We recently connected with Melanie Kinchen and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope my legacy is something my family and future children will be proud of. I want my legacy always to represent my authentic self which is shown through my business and the work that I have done. I have always wanted my business to build a supportive community for women. I want women to know that we can be leaders and support one another through the different resources that we each have. The legacy is more about what did “Melanie do next” after she accomplished a goal for her business. Hence, the name of my blog and shop is “What’s Next Mel?” I always strived for the stars and never wanted to feel stagnant or that I didn’t accomplish enough in my lifetime. I hope that my legacy is something that my children can continue to build on and also be able to build their own extension of my company.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a cultural and lifestyle blogger that has recently moved to Los Angeles from New York City. I was raised in Miami but from a young age; I always had a traveling spirit and always wanted to explore. I love to travel and immerse myself in the country’s culture from their food, famous architecture, and shopping. During college and after, I worked in retail management where I learned how to be a leader and also business skills. I was able to combine what I learned from my retail experience and my college degrees in Psychology and Advertising/Marketing Communications. I started my blog, What’s Next Mel? in 2019. It started off as a travel blog where I was able to place all my travel photos. People then started asking me about what I did when I was there and I started writing about it. During the pandemic, I turned it into a lifestyle blog and shared more of my life. I also started my podcast, “What’s Next Mel.” The podcast shares stories, resources, and interviews about mental health, careers, dating, and more. We talk with various women and men about current events that affect mostly women in today’s society.

A new part of my business that we will be launching in late 2022/early 2023 is our subscription boxes. These subscription boxes will be curated with different items from women-owned businesses that women and men will be able to use on their bodies and/or at home. We are super excited to launch our shop that will not only sell products but you will be able to read an interview with that business owner and learn more about the company, the owner, and the product. You can subscribe to our newsletter on our website, “What’s Next Mel” to learn about our launch date, events, and more.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When it came time to fund my business; I decided to go through the bootstrapping route. I invested in my own business with the money that I had in my savings account. I was working a full-time job and would take about 5-8% of it and put it into my business. As the business started to make revenue, I would just use the profits and put them right back into the business. I definitely made mistakes when it came to the financial aspect of my business. I used two accountants that were not efficient and had poor communication skills. It ultimately made me have to redirect my focus to the business finances. I have now become more organized and detail oriented when it comes to the financial side of the business. I learned how to use excel and Quickbooks so that I am able to know what my profit margins are and be able to keep my expenses down to a minimum. I am in the process of looking for investors to help expand my business. This has been a new learning experience in ensuring that my business plan, pitch deck, and more are ready to be in front of investors.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I recently completed the Bank of America’s certification program under Cornell University on Women’s Entrepreneurship. I thought I did a lot of research about finances, legal, and entrepreneurship on my own. I was completely wrong! I probably learned about 15% of entrepreneurship through Google and different articles. This certification program helped with the other 85% of understanding about how to run a small business. They teach you everything from finances, legal, marketing, customer discovery, and more. It was a 6-week course that was intense but engaging with discussions and a course project. It was really great to get feedback from professors and classmates on my business. It was great that it was also women-focused and to learn more about Women’s business owners’ struggles in a male-dominated world. I will take all the information I learned through this certification program into my own business as I re-brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.whatsnextmel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniekinchen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatsnextmel
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/melanie-kinchen-b9b78887
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatsnextmel

Image Credits
Juvair Andrew Nix