet timeless. Right now our biggest seller is the Lauren Jersey Maxi Dress. It has pockets, falls off the shoulder, and you can literally slip right into it. Our dolls LOVE that dress; we’ve sold hundreds. Plus no to mention, all of our pieces stretch!

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

One of the biggest things that my customers love is anything flowy with pockets. About 2 years ago I came across a gorgeous dress that was just that – very flowy and oversized with pockets. The only ‘issue’ at the time was I thought it wouldn’t sell because of the price. In order to stay in my profit margin it would have to sell for at least 50….I ordered the dress and talked myself out of it immediately after, even tried to sell it off to other boutiques because i thought i couldn’t pull it off. When none of those worked I reached out to one of my coaches for motivation and advice, and one of the things she mentioned I repeat to myself often to this day – If you provide the value, and your customers love it, they WILL buy it, no matter the price. The main thing that stuck out to me was to make sure I provided the value.

So I really planned out and executed the marketing for this one dress alone with video, facebook and IG ads, and consistent content talking about the details and answering any questions that women had BEFORE I released it – I created anticipation. Once the dress dropped, it sold out in about 2 days. That was my 1st of 3 restocks of the dress and they sold out successfully each time. And the dress was priced around $65.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Profit First by Mike Michalowicz helped me understand how to delegate the flow of money in my business. I’ve also read #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso.

Plus, I listen to a lot of artists that get my brain flowing in that ‘entrepreneurial’ direction like Jay Z, Rick Ross, Nipsey, Nas, etc. You’d be surprised how many gems you can pick up listening to songs that make sense.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.IamUzuri.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uzuriboutique/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uzuriboutique
• Other: Pinterest: @IamUzuri

Image Credits
Jeffrey Butler Of Jazzy Photos