We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tanaine Jenkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tanaine below.

Tanaine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

In 2019 I lost everything. I lost my relationship, I totaled my car, I lost my job and I almost died…in that order. Outwardly, I went about my life like nothing was wrong when my world was crashing down around me. I suppressed all of these feelings but a year later, they bubbled to the surface, I was in a dark place, and I was spiraling…fast.

In a transparent conversation I that I had with a friend of mine, she told me that one day she hoped that I felt that I was enough and that started my journey. In 2020 created Everything I Am LLC, which is a clothing line that is geared toward men and women that have been incarcerated and do not feel like they can ever be enough in this world. Then I created The Loc’d Line which is the only apparel company in the US that is dedicated to men and women on a (dread)locked journey. In April of 2022 I was certified by Dr. Eric (ET) Thomas as a Game Changing Speaker. So, honestly, I didn’t come up with the idea, I just begin to operate in my purpose.

Tanaine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

-military Tanaine Jenkins is a lot of things. I am a daughter, awesome auntie, favorite niece and best friend. I am also ex=an amazing cook and wine and bourbon connoisseur. I am a black woman and a lesbian and a convicted felon who is trying to find her way in this world where strikes are handed out freely.

I started Everything I Am LLC because I didn’t want women that looked like me to not believe in themselves. Eight years after I was released from prison, I felt like I didn’t belong…Like I wasn’t enough for me or anyone else. Everything I Am LCC is about letting men and women that have made past mistakes know that they are more than enough, that they are everything they are flaws and all.

I am passionate about lifting people up and not beating them down. I am passionate about my scares, my ebbs and flows and the lessons that I have learned. I do not want those coming behind me to spend their next eight years wondering if they are enough or searching for where they belong. I want them to know that they were born enough and that they belong in any room they walk in and any table that they choose to sit at.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that what happens in this house stays in this house.

I didn’t talk about my prison experience much. Only those close to me knew about my time inside and they didn’t know much of the details. I kept them to myself, kept them close. 2020,

10 years after my conviction and eight years after my release is the first time that I put my story out there. The response that I received was overwhelming. The men and women that commented and said that I was a beacon of light and an inspiration to keep going was something unexpected. That is when I realized that I was not alone in this and that others needed to know that they weren’t alone either.

I have been traveling the country pouring into other men and women and letting them know that prison isn’t the end of the road, it’s just a detour.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Consistency, adding value, and connecting with your ideal client is the best way to grow your clientele.

Posting once a month will not cut it. You have to stay relevant in your clients’ lives. Checking with emails or social media posts, just letting them know, “Hey, I’m still here!”

Adding value is big. In my market, I provide people with stats on recidivism and incarceration. I also give my clients the history on (dread)locked hair and why it’s a lifestyle and not a hairstyle.

Connecting with your client is all about story telling. Why did you start your business? What drives you to do what you do? If you can get people to buy into you, they will also buy into the product.

Contact Info:

• Website: TheLocdLine.com, IamEverythingIam.com, TanaineJenkins.com
• Instagram: The_Locd_Line, Tanaine.jenkins
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelocdline, https://www.facebook.com/TanainetheSpeaker
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tanainejenkins