We recently connected with Tellie Simpson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tellie , thanks for 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.

Ok, to start, my fascination for History and collecting has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I tell the story about collecting coins and listening to my grandfather’s stories consistently because that is truly where my love for the past began. Fast-forward to many years later; I began to pursue a museum career. I invested a lot of time and education in pursuing my museum career. However, it was not until 2020 that I was able to get a break from pouring so much into my job and start pouring into myself. That year was rough for us all, but it was the first time in my life that I was to take a break and figure out what I truly wanted in life.

I discovered that my passion for History was way beyond reading about it. I wanted to inspire people with History and shed light on historical figures often neglected in the traditional curricular lessons. This motivation Resulted in ‘A Girl In A Museum World,’ the blog and business that does just that. I take readers down the many historical rabbit holes I dive through with historical cosplay and engaging reading material. I also published my first children’s book, “A Girl In A Museum World,” which aims to inspire kids to take charge of their History and to follow their dreams.

Running this business has been fun and challenging. Of course, getting stares from people while dressed in a Victorian gown is not the most comfortable, but most times, the looks convert to curiosity, which strikes conversation that leads them to my blog, which is always a plus!

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

The great thing about my blog is that I offer related Museum and History related services like helping clients with organizing and preserving their family photographs and other heirlooms. As I mentioned, I invested a lot of education and time into my career. But with that came a lot of knowledge and expertise in handling historical objects. This is one part of my business that I am incredibly proud of. Folks trusting me with their collections is something I don’t take for granted.

I must thank my Alma mater, Morgan State University, and the many museums and archives I’ve worked for helping me gain and apply these skills in my community.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Honestly, when I first started, “branding” and “loyalty” were not on my mind at the time. It was not until I began to look at my analytics that I realized I had a following and a community building. I connected with teachers, professors, and college students who needed the resources from my blogs. My inbox became full of emails from students asking for tips and tricks on how to research.

When I discovered that my mission to be a resource was actually coming true, that’s when I started to do more research on how to share my platform with folks outside of social media. So, I created a newsletter where I share new historical finds, inspiration, and products. I have close to a 70% opening rate with every newsletter I send. Those stats tell me that subscribers enjoy and appreciate what I am sending. They can respond to the newsletter privately too!

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

I was under the impression that in order to have a successful business, one needed a ton of social media followers, and you had to be an extrovert. Yes, followers are important, and having a greater desire to be social is also important. But those two components will not break your business if you do not focus on them.

I had to figure out to how to connect, build and share my business in ways that were comfortable for me. Sure, there are times when I must be extroverted and step outside of my comfort zone for the sake of my mission, but I don’t have to constantly. I had to unlearn that quickly! I was draining myself and becoming uninspired by trying to be something I was not. Quality over quantity is most important for my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://agirlinamuseumworld.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agirlinamuseumworld/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agirlinamuseumworld
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tellie-simpson-b77816149?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F