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

Erika , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

My business grew from the idea that shopping for your kids shouldn’t be so hard. I would have to go to 3 or 4 stores to complete a look which was exhausting at times so I decided I was going to create a space where you could find these amazing items in one stop. The harder part was coming up with the capital to fund my business as I was a new homeowner and had just began working full time again so my savings was limited. This next phase of my ideation was really about figuring out that crucial piece. I researched ways to start a business with little to no capital and I found that dropshipping was the way to go. This method allowed me to list items on my site without having the merchandise on hand and the vendor would ship directly to my customer. So I started building my site, researching vendors online that provided this service and could also provide efficient shipping. After I found curated collections for each style range I launched my site through the Shopify platform which provides you with ready made free templates for e-commerce. In the beginning, I had tremendous support of my community who posted my business on social media which helped me gain traction.

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 call myself a multi-disciplinary entrepreneur because I’ve gone to school for different studies that both have allowed me to grow in this business. I have an associates degree from Fashion Institute of Technology in Fashion Merchandising Management which is the business of fashion. I’m also a graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology – this learning experience has prepared me to under society and it’s influences. After graduating from Temple, I thought social statistics and research was my passion but I realized my heart was in fashion so I started pursuing local opportunities in fashion companies – first working at Burlington Coat Factory’s main office and eventually on to Urban Outfitters main office. I have worked in inventory management, web design, marketing, fulfillment, visual displays and fashion events. My dream through was entrepreneurship, as I am the daughter of an entrepreneur. I have also been independent and through working in my mother’s business developed an eye for leadership and honed thinking outside the box. The Hanan Project provides apparel, for the family, that meets the needs of this millennial parent who is concerned with aesthetic and quality. They can come to my site and no one will show up in their outfits as we provide truly curated pieces for the Moms. Dads and kiddos. These parents are busy and don’t have the time to shop all over the place for their family – they want to know they can get what they want from one place with a click of a button and then it arrives on their doorstep. I’m most proud that I built this business from having touched no merchandise and utilizing dropshipping to launch my business to us having a studio space that supports our inventory needs. The customers did this and I immensely appreciate how they supported my growth. Entrepreneurship can be particularly difficult for black women because we don’t have financing options yet through my customers support, I was able to defy odds.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have had the pleasure of pivoting multiple times and I say pleasure because it taught me to be flexible and to lean into the lesson. My first pivot was realizing that the social research field wasn’t inspiring me and to take a leap back into fashion after having been away for 5 years. Also in that, I started with positions that were to get my foot in the door and not creative but I took that step back to springboard me into my next path. The next pivot was going from behind the scenes at someone else’s company to being the face of my own which was challenging as an introvert. Again, this experience made me acknowledge areas I needed to grow and made me level up so to speak. I pivoted once more when I had my third baby as I was super focused on adding new lines of business but was slowed down because at times my pregnancy was challenging and giving myself grace through it. Here we are again, in this dynamic industry forging ahead and continuing to build while we learn and grow in a new economy. Life is about the changes that we make to be who we need to be.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

We currently use Shopify to host our site which we feel is best for our business as it helps us maintain the integrity of our business by allowing us to determine what policies work best for us and that we pave our capacity. I think the biggest pro is we are creating our brand story through our site in a very personal way that connects our story to the customer. We have the ability to adjust and tweak our site when needed. We also have access to our customer’s information so we can continue to dialogue with them. The cons are that larger sites have more traffic and can be a source of more income. These sites also have amazing search capabilities that can put many customer’s in your “store” with their system much easier. I think that as we build our brand, it’s necessary to control that narrative and have an authentic voice with our audience. Perhaps when that’s done, we will branch out to other sites.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thehananproject.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehananproject/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/thehananprojectonline/f
• Other: Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/thehananproject/