We were lucky to catch up with Imani Marshall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Imani, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I take risk everyday as a business owner, especially while having a full time job. Every time I create something new I take a risk by executing that idea and putting it out into the public for customers to buy. It’s never easy because something I like, may not be liked by others.

Imani, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

A few facts about me, I am a graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. I received my Bachelor of Science in May 2020. I am now a registered Radiologist Technologist and am working on my Computed Tomography certification. I honestly never saw myself as a creator in the sense of crafting. I have always had a passion for dance so that was my form of art. It wasn’t until a few years ago during the pandemic that I decided to take a leap of faith and try something different. We were going through tough times and I needed to find a way to make some money. I started making those plastic string keychains that we used to make as kids. I sold a few, mostly to family, and that’s when I realized this is not what I want to do business wise. I started to make shirt designs, mostly dedicated to the professional field. For example Black Doctors matter, and Rad techs matter. But I started to slowly move away from that. I started making jewelry and shirts dedicated to protecting black women. I have slowly transitioned into the rebranding stage. I have a new line coming out called BTS. It stands for Be The Statement. I’m not the type to fit in with the in crowd and wear what everyone else wears or do what everyone else does. I want to dedicate my business to others that are like that as well. Which is the meaning behind BTS. It encourages being your own person and setting the tone.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that, just because you know someone and feel that you have a close relationship with them, doesn’t mean they will support your business and what it stands for. A quick backstory, I have a friend that I made a shirt specifically dedicated to her field (when I was making professional shirts) and she never shared it, purchased it, etc. but she supported other businesses that created the samething. I had to learn that not everyone is for you or wants to support you just because they know you.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am currently in the pivot stage. I work a full time job and am also trying to run a business it’s become very difficult schedule wise, especially with me studying for my registry exam as well. I have had to step back and take a break for a while to get my mind right and rebrand. I am finally happy to say that we will be dropping some new merch on 10/12/22. It’s been a long time coming.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.royalymade.shop
• Instagram: Royalymadeshop

Image Credits
Photos were taken by myself.