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

Hi Sheree, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

Let me start off by saying that I’m so grateful for the friends and family that have supported me along this journey and continue to do so. I’ll be honest, this topic is an interesting one for me… It hits home in a different way right now and is something that’s been on my mind because it just happened. I must be candid about this: I took part in Sound of Fashion Week Connecticut last October when it debuted as a weeklong event in multiple cities… I was excited to go back home and have my brand, Wild Seed Butik, showcase in this fashion week. It was also the first year of debuting my line. It was a big deal to me. I sent out personal invites to family and friends. I called, texted… I posted on social media. People acknowledged it, you know?! When the time came, 2 of the 3 shows I did were open to the public and only at the last show did two of my childhood friends show up. Not one family member. I chalked it up to the pandemic and let it be. This year, I was invited to come back for the 2nd time. I did it again: same invites, even more this time around… A few showed. I’m grateful for those few and the room full of attendees that were able to gain awareness about my brand. I’m grateful for the receptiveness, the opportunity and the amazing experience… Even though seeing familiar faces would have been touching, it was also touching to see the new faces with genuine applause, smiles and interest. Perhaps everyone was busy for the night. Perhaps, it didn’t mean as much to them as it meant to me. After all, I am the one that is vested, right? Lol! Although people are outside more, socially, this year, I know… We’re, technically, still in a pandemic. So, it is what it is. I’m not making excuses for anyone or dismissing anything. I’ve learned to just move differently next time around. Wild Seed Butik is my business, my baby. I’m going to care the most. I’ve learned, well, fellow entrepreneurs and I talk about this all the time; so, I’ve now experienced this on a different level: that family and friends won’t always be the ones to support your/my business – not in the way one may desire or expect. However, if they choose and are able to show up, give them grace to do so the best way they can. At the end of navigating through my feelings, I had to let go of expectations because ultimately, I know that nobody owes me anything and business is not emotional. When I show up for someone, and it varies how that may look (physically, spreading the word about their endeavors, etc.), it’s because it’s out of the goodness of my heart and I support/care about what they’re doing – I’m in favor of it and/or them. It’s not because I expect anything in return. Don’t get me wrong, yes, reciprocity can be beautiful but for me, it’s not with expectation. The faces of my tribe are changing and that is okay. As I continue to grow, people can bear witness at their own will. I’ll keep going, with love, nonetheless!

Sheree, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was in the process of planning and forming Wild Seed Butik as a business, I already had an Etsy shop, Refresh By Ree: I sold handcrafted accessories such as fanny packs, baby booties, oven mitts, clutch purses, boho bags, and more, all of which I made with my sewing machine. It was Fall 2022. Earlier that year, the pandemic hit and business slowed down. The main thing that kept getting ordered were face masks. The way things were looking, I either needed to reconsider my hand crafted business of 6 years, ReeFresh By Ree, or pivot! I prayed and meditated about it… I became real still and listened. I already knew I wanted to scale the handcrafted business so while going through the process of figuring things out, I decided to level up to getting the items manufactured. If I wanted to grow and get into multiple retail markets, it was only inevitable. It was the perfect time. I lived online researching the process and manufacturers, building my website, working the design elements, getting samples, etc. It took about two and a half months before I was ready to go live.

Wild Seed Butik offers apparel, accessories and footwear… Where Africana elements and dope art from creatives of the Diaspora are intertwined, promoting cultural confidence. It represents and “unapologeticness” when it comes to wearables designed with these prints and vibrant colors. I feel like we shouldn’t inhibit ourselves in the way we dress as we express and reflect our vibe.

That also goes for the collaborations with the artists. They are extremely talented! Their work is powerful and tells a story that many of us can relate to, appreciate and feel. The work that they do needs to be seen and celebrated. It’s truly just an honor to share what they do… even if it’s only a fraction through the vehicle of Wild Seed.

You know, I’m in my second year since pivoting. Honestly, I am proud to say that I am still here, going and growing – because it’s definitely not easy in any way, shape or form. And to be transparent, sales fluctuate and the expenses and fees steadily increase; but I Give Thanks for making it another year whilst in the pandemic. I’m thankful for the support and that includes customers as well as Our Village United: Cohort 3!!! I’m a proud graduate of this amazing program for entrepreneurs.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I knew that the next level of my business venture had to include getting my items manufactured by an outside company. From my current line up of apparel, accessories and footwear, the only thing I knew how to sew were the fanny packs and face masks. Because I wanted to scale and offer other kinds of products, I already knew outsourcing was the way to go. What that looked like for me was googling companies that offered what I needed. I read the reviews and set up accounts to a few different online vendors and tested the process for each one, which also included getting custom product samples and assessing the quality. From there, I was able to decide which vendor I wanted to go with and products I wanted to design. Along the way, I’ve learned to have more than one vendor for the same products. As of now, my merchandise gets made to order overseas. So, if I have to replenish inventory at one of the retail locations and it happens to coincide with one of their major holidays, I’m stuck in a bad way because they essentially shut production and shipping down. I learned that the hard way. In addition to that, I’ve also learned to have some inventory on hand as a buffer during those times. Anything can happen as we’ve experienced during this pandemic: shipments stuck on the water, production coming to a halt, lack of workers, etc. It’s imperative to do the best we can to stay ahead of the game… stay ready so you don’t have to get ready, you know? It’s not easy though… especially, when bootstrapping. All of the money made from Wild Seed Butik goes right back into the business for more inventory, samples, etc. Rinse and repeat.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

In addition to my e-commerce site: shopwildseed.com, I sell select items from my brand at the Village Retail shop located at Ponce City Market, here in Atlanta. I’ve had products at this magical location since March 2021. I’m also excited to share that as of a few days ago, I partnered with Black American Market located at Potomac Mills in Virginia, where I’ll be selling select items as well. They just opened up so I’m super excited to join them during this time. It’s amazing what The Village Retail and BAM are doing. It’s so exciting to be a part of supportive collectives that are pushing the culture forward!

Contact Info:

• Website: shopwildseed.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/wildseedbutik
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildseedbutik