We recently connected with Tabatha Clements and have shared our conversation below.
Tabatha, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Imagine growing up in a town with a population of about 3,000. Small country town, where your nearest neighbors cows and chickens! Imagine living in a small town, but having big city dreams. Well, that’s who I am and why I’m here today…
I’ll give you a brief journey of my 41 year existence…
As kids, we used our imagination and dreamed big…I dreamed of having a huge house in the city, with a husband and kid. Healthy, with a garden of all the fresh herbs you could think of…Traveling the world on a private jet with so much money in the bank, it’s bursting at the seams…
And then I wake up to reality…
I’m sitting here, writing my story, with an arthritic back, disheveled hair, financially strapped with no garden in sight! Let’s not even start on the many economy flights I have taken over the years…far from the jet setting life style I dreamt of as a kid! I do have the honor and privilege of raising a 15 year old, with big dreams and goals set for her future…This is why I took a risk…
Follow me for a minute…
Finally, after 20 years in Corporate America, it happened…
I have contributed to everyone’s else’s happiness, giving up my family, friends, social life, entrepreneurial dreams…my contribution to everyone else’s happiness, drained me of who I am and what my dreams are…I walked away. I walked away from Financial stability, much needed health insurance, people whom I cared for deeply, the best boss I will never have again…I didn’t think of anything but my daughter and I happiness and the future endeavor awaiting…
I took the risk and decided to build my own brand…still helping others, yet keeping our goals and dreams at the forefront…Let’s move on and I’ll give you a little background on how ˈmərCHənˌdīz was born…
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.
As of today, ˈmərCHənˌdīz has launched!
When I walked away from my career, I did not have a plan, but I knew, opportunities were at my footsteps…
Everyone needs or wants to have nice items to give their clients, employees or even sell online have been put at a standstill due to extremely high prices. I found out that over the years, 3rd party vendors main motivation has been money. Hear me out…
It’s okay to have financial goals in sight, but would you rather have that satisfaction of a few dollars for the moment or long, lasting relationships for your future?
I brainstormed and figured out ways to minimize the Company’s budget, but maximizing their profit. More profit means pouring back into the employees. Employees are the biggest asset to your company. One of my mentors taught me, “Take care of people and they will take care of you!”
When I was brainstorming about the idea of my entrepreneurial journey, I asked myself several questions:
How can I continue to help others by doing something I’m truly passionate about? How can I save companies money, allowing them to give back more to the employees? How will I earn an income, yet sticking to my core value of why I chose to jump in head first? How will I make this my most successful entrepreneurial endeavor? Branding, re-branding and marketing are the best tools for businesses to get their names out. If done in a manner where there is less of a financial burden on a company, it will definitely give them a boost to want to do more with their brand…
And then…
ˈmərCHənˌdīz was birth. The idea is to help companies build their brand by not putting a financial strain on them. We specialize in private label items only… by doing this, they are allowed to make the decisions on how they want to market their company. They decide budget and how much they want to invest and we just make it happen! From promotional items to apparel, we work with you to make sure all your needs and wants for your company are met, without breaking the bank!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Simply put: Word of mouth
The are so many marketing strategies to help launch your business, via social media, flyers, the internet, but my easiest way has been word of mouth and producing the highest quality of items on the market.
I put a lot of time and energy into products. I make sure they are well-made with superb quality. I treat it as if it my own.
The time and energy you put into yourself will reflect with your products. Now that I have the time and energy to finally focus on my goals, it reflects in our products for consumers.
Stay consistent and true to your values. The rest will follow….
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The only effective strategy I have ever used with business is giving you the best version of Tabatha…
Again, I return to my core business goals and values: Taking care of people and people will take care of you…. Word of mouth and producing a great product. I am sticking with this until my tires fall off!
Build relationships, build trust, build your brand off your communication with others and reliability…
You+You=Strategy
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Merchendiz.info
- Linkedin: Merchendiz
Image Credits
Tasha Clements