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

Niara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I personally manage all of my business’ social media platforms: Tik Tok, Instagram, and Pinterest. I chose to manage my own social media because it cuts the costs of hiring someone to manage it and ever since day one, I have done everything pertaining to my business all by myself. I also manage all of the outsides of social media marketing, including email campaigns and SMS marketing. My social media presence has definitely grown since I launched my business, but since I’ve been thinking about it, my business would definitely benefit from having someone else manage my social media page that understands marketing and brand image a little bit better. I would definitely recommend managing your own social media platforms to make it more personable and trustworthy, but I would also recommend that you have an experienced advisor to assist you so you can make the best decisions for marketing, expansion, and making sure your page and content is reaching your target audience so you can have conversions to sales.

Niara, 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?

I’ve always loved the arts industry. I’ve always loved drawing, painting, dancing, music, and fashion. When I was younger I always used to put on my mom’s high heels and walk around in a boa and a hat and pretend I was at a fashion show. When I was 8 or 9 my parents started to let me dress myself and it became an outlet of expression. I felt like when I dressed myself it reflected exactly who I was and who I wanted to be. As I got older, my mom would take my sister and I to the mall and I honestly lost the joy I used to have for in-person shopping. I couldn’t find stores that didn’t have the same basic inventory as the others. There were not any stores that stuck out to me anymore when I walked into the mall. So, I decided to make my own, which is still one of my biggest goals today: to open in-person stores in the mall. My brand is a chic take on streetwear and explores several mediums of fashion: sweatsuits, swimsuits, beanies, jeans, and more. Currently, I consider my brand unisex but most of my available products right now target more women than men. Eventually, I’d like to expand my unisex pieces and even create men-targeted pieces. I would say I am the most proud of my very first pop-up shop in Columbia Mall and how I sold out of almost every item I advertised that weekend. I want anyone reading this to know that Veramoda is completely authentic and everything is designed by me. I put my heart and soul into each item making sure that it is perfect before releasing it to the public. I care about customer satisfaction more than anything, and if you’re not satisfied with an item in terms of size or anything please reach out and we will attempt to accommodate you.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I work several jobs from babysitting in and out of my neighborhood, working a part-time job, and other avenues of income to be able to fund my business. I saved up enough money to launch my business during the pandemic. Even to this day my business still needs to be funded by other means of income to be able to expand and sustain my business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best new source of clients for me has been through pop-up shop events. Pop-up shop events have allowed me to reach new audiences and engage new customers that I have not been able to reach previously through mediums of social media. Additionally, pop-up shops have allowed me to interact and connect with other aspiring small business owners and support their businesses as well.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopveramoda.com
• Instagram: @shop.veramoda
• Pinterest: @shopveramoda
• Facebook: Shop Veramoda

Image Credits
@ily2jadah on the professional photographs