We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Macie Melton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Macie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
My biggest risk was turning my small dream into an LLC. I started The Downtown Dirty in the summer of 2019 and once it started gaining a following and attention it took me by surprise how much it meant to people. It pushed me to take the business to the next level and expand. When doing this I invited others in to possibly partner as I was doing it all solo. I learned very quickly how important it is to make sure you have all your business needs together before taking such a move forward. It took a rough turn that made me take the leap of faith and register my dream and hobby as an official LLC. I am now the Owner and Founder of The Downtown Dirty and continuing to work it in the best interest of the Small Businesses I represent.
Macie, 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?
Wow, what can I say about The Downtown Dirty? It’s just as fun as the name itself! I grew up in Concord, NC and didn’t expect to be the hometown girl I am today. I moved away for college and visited every once and a while yet didn’t officially move back until eight years later. There were changes to the town and I was not as involved as I had once was. I was going through a major life change and to help myself get through it I decided to get back into volunteering with the community. This led to meeting new friends, experiencing new local businesses, and organizations. Within one of those organizations a crazy idea to drive young adults into our downtown small businesses was formed. I took it upon myself to run with this idea and created a social forum on Instagram. From there the rest is history. My phone blew up and a passion was lit inside me. The Downtown Dirty was born and came to life during the pandemic. It became the number one source to find out what was going on with all the downtown small businesses. Since customers were limited to going into physical locations getting businesses information out such as time changes, shopping promotions, and much more was key to keeping them alive. My social platform provides that niche for them. I have grown from one social platform to Facebook, TikTok, and having my own website! I have also expanded my coverage to support all of Cabarrus County’s downtown small businesses! Not only did I dive into volunteering, but I am giving back to my community in the most creative way I know how. I get to have open and honest conversations with business owners, neighbors, and visitors. I love showing locals and town explorers our unique shops, restaurants, events, and much more. Each town and store have something unique about them. I keep everything as real and fun as possible on my social forum. Promoting a business and building a relationship with them means so much to me. Seeing them thrive and have the spotlight is what it’s all about! That is what I am proud of!
Have you ever had to pivot?
Turning my hobby into a business has been a dream and a learning experience. At the beginning of this year I realized I had to make my business a priority for it to really become what I want it to be. I have put a lot of hard work, tears, hours, and money into it, but wasn’t feeling I was moving it forward. I had to make a change and I didn’t know how to go about it. I reached out to my local entrepreneurship and business center that pointed me in the right direction. With my busy schedule and life I felt I would never nail down a time to talk to someone about my ideas and goals, but it finally happened this summer! I made sure on the video conference call that I explained everything about my business and where I wanted to take it. From that call forward I drew up plans, a proposal, and goal dates. Within two weeks I signed my first client! It took one decision backed by intention and action to take my business to the next level!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I believe I have two sets of clienteles. The small businesses and local organizations I promote along with the community/following to which I market to. Without one I would not have the other. There have been times where I have struggled with marketing ideas and ways to make my platform stand out. This hinders growth in all areas. How could I bring on a new business to promote if I couldn’t back it with a strong following and marketing skills? I have truly grown my business organically. I have not bought any followers, gone into other areas to take their following, or targeted any other avenues to gain attention. It has been through one-on-one relationships and community involvement that I have built my brand. To effectively grow and build in both areas I have had to be willing to listen and communicate to as many people as I can. I have thought outside the box to come up with ways to capture my follower’s attention that most would be afraid of doing. It may not be trendy, and the idea may fail, but that is what makes it fun and a learning experience for me. Every day brings new prospects and creativity!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedowntowndirty.com/
- Instagram: @thedowntowndirty
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedowntowndirty
- TikTok: @thedowntowndirty
Image Credits
The Downtown Dirty