We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Robert (Hustleman) Mitchell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Robert (Hustleman) below.

Robert (Hustleman), thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I have taken several risk that lead to other risk, but i don’t call them risk, I call them leaps of faith. In 2001 i dropped out of college to pursue a career in music. I pursued this career for about 10 years without much success on a large scale. At the age of 30 I decided to pursue a career as a journalist. I may have been the first rapper to become a journalist but I had such a deep love and knowledge for music I had to still be involved in the entertainment industry. Fortunately this went way better than my music career. I built a lot of relationships doing music which lead me to scoring tons of interviews with prominent entertainers but still as I now was approaching 40 i wanted to build other businesses. I have always had a love for fragrances but never really wanted to take the chance of selling them because fragrances are expensive and going back to my days doing music i could barely get people to purchase my music.. could i get people to buy fragrances? That was the thought that held me back from doing this for years but finally i decided to try it. I started off spending just $200 on a couple bottles made a post on Facebook and sold those few bottles in minutes. Went back the next day and spent $500 and sold out the same day mainly using social media. Now i have become one of the largest retailers in Atlanta and one of the biggest black owned fragrance retailers in the US in just a little over 2 years. Now I am mixing my journalism with the fragrances and starting my show called “The lifestyles of the Rich and Fragrance”. I still do interviews and have conversations with entertainers but we discuss fragrances and smell fragrances while doing the interview… its pretty cool if i must say myself..

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Wow i think i took a deep dive into how i got into this industry while describing the risk that i took to get into it. I am really proud of how far I have come in the fragrance retail business which is something I never thought i would be doing. No knock to the big retail stores because i have spent tons of money with them over the years as a consumer but i came up with my own business model. I never want to pressure or guilt trip customers into buying from me. I love fragrances so when i talk about them you can hear the passion in my voice and i have become pretty known for my fragrance reviews so people know that if i give something a thumbs up its not just for a sale its really good. I was born and raised in a small town called Valdosta, Ga. We are known for the most winningest high school football team in the nation the Valdosta Wildcats. I wasn’t into football like everybody else was. I was focused on the end game and since most high school football players never make it to the NFL I took on something that was more of a sure thing…being a rapper… HaHa…. but being raised in that small town taught me Morals and real Southern Hospitality that i would find would go a long way in doing business…. even further than your credentials. I gained the nickname Hustleman from my Co workers because i always worked a 9 to 5, sold cds, worked on computers, did video work, filled ink cartridges, made t shirts, whatever i could do to make a buck. I took that name and built a brand with it forming The Hustleman Show, and later my fragrance site shopwithhustle.com and my production company is Hustlers Dream Productions LLC

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for me building clientele has been simply being authentic. I have paid for ads, i have made tons of post but the majority of my business still comes from word of mouth and people sharing my post and leaving great reviews. Great customer service isn’t always provided by businesses and I go above and beyond for my customers. I consult with them and will give them so many different options that can best suit them. I don’t believe i have had any 1 time shoppers ever. They always return to shop again. I make sure i thank them whether they spend $2 or $200 i make them feel appreciated. In doing that i have built a loyal clientele and along with a few knowledgeable TikTok videos on fragrances i have been able to reach thousands of potential customers.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I have spoken about fragrances this whole time but the foundation leading up to that was being an artist and a creative. The biggest reward in my eyes was creating my Hustle for your Dreams foundation giving kids incentives for making honor roll and other scholastic achievements. The Giving back part is the most rewarding. I have made a good living over the years but the biggest smile i ever seen my mom give me was when i was giving these kids rewards for their achievements and how proud those kids were. Its priceless.

Contact Info:

• Website: shopwithhustle.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/hustleman101
• Facebook: facebook.com/thehustlemanshow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-mitchell-bb215b23/
• Twitter: twitter.com/hustleman101
• Youtube: youtube.com/hustlersdreamspro
• Other: thehustlemanshow.com