We were lucky to catch up with MiKhala Haile recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi MiKhala, thanks for joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I were starting over (which I actually am), I would definitely do more research, take my time with sourcing vendors/fabric/materials and most importantly, and more importantly…TRUST MY INSTINCTS and don”t second guess myself! I feel a lot of those reasons stated above, hindered me from getting to where I want to be in business after 3 years. Of course I shouldn’t put a time limit on my goals, but I know there are some things that I did and did not do, that definitely could have been prevented.

I could get to where I’m at today, faster by being more strategic, patient and calculated. But I do feel that everyone has their time and place. So I don’t want to say I’d get to this place faster by doing something different, because I may not have been ready/prepared for where I am now, 2 years ago.

MiKhala, 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?

ELIAH B. comes from my family last name. My mom’s maiden name is Haile. And the B represents my dad’s side of the family, Bryson. I also name a lot of my pieces after family members, so when I say it’s from my family names, I really mean it!

I provide stylish, versatile, everyday clothing and accessories for the Tomboychic community. I like to describe Tomboychic as a well-balanced, unisex style. So if you feel your style is unisex, then you are Tomboychic! I aim to make my customers feel stylish, well-dressed, original and most importantly comfortable. I also aim to m make the underdogs feel seen and included in the conversations of “you can be fly, you can be stylish, all without following trends.”

What I’m most proud of is my consistency. For a while I definitely struggled with being inconsistent and I beat myself up about it ALOT. But as I’m growing in my business as well as personal life, I’m realizing that I need to give myself wayyy more credit than I have been. I’ve had a lot of setbacks these past few years and could’ve gave up a long time ago. But it was the determination and CONSISTENCY that kept me going.

The main thing that I want potential clients/followers/fans to know about ELIAH B. is that, no matter what changes the business may go through, it’s all a part of our journey and as long as you all stick it out and hang in there with me, I’m going to show up and deliver every time.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I rebranded ELIAH B. in April of this year. I got a new website, new logo, did multiple photoshoots for new arrivals and even did giveaways for the rebrand. Since June, I have been off my game. The content wasn’t coming to me, the clothing and accessory items weren’t inspiring me to do anything and I just felt stuck.

Fast forward to the end of July, I lost a family member who was close to me like a brother. It hit me hard because I’ve never felt a pain/hurt like that before. So I paused from ELIAH B. and took time to sit in my emotions. While in that moment I started praying for direction for ELIAH B. After sitting with my thoughts, I decided it was time for me to pivot, not move on, from ELIAH B. and focus on TOMBOYTUESDAY.

TomboyTuesday is something I would do every Tuesday. It started off as blog posts on my website to generate more traffic and for customers to shop more. Then it transitioned into going live on Instagram with local influencers, business owners and more to highlight their style, give advice to viewers and more. It’s a way for my customers to get to know not only me more, but get to see the person behind the brand and interact with my followers more.

I’m able to take a step back and see where I went wrong with ELIAH B. and how to apply those lessons to Tomboy Tuesday. I realized I have a creative mind and the way I was selling my merchandise, wasn’t fulfilling to me. I know now that I get to be creative and have a clearer vision, mission and problem-solve for my customers.

It’s ok to take a step back, regroup, rebrand and pivot as many times as you need to until you get it right.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The absolute best source of new clients for me has and always will be pop up shops! I’m able to meet current clients/followers in person and give them my good energy in person. I feel like we really get to connect and they see me for me. That to me establishes brand loyalty. I also get to meet new clients and show them that I’m really serious about my business!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eliahb.com
• Instagram: Business: @eliahb._ Personal: @heymkayy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eliahBshop/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/eliahb