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

Hi Shydiyah, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

When I think of my legacy it means so many different things to me. At this current moment in my life, I will say that I hope to leave a legacy of unity & togetherness. More and more each day I am understanding the importance of community. I want people to know & remember me as someone who brought people together and connected people from all walks of life through things that I am passionate about (e.g. fashion). I want people to know, especially women, that shining light on others does not dim yours and that we go a lot further in life with the help of others aka our “tribe.” When they say it takes a village, that doesn’t;t stop after a baby grows ups, adults need the village too.

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?

My name is Shydiyah Gardner and I am the founder of Shydiva Co. I am a dynamic women who is purpose driven and ambitious with a keen interest in fashion, art & design. Shydiva Co was established in 2015 right in my college suite. Accessorizing has always been a passion of mine since a young girl. One day I taught myself how to sew clutch bags and that was the creation of my brand. What started out as a hobby has now turned into a full collection of handbags and accessories created by me. Today, we sell a variety of handbag/bag styles, statement jewelry, sunglasses & eyewear and more.

I like to believe that the problem we solve for our customers is helping them elevate a simple & timeless outfit by pairing it with our fabulous handbags and accessories. Also, we are very serious about creating pieces that are both fashion and functional. I believe one of our biggest attributes to this industry and what sets my brand apart from the rest is the level at which we take care of our customers/community. Any inconvenience no matter how big or small is always our #1 priority to solve and take care of for our people.

I am most proud of my persistence in business. I have been doing this for 7 years now and although some times have been a lot more challenging than others, I do not quit. I want new and potential Shydiva Co lovers to know that customer care and quality are two of our biggest values at this company.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I started manufacturing in the fall of 2019. To get started I simply went to google and started typing in key words of what exactly I was looking for. Before I actually made a purchase with anyone I connected with too many manufacturers. I introduced myself and told them exactly what I was looking for and what I can afford at the time. I had no idea how to manufacture a product but I knew simple design skills because I had already been sewing for a few years before that. Finding the right vendor who could execute my vision took patience. After talking to a few factories I found one that I felt at the time I vibe with the most. I found this company of Alibaba.com. They were quick in response, my rep at the time was super sweet and they worked with me exactly where I was currently at in business (as far as budget and customer demand).

To this very day, I still work with the same factory. After 3 years our partnership has expanded so much. They started out producing only 100 bags for me a month fast forward now they produce more than 25,000 bags for me a year. Along the way I have learned that the production process cannot be rushed, ever. It takes time & a lot of patience to develop a product from A to Z and sometimes it still may not be right. Which brings me to the second lesson I learned about manufacturing, which is it costs money, lots of it. Developing a product isn’t a cheap task at all. Especially if you value quality.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I remember loosing my first ever Instagram business page in 2017. I think it was hacked, but just like that, all 800 followers/supporters were gone. I was so devastated. However, I didn’t let that keep me down for long. In the next few days I was making a new page. At the time a lot of my audience was coming from word of mouth. That’s because from 2017-2019 I was selling from the truck of my car. The girls were telling their friends who had friends who had friends that Shydiva Co had the cutest bags and the owner was pulling up on Friday/Saturday nights to get you together before a night out. So they started following the page on IG and keeping up with all the new goodies. From there, I continued to create and post content I know the girlies would love. In fall of 2019 and early 2020, others started to brag and post about what we were doing so much we started to get reposted by blogs like The Zoe Report, Essence & The Shade Room.

My advice to those just starting to build their social media presence is do it consistently. Find out what kind of content resonates with your potential audience and do just that. But do it everyday al day, lol well not literally but you get the point. Always keep it fresh and fun, they’ll come. I promise.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shydiva.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shydivaco/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shydiva.Co/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shydivaco?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/diyahhgardner