Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nadia Gordon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Nadia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

My brand Tall Girls Tees was originally opened in 2021, to build the self-confidence of tall girls over 5’9, through inspirational clothing and apparel. I started during the pandemic, so I had nothing to do with the revenue really, but post-covid I noticed I wanted to get into community service but with my own creativity. I rebranded Tall Girl Tees, to host community service projects that were built on the profits I had saved. Summer of 2023, I hosted 1 community service initiative a month, and through donations and invested funds. We provided non-perishable groceries to over 200 people, provided shoes and clothes to the less fortunate, and more. I had made it a mission to design and sell the t-shirts so that I could afford to give back.

Nadia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Nadia Gordon, popularly known as Nadia Simone. I am a serial entrepreneur and also a college student with an expected graduation in May 2025. Growing up I was surrounded by businesswomen in my family which influenced me to open my own business during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit since 5th grade, I sold snacks out of my home pantry to my classmates. Since 2017, I have created and launched a total of 5 home businesses. Each business has taught me a new skill or craft that I plan to use for my future endeavors. I like to call myself a jacky of all trades, being I am able to learn something fast and do well at it. Each of my businesses is significant being they were created to be a benefit or help to others. Bella Throne Accessories was the first legit business that my mom invested in me as a gift. We sold costume jewelry to middle-aged and elderly women, to provide them with an affordable option that would take their wardrobe to the next level without breaking their pockets. That experience taught me the fundamentals of customer service at the age of 15. Next, I obtained my babysitting license and certification. Simone’s Sitting gave me insight into knowing my worth of time within a business setting. We were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and forced to hold operations for all businesses in my household for a moment. This jumpstarted my peak of interest in graphic design and T-shirt printing. I bought a Cricut machine, originally to find a new hobby, but led to me creating my first clothing brand. Tall Girl Tees started as a confidence-building program for Tall Girls, that also sold stylish clothing and provided resources to “tall girl-friendly” boutiques and shops. After graduating high school and 3 years of building the brand, I shifted my focus to something more community service-oriented. The profits made from the clothing brand were used to fund community service initiatives in my community and also while I was away at school in Columbia, SC. I hosted a variety of events such as a hydration station, grocery and shoe giveaways, a brown paper bag project, and even a domestic violence hygiene box assembly. Even after that, I felt my mission wasn’t complete. After closing part of my operations on the clothing brand, I wanted to create stylish designs for my HBCU. Benedict College is a small private institution that is left out on multiple large-name collegiate apparel sites. With my creativity, I designed and manufactured the clothing from the bed of my dorm room. By Nadia Simone, is a one-stop shop for on-campus organizations and students. I provided graphic design services and unique college-themed apparel. This built a name for myself as a freshman while also spreading awareness to smaller schools.
My story is not complete as I continue to help uplift my community with my entrepreneurial gifts and talents. I find it better when you go out and make the change instead of waiting for the change to happen.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Starting a business as a teenager, gave me the advantage of being social media literate. I had the knowledge of how to work the platforms, and the importance of using them, and could engage with my customers properly without any cost or stress. With Tall Girls Tees, I created an algorithm that was curated just for tall girls. I would post reels or TikToks I knew tall girls could relate to. I also incorporated, my clothing design within the post carousel and finished off with hashtags that were trending. My advice would be to trust the process, It does take a while. Instagrams are not built overnight unless you are a celebrity or a social media influencer. I would also advise people to always ” sell” their business or themselves as an entrepreneur, whenever I saw a tall girl, I made sure I promoted my business. Never know who you could impact just by one conversation.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson that I had to unlearn was trying to please everyone. In the beginning, I felt as a business owner it was my job to please every customer and try to satisfy their needs with my services, but I was wrong. I liked being the nice person in the game, that gave you a free product or discount every time someone supported my business, but after years of making sacrifices for the customers and nothing back in return, I knew I needed to relearn the importance of my brand. I always heard ” the customer was right and that I should just “go with the flow”, but going with the flow and allowing the customers to walk over the business that I built caused me to lose profits and products in the end. My motto now is ” Time is valuable so charge accordingly”, knowing my worth in my work and understanding that this is business not personal shifted my mindset on another level.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/tallgirltees/?hl=en
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byynadiasimonee/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-gordon-miller-73a56b211/
• Other: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFhJcCcqtQ/hKRA8FlC_Ai0cAkHo3Z5Vw/watch?utm_content=DAFhJcCcqtQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink