We were lucky to catch up with Mahogany Harvey Wallace recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mahogany, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

We all know that ultimately being a business owner is not easy. I’ve definitely had my days where I wanted to give up and just join the workforce. The last time I had this thought was recently , but the only thing that keeps me from going to get a regular job is FREEDOM. I enjoy the freedom that I have to wake up and just do whatever it is that I want without having to report to a job. The last two jobs I’ve had I experienced so much trauma from them and I just ultimately never wanted that to be my life ever again. I never wanted to give anyone the power to basically choose my fate for me. If I don’t become successful, I want it to be my fault . Not anyone else’s. Working a regular job has its pros though as in you know it’s a paycheck coming in weekly or biweekly. As a business owner some days you make a lot of money and some days you don’t. Being a business owner, you just definitely have to want it. It’s not easy , but I’m thankful to be able to hold on something I created.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a graphic designer and I also own a clothing boutique. I’ve been in the retail business for over 3 years and I decided to take that route because I’ve always had a sense of style and fashion. Selling clothes was just so natural to me and it wasn’t hard for me to get into the industry of it. What I think sets me apart from others is my originality. I come up with my own tactics and solely focus on being authentic . I leave no room for others to feel like I’m copying them or I want to be like them. I solely believe that is what has carried me so far and I’ve been able to gain over 70,000 supporters by simply just being myself. I am mostly proud of the fact that I never gave up . Being a business owner is not easy. My businesses aren’t exactly where I want them to be due to dealing with a lot of different personal issues in the past but I am currently working on getting to where I want them to be. I just want my clients and followers know that I’m truly dedicated to my work and them. I appreciate their support of all I’ve done thus far.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is simply just being authentic. On my social media , you can definitely tell that I’m original . People love originality and genuine support. Honestly, it wasn’t hard to build up my social media following and get people to support my brand. There really isn’t a major tactic well as for me. I hardly ever had to pay for ads or anything of that nature.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

My business was 100% funded out of my pocket. See when I first started I had no idea about business credit, capital, etc. I simply just used my own money to fund my business until I later gained the knowledge about funding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @EssenceTheFashionGuru
• Other: Tiktok: Essencethefashionguru