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

Felicia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always been a creative person and loved anything art related. It wasn’t until my junior year in college that I was introduced to graphic design. After graduating from college with a BFA in graphic design and working in Corporate America for almost 10 years, I decided to branch out on my own.

When I first started as an entrepreneur, I provided graphic design and branding services to clients. Fast forward to 2015, shortly after having my daughter, I launched our first Curls and Convo event (a mommy and me edition). This event was designed to instill the value of self-confidence in women + girls of color. While creating the flyer and social media graphics for the event, the idea came to me to use these graphics on products. I knew I wanted to use my creative talents to empower and uplift other women that look like me. We currently have over 50 products on our website.

Earlier this year the City of Jacksonville declared February 12 Curls and Convo Day with an official proclamation. Next year will be our 8th annual Curls and Convo event.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Growing up I was that little black girl who was insecure about how I saw myself and how others saw me. As a mentor and mom, I never wanted any other little girl to feel this way. Many times, what we experience at a young age stays with us into adulthood. As a self-proclaimed introvert I decided to use my creative background to design uplifting images and be a voice for those who felt like they didn’t have one.

All of the images on our products feature black women with naturally curly hair and are exclusive to the Mygani brand. Our designs are inspired by women I know and women who have made a positive impact on society and our culture. I intentionally design the images with (no face), because I want our customers to envision themselves in the images. Think about looking in a mirror and seeing yourself in a positive light. Many of our designs have  a splash of purple to honor my grandmother who passed away from Alzheimer’s on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

As an entrepreneur you are typically the face of your business. While building my reputation as a business owner has been challenging, I feel that as long as you are relatable and authentic you can build a community that will always support you. As you are building you will also find who is not your customer and that’s ok, it allows you to focus more energy on the right customers.

I recently had a conversation with a customer (at a local pop up). She told me she went home and told her daughter about me and how proud she was that I created products with positive images of women that look like her and her daughter. I told her my brand was so much more than just a product line. This is my legacy. I want women of color to always believe they are enough. regardless of the negativity around them. We both had tears in our eyes. This is the type of connection I try to build with all my customers.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new customers for me has been word of mouth and carrying my own products. While most people think word of mouth is an outdated marketing strategy, I have found it to still be valuable. As a lifestyle brand most customers prefer to touch, feel, and visually see how our products can be used. So, when a friend tells a friend about our trolley bag, it encourages them to purchase one for themselves or as a gift. Our multi-functional trolley bag is our best-selling product, and it comes in 6 different designs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mygani.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mygani_llc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myganillc/
• Youtube: Trolley Bag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJPt2A3T2WI&t=19s

Image Credits
Main photo – Julie Ryan Photography
Black Princess Trolley Bag – Miss Black USA
HERstory Trolley Bag – Miss Black USA