We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erika May. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erika below.

Erika, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

I would definitely say that My Mom is my hero. She has taught me that with hard work, anything is possible. She has taught me to lead with kindness and compassion, but to stand up for yourself and always use your voice. She taught me that “I CAN”.

As a young mom at 18, she finished college while working 3 jobs. She has since, worked her way up to the job title of CFO, is very respected, and loved by her employees.

She has influenced me in so many ways but I think the best part is, I can now show my daughters what it is like to be a successful woman in business and that ANYTHING is possible.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In Fall of 2020, just 3 weeks after giving birth to our oldest daughter, I was furloughed from my corporate job during Covid.

I was devastated. How was I supposed to help provide for our family? Afford daycare? Get back into the world?

My husband and I had just discovered the world of bleach dyed tees, and after a few weeks of convincing (im stubborn) , we decided to give it a go.

We dyed 2 shirts from the thrift store, and since December 2020, have sold over 17,000 upcycled clothing items and now have our own clothing brand.

I have been able to not only run a full time business from home, but I have also been able to raise our daughters full time, and that is absolutely priceless and the biggest gift of them all.

I have built our business from the ground up and very organically. We have shipped to all 50 states + Canada, and also participate and host local pop-up shops and makers markets around MD, PA, VA, DC & DE!

We also have collaborated with over 20 businesses on merch for their brand. They provide us with the tees, and we simply elevated their merch with the art of bleach dye. This is something we are so proud of!

We know this is only the beginning and the best is yet to come.

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

Be authentic. There are millions of social media accounts, what sets you apart? It’s so easy to have imposter syndrome and compare yourself to similar accounts. But at the end of the day, your followers follow you for YOU!

Be consistent. You can’t post a story or a photo once a week and expect results. Again, there are millions of accounts and it is so easy to get lost. Stay relevant and share what’s going on!

Is it relatable? Educational ? Funny? These are 3 things I ask myself before posting. Post with a purpose.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth. Happy and satisfied customers sharing our brand with their friends, families, and followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.todyeforandmore.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/todyefor.and.more
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/todyeformd

Image Credits

Kaitlyn Gruhler Photo
@kaitlyngruhlerphoto