We were lucky to catch up with Leshelle Cummings recently and have shared our conversation below.

Leshelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I always tell people the Lord really just put Sophisticated and Tomboy in my head and told me to do my thang with them. I would always walk around saying every girl that dressed like me was a Sophisticated Tomboy. Like everybody and they didn’t even know it! lol I just always thought it was just so random for me to even put those two words together. It took my mom and sister to tell me I really need to do something with Sophisticated Tomboy cause that is really the perfect way to describe my style. After about a year, I finally overcame my fears and birthed Sophisticated Tomboy!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Leshelle Cummings and I am the owner of the clothing brand Sophisticated Tomboy. I launched my clothing brand in 2018. Back in the days, I was known for the cool girl that played basketball and had all the Jordans and could dress. In my mind, I was always like “look at me, but don’t look at me” It wasn’t until recently that I joined an acceleration program ran by Marc Coley who helped me realize that it’s ok to be like “You know what?? I can dress! I am cool! I am lowkey funny” So I started to accept the the compliments without deflecting them, which help me to not be afraid to show everyone how cool I am for real! ( I just got a little deep didn’t I)! lol

So with my brand, I always tell people the Lord really just put Sophisticated and Tomboy in my head and told me to do my thang with them. It took my mom and sister to be like you really need to do something with Sophisticated Tomboy cause I was walking around saying every girl that dressed like me was a Sophisticated Tomboy. Like everybody and they didn’t even know it! lol

As i grew with my brand, I realized that i didn’t want to box the way a Sophisticated Tomboy dressed, because everyone’s Sophisticated style is different as well as everyone’s Tomboy style. It really is how YOU define your Sophisticated and Tomboy style, but we are all apart of the Sophisticated Tomboy Cousin Crew!

I believe I set myself apart from others by showing my Sophisticated Tomboy Cousin that with our pieces, you can “Dress it up” AND “Dress it down”!

I’m most proud of actually not quitting and throwing all of my merchandise out of the window! (LOL) No but seriously, being an entrepreneur is not for the weak, and I’m very proud of myself for being an entrepreneur for 4 years and counting!

How did you build your audience on social media?

My answer is simple: BE YOURSELF!

There are alot of people who actually have a hard time doing it or being comfortable with doing it. There is no one else who can be YOU. Believe it or not, people want to see who you are. They like authenticity. You are doing not only them but YOURSELF a disservice if you are not being yourself or faking it. I promise you, someone loves you for who you are so I’ll leave you with one our mottos at Sophisticated Tomboy BE COMFORTABLE. BE CONFIDENT. BE YOU.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

At the beginning of this year, I invested in myself and my business. I joined The Marc Coley Business Academy and that has changed my mindset tremendously. I am forever grateful for my Spiritual Business Coach Marc Coley. If you are an entrepreneur, I highly recommend following Marc Coley.

Another investment was going thru the Hype Incubator with Melanie Druery Allen. Melanie is a marketing coach and when I tell you she gets you all the way together, she does just that. I highly recommend any entrepreneur who needs help with marketing to follow Melanie at the Hype Marketing House.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sophisticatedtomboy.store
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/SophisticatedTomboy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sophisticatedtomboy