Gymini is a full ready to wear inclusive collection offering women’s contemporary lifestyle, on-trend fashion. Based in Cleveland, OH we have over 20 years’ experience in retail sales, education and textiles. Influenced by the “live, work, play” communities providing opportunities for engagement, entrepreneurship, and energy; our mission is to provide attainable luxury clothing that is stylish and comfortable.

When selecting our garments we choose staple over trend. We also invest in selecting quality fabrics over quantity. Construction of garments also plays a huge role in buying, as we want to make sure our items are durable and fit well. Our items are sold in collections so that customers don’t have to over think creating a look or adding complimentary items to their existing wardrobe.

We style our clients to complement their figures and enhance their beauty. We understand work and life balance and create looks for the office and/or a cocktail after work! Style should also be affordable, and we have our customer’s budget in mind. Not only do we provide high quality products but we do this with affordable prices.

My name is Megan Sims and I am a the owner and operator of Gymini. I’ve always had a passion for fashion and entrepreneurship, but just didn’t know what career direction I wanted to pursue within the industry. I have over 20 years combined experience in retail sales and textiles and clothing education. My past work experiences and education truly sparked the light that led me to want to further pursue retail entrepreneurship. To understand how I go to where I am today, I’d like to share a little bit of my back story with you.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree from Delaware State University in Apparel Textiles and clothing and upon graduation decided that I wanted to be a merchandising educator. I obtained a Master of Family and Consumer Sciences degree from Iowa State University majoring in Textiles and Clothing and Entrepreneurship in Human Sciences. While at ISU, I had an opportunity to serve as an instructor, teaching merchandising and visual retailing courses. While I enjoyed teaching and the development of students, I realized that teaching was not my passion, and I no longer desired a career in education. I shifted gears from education and started working in retail sales to gain experience that would help me pursue a career in Buying. I worked at several specialty and luxury retail businesses, gaining experience in merchandising, visuals, and management. After working several years in the retail store space, I started becoming stagnant in my roles; experiencing limited career progression and compromising my work-life balance with the ever-changing retail scheduling. I decided to take a break from retail and moved toward a career in Human Resources specializing in Talent Acquisition. I am currently working in Human Resources in the corporate sector but was previously laid off from my former employer in June of 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19.

While like many Americans at that time, unemployed and actively looking for work I decided that I would use that time to pursue a long overdue dream. My friends and family would often suggest that I needed to start my own clothing brand or open my own boutique. I’ve always wanted to venture into entrepreneurship, but the fear of not being financially stable and unsure of the exact direction I wanted to go in kept me paralyzed. I continuously put the idea to the side hoping that there would be a better time and/or that I would have more financial resources to start a business.

In December of 2020, I took a leap of faith and applied for a business license, which birthed Gymini! I set a hard time frame to launch my online boutique by May of 2021. It took months of research and planning, but I was able to launch my first collection “Genesis” on May 1, 2021. I have been active in business for 1 year and 5 months and have launched a total of 7 collections and will launch two more collection by the end of the year (October and December). I’m still learning, growing, failing, and flying at the same time! Being an entrepreneur is not easy and there is no right or wrong path to success. My journey is one built on my faith in God to order me in the right direction. I remain open to learning, growing, and building my brand. I believe in continuous education and often sign up for various seminars and e-learnings for entrepreneurs specializing in helping us to scale our businesses.

Gymini aims to impress our clients by providing a unique twist on staple classics that are attractive, competitive, and irresistible. I specialize in differentiation. My product assortment is unlike many seen in the various boutiques. I look for clothing that I consider to be timeless, great fabrications, and all season. When you think of Gymini, you should think Edgy/Classic. My collections are all built around inclusivity for all women and exclusivity in style.

I believe my ability to deliver a customer experience and brand synchrony sets me apart from others. I work hard on branding and making sure that my marketing advertisements are clean and streamlined. When I release a collection, I reach out to all my email subscribers providing them with a look book of the new collection and first access of what’s to come. I respond to inquiries within 24 hours, and I incorporate feedback given by customers in my future collections.

I am most proud of starting Gymini and not giving up! There are so many people who have great ideas but are afraid to take the leap of faith to start. It took me over 10 years to start Gymini. I am so excited about what’s to come and to see what it will be 5 years from now.

Readers, potential clients, and social media followers should know that Gymini prides itself on delivering exceptional customer service. We are a new brand, but we are here to stay! We hope to expand our offerings by increasing our product assortment and size run. We welcome you to subscribe to our website and follow, like, comment and share with us on IG and Facebook.

I sell my products on my website, www.shopgyminibrand.com which is housed on Shopify. While researching website engines that would be best, I wanted to use a platform that was user friendly, generated financial reports, tracked inventory, and had a reasonably priced maintenance fee. I also saw that several retail merchants used Shopify and they had great reviews from customers regarding their performance, service and ability to meet their business needs. I selected Shopify because it matched all of my website needs and budget.

Housing my website on Shopify also allows me to sell my products through other social media platforms by integrating the apps through my website. I also sell through Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Clients can view my products and shop directly with me on these platforms at no additional cost to me or them. Having a social media presence and engagement is such a huge contributor to a business’s marketing plan. The world revolves around social media and platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook help business owners share their products and services with the world. Social media allows me to organically engage with customers; creating a following and increasing website conversion. I always encourage my clients to subscribe to my website to stay in the know and follow me on IG and FB @shopgyminbrand.

I would encourage new entrepreneurs to do their research and select the platform(s) that meets most of their business needs to sell their products and services. Remember the more sales channels you have increases your audience and conversation power.

The best source of new clients for me is gained by doing pop up and vendor events. Pop up and vendor events are where small business owner’s who generally do not have brick and motor spaces “rent” a space to sell their products or showcase their services. My business is online only, so I have to engage in opportunities for exposure, where clients get to know me and my brand.

I do a minimum of three pop up events a month to build brand awareness, gain new clients and engage with existing clients. I have found that I sell more products when I am able to deliver a face to face customer experience. I love that I get the opportunity to create an intimate shopping experience, allowing clients to put a face to the name behind the brand.

Where do I find these events? Goggle is my BFF! I also find events through social media by joining various Facebook groups geared toward small business owners and pop up events, searching Eventbrite, networking, and from other small business owners. I am intentional about the events that I participate in, making sure that they will draw my target audience and core consumer. I have participated in both indoor and outdoor events on small and large scales. So far I have vended in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan and am looking forward to traveling to more out of state events. To see where I will be next check out my Local Events page on my website shopgyminibrand.com.