We were lucky to catch up with Maishia Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maishia, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so one thing we think people don’t talk about nearly enough is investments – either time or money. What’s one of the best or worst investments you’ve made and what did you learned from the experience?

When I first launched my boutique, I had a specific consumer in mind. I wanted to target the women who still had to work in the office for part of the week. Women who are getting “dressed” to go to brunch. Women who want their clothes to speak for them when they walked into rooms. Women who want to be fashionable when they go to church. Women who are called extra, over the top, or doing too much!

What happened was that fear kicked in and I started to purchase inventory that was the exact opposite of what I wanted to sell. I bought merchandise based on friends/family asking me to find a particular item, not keeping in mind that just because one person will purchase it doesn’t mean that others will. I spent a lot of money on inventory that would not yield the return on investment that I wanted in either customer retention or profit. I bought merchandise that made me “fit in” as a boutique and what happened was I had a HUGE amount of inventory left at the end of many seasons and I ended up losing money. After about my first year, I decided to rebrand and go back to what my original vision for MaiDlynn’s was and only buy merchandise that aligns with my mission and vision.

Maishia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In 2020, I launched MaiDlynn’s Chic Boutique because I believe in helping other women feel confident and beautiful in their clothes. The name MaiDlynn’s is a combination of my first name, Maishia (May-Sha), and my middle name, D’Lynn, and my logo is a woman holding a tulip, which symbolizes perfect love and rebirth. As a two-time breast cancer survivor and someone who hasn’t always felt beautiful in her skin, I know how important it is to feel good about yourself and what you wear; it can make all the difference in your day. I want my customers to not only love the skin they are in but also love the clothes they are wearing. I want them to put on a piece from MaiDlynn’s, look in the mirror and be in awe of what they see! We’ve all been there: You get up in the morning to pull on your favorite pair of jeans—the ones that fit perfectly and always make you feel amazing—only to discover that they’ve gone missing, or they no longer fit as perfectly as they once did! Then you have to go out into the world wearing something else entirely—something that doesn’t fit quite right or make you feel anywhere near as confident. That stinks!! I want to offer a solution to that problem by providing quality boutique clothing options without the boutique prices. Whether you’re going to the office, church, or on vacation, MaiDlynn’s has what you need.

I strive to provide a positive shopping experience so that my customers will trust me to curate pieces just for them. I’m known as a relationship builder who takes the time to really listen and understand their needs, wants, and lifestyle. Customer satisfaction is very important to me, which is why I strive to provide my shoppers with the best service possible. From start to finish, I want them to feel like they’re talking to a friend. I listen carefully to their needs and offer suggestions based on what they’re looking for. I understand that everyone has different body shapes and preferences, so I take the time to find pieces that are suited to each individual.

As a professional woman, I know what it’s like to have to look good while being on the go. I understand that sometimes you need something fast and convenient and sometimes you need something special and unique. MaiDlynn’s also offers personal shopping and bridal/special occasion services. Whatever your needs are, I’ve got you covered!

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

When I decided to rebrand and relaunch MaiDlynn’s, I decided to change my logo, and my colors and I had to purchase merchandise that was COMPLETELY different than anything I had in stock at the time. I was really nervous to make this change because I was one, afraid to lose my current customers who were familiar with the brand I had created two years earlier and two, afraid of not reaching my target audience because they had created an idea of what my brand was about based on my previous offerings.

I relaunched on our first anniversary and two weeks after relaunching, I had the highest net order ever placed by one customer since I opened! She purchased every single item from my new collection and a few pieces from my old inventory. That one sale showed me I had made the right decision to go back to the original vision for MaiDlynn’s and I have been moving forward ever since.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what has helped me build my reputation is my honesty and integrity. I am a firm believer in being transparent with my customers. There have been times when a customer is looking for an item that I either don’t have in stock or I don’t have the color they are looking for…I will find the item at another boutique and send the link to the customer for them to buy it elsewhere. There have also been times when a customer has purchased a pre-order item and when I receive the merchandise from the vendor and it doesn’t meet my expectation, so I return the customer’s money instead of sending them subpar clothing.

It is important to me that when people hear the MaiDlynn’s name or see the MaiDlynn’s logo, it speaks well of itself and so far, it’s doing just that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maidlynns.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/maidlynnschicboutique
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/maidlynns

Image Credits
Terry Lee Photography Frances Dillon Photography and Video