We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mayo Ogunmakinwa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mayo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

It was September of 2021, I got back from my trip to Mexico and bought some cute beaded bracelets as souvenirs. I thought to myself “I could make my own bracelets and maybe even some earrings.” So a couple days later, my mom took me to Michaels. I bought string, some beads, jewelry pliers, charms, earring hooks, and jump rings. Some of the beads I wanted weren’t in the store, so we ordered them online and they came in the next few days. By this time, I had created a business Instagram and a logo. I finally had everything I needed to get to work. I started off making bracelets, it was pretty easy. But then, I started making earrings, it was tough figuring out a way to attach the ring of beads to the hook. But I finally figured it out, I made two sets of earrings, a light pink set, and a black set with a red accent bead. I was done creating the products, so it was now time to take pictures. I took quite a few, and I mean quite a few. I uploaded them to my Instagram account and boosted them, now it was time to be patient. I waited quite a while, but it didn’t work out, so I took a break.

It was now April of 2022, beaded bracelets were very popular. Once again, I started making my own bracelets, with a bead mix from Michaels, but this time for fun. Then, I got the idea to start selling them at school. I got a couple orders from my friends and this gave me the idea to expand beyond selling at my school. I went home and told my parents that I wanted to start my own business. They bought me nine bead mixes of three different kinds, it was very pricey but worth it. This time I knew exactly what to do. I explored many different e-commerce sites until I found the one that was just right. Then I began editing to my preference. I made two logos, established my brand color, and made a watermark to put on my product photos. I also made a “Coming Soon” flyer and posted it to my Instagram account. I removed the older pictures because I wanted a fresh start. I shared this post everywhere, I sent it to all my friends and family, and I shared it on my personal Instagram. It got some attention this time. Then, the day finally came. It was May 7th, we opened for business. I posted my product photos and boosted it, they got a lot of attention. I was so happy. Five days later, I got my first online order, it was from Georgia. I was so proud of myself.

Fastforward to June, my business got some attention, so I decided that I wanted brand ambassadors. I created a Google Form and shared it. I received some applications and selected two new members of my team. This month I also came out with new arrivals and made a TikTok account. In July, I expanded to waistbeads. This was a great business decision as it reached a whole new audience. It was now August and we have grown so much since May. I came out with Gemstone Chip bracelets, and I was looking for more brand ambassadors. I reopened the Google Form and asked in depth questions. I selected five lucky people to join our team, it was a good decision. On October 22nd, I had my first Pop-Up Shop, it had a Breast Cancer Awareness theme. This same day I also came out with some more beaded bracelets, it was one of my favorite drops so far.

It is now the last month of the year, Decemeber, and I am having a Christmas giveaway. I am so proud of how much my business has grown in the past 7 months, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

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

My name is Mayo and I am 13 years old. I got into my industry of beaded jewlery making by making my own bracelets. I make beaded bracelets, waistbeads, and earrings. When my clients have any questions, I try to solve it to the best of my ability and explain it in a transparent manner. I am most proud of how much I have grown and expanded in the 7 months of opening my business. I want potential clients and supporters to know that I take my time with every product. I put the same amount of love and care into everything I make. And I hope that you will appreciate your handmade item with everything that it was created with.

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

This summer I went to this non-profit camp for middle school girls of color. It started off with three weeks of camp and it ended with a one week trip to Costa Rica. When travelling you want to buy souvenirs, so you bring money. I got the idea of bringing my bracelets and waistbeads on the trip. It was like the second day of being in Costa Rica, I told one of my friends that I brought my bracelets and waistbeads, she wanted to buy some. She came to my room, and bought five bracelets. Soon the word spread to the other girls on the trip and everyone was coming to my room to buy bracelets. One of my friends bought a lot as souvenirs, “I bought it in Costa Rica, so it counts.” she said. After that day, I completely sold out of all my bracelets. The next day, another girl on the trip bought two of my waistbeads. The trip was over and we went home, I was happy that I came home with more money than what I left with. This is one of my favorite sales stories and it makes me laugh whenever I think back to it.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been social media. I love advertising on Instagram because you can program it to reach a certain audience of people. You can pick which states you would like it to reach, as well as what age group. Tiktok is also very helpful, especially if your video goes viral, because then a lot of people have seen it. If they like what they see, in your 15 second video, it makes them want to place and order.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beadsbymayo.bigcartel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_beadsbymayo/
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_beadsbymayo