We were lucky to catch up with James Elems recently and have shared our conversation below.
James, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?
As a business owner it would be awesome if all your friends and family supported your business, but that is not always the case. Support can come in many forms but the audience that usually supports you the most may be people you don’t know. I personally believe support does not always equate to purchasing something. We currently live in a time where social media and marketing can be a very vital part to keeping your business afloat. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for family and friends to tell 1 or 2 people about a small business for a friend or relative. Family and friends do not hesitate
to ask for discounts or free products/services, so asking for any type of support should not be a hard ask. I am a very generous person but I do draw the line at entitlement. Anything worth having in life has to be earned.
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 back background and context?
I broke into the clothing business almost 7 years ago through e-commerce and drop shipping. I was making T-Shirts and Hoodies on a website for sell. I think for many clothing brands that is the usual starting point. As the years went on I experimented with different products. I made mistakes , but I also learned more about business and this industry. Now I currently have custom designed clothing and accessories I sell online and in physical stores. I think the thing that sets my brand apart from others is my pricing. I do not charge nearly what I could charge on the clothing I sell. Red Crown was created to provide quality clothing for reasonable prices. I believe everyone should be able to say they wear designer clothing without breaking the bank.
I am most proud of sticking to my vision when it comes to my clothing brand. I’ve had many people tell me I need to charge more, but for me this was never about getting rich off clothing. As long as customers continue to support then the profit will increase with time. What matters to me most is customer satisfaction. I go above and beyond to make sure every customer is completely satisfied with their purchase. As a small business my customer service helps set me apart from other brands as well.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I have always used my full-time job salary, as well as other side hustles to fund my business. A lot of social media gurus will tell you to just get a LLC and banks will just give you a no document loan, but in reality it is not always that easy. In addition to my salary I also started building business credit to help fund my business. Business credit is the cheat code all small businesses should know. Business credit will help you in so many areas of your business without having to use your own money.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I love networking, so my social media audience comes from the many networking opportunities
I take advantage of. I love meeting new people because I feel like every one has something to offer to one another. I am currently on most social media platforms but my biggest followings are on Facebook and Instagram. I am constantly on Facebook because that platforms monetized my profile so I place a lot of my content there to gain income.
For any one starting to build a presence on any social media platform my advice is to engage with everyone. Don’t be afraid to engage with people you don’t know. Growth takes place outside of places of comfort.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.krownklub.com
- Instagram: @Revengeofjimmy
- Facebook: James Elems
- Linkedin: James Elems
- Twitter: redcrown_llc
- Other: Sparkle: sparkle.store/RedCrown
