We were lucky to catch up with Rhesa Teesdale recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rhesa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Success is subjective; other people measure success by the money they have made and others measure by the lives they have impact. I include many different factors in measuring my success, including money earned and impacted lives. I think quantifying your goals into reachable targets opens the door for you to accomplish many things in this life. It is imperative to keep yourself accountable to reaching that target because that will be the only way you will grow. For example, if you want to be successful with a business, I believe it is necessary to set a yearly goal for the business (ex: $10,000 in revenue in a year, 100,000 impressions on my website in a year, etc.) and work diligently to meet the goal. If you continue setting these goals, you will see your business grow in a tremendous way.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I always knew I wanted to start my own business since my freshman year of high school, I just never knew what I wanted to build my business around. My parents suggested that I start a brand that focuses on Bible verses because I grew up in a Christain household, but I did not know where to start. It was not until my senior year of high school that I knew I wanted to go to college for business, so I started to think about what kind of business I wanted to start. One of my close friends suggested that I start a clothing brand because I took fashion seriously and I always came to school in my best outfits. At that moment, I realized that I wanted to create a business centered around fashion and spread a strong message about positivity, motivation, and inspiration, more specifically through Bible verses and motivational quotes. My close friend and I immediately got to work and what came to be was Prophet | Envoy. Ever since Prophet | Envoy opened up for business in Fall 2019, we have seen significant success in the brand, accruing over five figures, more than 1 million total impressions, and selling in 5 continents in countries such as Brazil, the United Kingdom, China, Nigeria, & more.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
It took almost two years for me to truly understand how to have a consistent customer base, but the best advice I would give to growing your base is clearly identifying the type of customer you wish to sell your product/service to and center your content on what would be the most appealing to them. Here’s a quick example of this: if you sell streetwear clothing with a focus on vintage designs, the style of content I would produce would focus on the “vintage lifestyle.” After this, I would then make a couple of videos with a VHS filter, having models partake in activities that were popular in the 1990s/2000s era, such as hanging out in the mall, rollerskating, and many other activities. This will allow the customer to relate to the content on a personal level because they most likely have participated in these activities in the past, but my content will encourage them to partake in these activities once again, and wearing our brand may enhance the experience.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
At the height of the pandemic, social media was at an all-time high as well. I utilized platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to spread the message of my brand rather than tell people to buy my products. I went on to show people my lifestyle, not only as a business owner but as a college student. I would normally post relatable content, fashion ideas, or comedic skits to attract and relate to my audience. This allowed me to gain a little trust from my potential customer base and be more open to hearing about my business. Once people understood who I am as a person, as a business owner, and what I stand by, this opened the door for my business to grow exponentially on all of my platforms, especially TikTok. Leading with your business in social media is not always the best way to go about expanding your social media presence; once people know who you are, they are more inclined to engage with your business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.prophetenvoy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prophetenvoy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prophetenvoy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhesa-teesdale/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/prophetenvoy?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqMchy5oM_4
- Other: Personal TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@iconic.ceo?lang=en Business TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@prophetenvoy?lang=en
Image Credits
Preston Whelchel