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

Hi Rachael , thanks for joining us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

That’s a great question! My mother, Sandra Highsmith. I have seen her face many challenges and yet never gave up. Her determination and the will to succeed is what keeps me going. Being an entrepreneur is not easy and you don’t become an overnight success. It takes true dedication, hard work, and the willingness to accept a few no’s to get to that yes. My mother gave me that, and that is why she is my hero, not to be afraid of failure, you learn from it, and keep going!

Rachael , 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 am the CEO and founder of Designs by Ms. Ray Hygh, a fashionable, comfortable, and affordable clothing line. My clothing line is a representation and the affirmation that Black and Brown people are Dope, Intelligent, Beautiful, etc..I wanted to create a line that acknowledges the divine power, as a people, hold. I think it’s important to not only wear it, but to believe it. I got into this business at a time where it seemed like people who looked like me was being presented a narrative that we are to be afraid of, that we are not capable of achieving greatness. I felt I could change that view starting with people who look like me. I believe what sets me apart from many other clothing lines are a few things, but most importantly, is my WILL, to get my people to believe in themselves, to be proud of their blackness. As the CEO, I make myself accessible to my clients. They are not just customers, but my clients, that I build relationships with. It’s not just a business transaction, it’s a family. I have serviced clients through many states and even overseas, but I am most proud of, as a small business, seeing clients wearing my clothing line in their everyday lives. It still makes me proud and smile to see that for them, it’s not just a transaction, as well. To my potential clients, followers, fans, or those who may be interested in working with me, that I am involved in every step my business takes, from ordering, tracking, delivery notifications, to let me know how it feels, what you like or dislike. That you will speak directly to me, that your voice matters.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

The advice I could provide when managing a team is making sure you have very effective communication. Making sure each team member feels heard and appreciated. Sometimes, especially within large organizations, that gets lost, and the true mission of the business can suffer. To maintain high morale is to not loose sight of why your here! Why you sit at the big table each day providing a product or a service. Stay focused on the impact you have on your clients.

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

I noticed after a few years, still in the beginning, sales started to become stagnant. One of the many things to understand as a business owner, is the realization that things change. What people are doing and no longer doing, and although the feedback to my product was good, sales was saying another. So I started your voice matters template that would be sent to each client who made a purchase, just asking what you would like to see, like for me to offer. Based of the feedback, some changes were made to accommodate.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: DesignsbyMsRayHygh
• Facebook: Designs by Ms Ray Hygh
• Yelp: Designs by Ms. Ray Hygh