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

Alright, Sierra Shanelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I have been designing clothes since I was a young girl. I would always have a notebook with me full of ideas and sketches because my mind literally has no off button. Before even launching my brand I had no idea how to go about anything. I figured things out very slowly and as I began to figure those things out I used one of my younger sisters as my go to person for listening to my ideas. Every time I had an idea I would literally be so excited and I would always take things straight to her or text her my thoughts. One day I finally was able to make a connection with a company that was local and was willing to take my ideas and put them on shirts for me. They turned out so beautiful and I had ordered all these shirts of my design and then I had no idea how I was going to shop them around and advertise them. My sister believed in me so much that she bought two of the shirts and was my first customer and my most loyal returning customer for a long time. I didn’t’ make a lot of money from the sale but I remember being very excited that she was willing to support my business so that I could make my first sale.

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

I have a clothing line that I started to help support and uplift young women to know and find their worth! I use my clothing line as a way to help promote worth and self love! My motto is: when you know your worth, you move different.

Not knowing my worth could have cost me my life.

I grew up familiar with abuse, which began when I was five years old. My first abuser was a woman.

Growing up in that environment, abuse became normal to me. I was comfortable with it. So every relationship I had for a very long time was abusive.

I didn’t recognize my worth and I never questioned it.

It wasn’t until I had my son that my perspective shifted. Having him meant the abuse affected me differently. Instead of only looking out for myself, I was acting as a mother.

The situation was dire and not an easy fix. My mental health was really affected as I struggled with wanting to live.

I left behind all toxic relationships and began finding my worth. I recognized that I gravitated toward toxic people because I saw toxic as ‘normal.’ Once I saw myself differently and began to see my own value, my version of normal began to change.

One key moment happened when my son was three. We had just moved into a new place after being homeless. We were just getting back on our feet and I had hid some Christmas presents from him in my bedroom closet.

He was still sleeping in my bed with me at the time – he was afraid of the dark. But one night he got up in the middle of the night, moved to the closet and turned on a little light, and starts screaming, ‘I found it! I found it!’

I had no idea what he was referencing. He just kept saying,’I found it, Mommy, I found it.’ He took out this Christmas gift and was so in awe of it. That gratitude changed me.

It was that year that I really recognized how I kept ending up in abusive situations because I didn’t know I was worthy of more. Once I recognized it, I wanted to help others recognize it as well.

I created the Queen by Sierra Shanelle clothing line so women could reflect their worth with the clothes they wear, allowing them to move in a different way.

I’ve since expanded to include men and am working to represent all ethnicities and circumstances because we are ALL deserving of knowing our worth.

To learn more about Queen by Sierra Shanelle, visit queenbysierrashanelle.com

I am also a recording artist and songwriter with a dope single called “Coutin Blessings” with Ed Blair II.  I am in a group called the “Blairs” with my husband and we are working on a really cool project and visual for the single that is currently out.   I also have a seat at the table for Safe Place in Battle Creek Michigan as one of the Board members that help to advocate for victims of Domestic violence.   I love all that I do and am most excited about my clothing line because I will be transitioning it into an online Boutique before making it a storefront. 

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

Pop up Shops have seriously been the best and most convenient way for people to learn about me and my brand! I have to say that people that support you at Pop up Shops support is different. They help to grow my clientele by supporting my brand and believing in what I have to offer really makes a huge difference. For every person that stops at a table of mine for a Pop up Shop it’s an opportunity to be able to win them over with my story and my why which are both embedded into my brand. At Pop Up shops I have my business cards, I set my table up really nice with my brand items and I also have an easy barcode for scanning. That way my new customers can scan and click and now I have them shopping my website even while they see my product in person so now they see oh I have seen this maybe before and they see it’s a real clothing line and not a scam or bop line. The feedback from women especially is always so positive and uplifting to me.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When Covid hit it was already hard in life making ends meet and taking care of my first born son at the time as a single mother. I would struggle at times and so even though I was making my moves with my business from my paychecks from my 9-5 I still needed the opportunity to take a lump sum of money and put it back into myself and my business. That year Covid hit I took my taxes and money from the Covid Pandemic and I invested it back into myself. Not the PPP loan either, I wasn’t brave enough to apply for that but I made work with what I had and I had an immediate huge profit from my investment! I took that money and that alone time since how the world was in quarantine and I made that capital work t get me to the next level of where I wanted my business to go.

Contact Info:

• Website: Queenbysierrashanelle.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/queenbysierrashanellellc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queenbysierrashanelle
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/queenbysierra
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@queenbysierrashanelle9845?feature=shares
• Other: https://music.apple.com/us/album/countin-blessings-feat-ed-blair-sierra-shanelle-single/1651268306

Image Credits
Sierra Shanelle Blair Christina NeCole