We were lucky to catch up with Janieka Ellington recently and have shared our conversation below.
Janieka, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
When I started my first business in 2019, it was an uphill battle. My family never ran or operated a business. I briefly studied business in college but the reality of being in business was different then what I had theorized. Being a business owner was more than I had realized. Especially being a first time black business owner. I did what most first time business owners do. I received all of my business advice from family and friends. I came to them for support, business advice and strategy. When I should have consulted business professionals who could teach me how to niche down and target my consumers. Don’t get me wrong;Family is extremely important but your family and friends won’t be the factor that keeps your business thriving. Your customers are. If your lucky, you customers will also be your family. But your family and friends will not always be your customer. My First two years of business, I received an overwhelming amount of support from family and friends. Some let me set up a small pop up shop at their home and others just consistently bought my products. However,eventually the influx of support dwindled as the excitement of starting my business faded. As an entrepreneur you have to be prepared for anything to happen. And for trends to change in your business. So I started to niche down and find my consumers. Now I have a healthy balance of family who support me and consumers who consistently shop with me. I believe this balance is what saved my business.
Janieka, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hello World! I’m Amber Ellington, Content Creator extraordinaire. I have about 6k followers on Facebook & Instagram. I love to create content that represents plus size women. As a plus size woman, I grew up bullied and shamed for my body. But as an adult, I found my confidence and pride in my curvy physique. In about 2 years, I have lost 60 pounds. So I often create content around Fitness and body Positivity. My content creation page is Rose Gold 901. I’m also a photographer,editor and I film music video promotions as well. Under the business name: Memphis Visuals. Memphis Visuals is less about me and more about Hip Hop Culture in Memphis. I have had the privilege of collaborating with Famous Animal TV,Brink TV,Wikid Films & Dope Academy. These are huge platforms in Memphis, TN.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I have always been the underdog. So my main goal is to always make content that empowers people toward personal greatness. Being bullied can have a huge effect on your self esteem. And people need a source of motivation and inspiration in their lives. My content and brand is focused on delivering that inspiration to the world. My mission is to make people feel empowered in their own right. And show them that anything is possible.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
The importance of networking is one of those things that I wish I knew about early on. I am naturally anti social so networking was something I shied away from early in my career. But as my brand has grown, so has my network. Businesses started to collaborate with me. These collaborations brought me even more business. And the beauty behind networking is that you choose who you want to work with. And you would be surprised how many Iike minded individuals and businesses want to collaborate with you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Rosegold_901
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100038559931166/