We were lucky to catch up with Ja’Maria Rutherford recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ja’Maria, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
I first started my business at the peak of Covid-19 in 2020. I have always had a passion for fashion and entrepreneurship, so I just started that new journey of mine with all of the free time I had. The start up process took at least 2-3 months. I started to think about what exactly I wanted to sell and who I wanted to be my target audience. I decided that I wanted to have a very broad target audience, where almost every woman will have something that would love and like to purchase. I had to find good vendors for both products and packaging. I used YouTube and google as a source to find vendors. I also had to plan what was the best for me financially. Starting a business can be scary, but you will have to invest a good portion of money to get it started. I did a lot of research and compared lots of things. For example, I compared which website domain would be the best for me, which shipping carrier will be the most beneficial, what items I will need to help with my business. After I planned every step of mine I started purchasing and setting up my website and social media platforms.
Ja’Maria, 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?
My name is Ja’Maria Rutherford. I am a junior at the University of Memphis. I got into my online boutique just by working hard and following a dream of mine. I sell clothing and accessories. I have a flexible exchange policy that works well for my customers. I am different from other boutiques because of the wide range of products I have. I have plus size clothing, teen-friendly swimwear, purses, kid-friendly jewelry, going-out clothing, loungewear and much more! I am most proud of myself for not giving up. Owning a business can be hard and discouraging sometimes but you have to keep going and I have been doing that. I would love for any potential customers to know that shopping with me is an experience you would hate to miss out on!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been marketing on TikTok. I seem to be able to easily reach a lot of my target audience there and the support is unmatched.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty by social media and email campaigns. I am very easy to get in contact with. My email is stated almost everywhere you would se my business at and I get back fairly quick with my clients and/or potential clients. Social media is also a really big thing now and is one of the easiest ways to keep in touch with clients. I foster brand loyalty by including a discount code for your next purchase in each package that gets shipped out. Also, if you are subscribed to the email list, you get discounts, special announcements, and more weekly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopjluxscloset.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jluxscloset1
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jluxscloset1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Ja’MariaDanielle
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jluxscloset?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc