We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffanee Bines a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffanee, thanks for joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

If I could go back in time, I wish I would have started my business sooner. If I would have started sooner, I would have accomplished a lot more because I had more free time before Nursing school. I paid people to do what I know I could do. I started my business October 2019, right on my grandma’s birthday the 21st. During that time, I was in the middle half of Nursing school (Med Surg to be exact. If you know, then you know). I had to study, work part-time and attend school/clinicals. On top of that, I started my business a couple of months before COVID hit the states. My experience then would have allowed me to function school and work at the same time.

Tiffanee, 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?

My name is Tiffanee, but everyone calls me Tip. I’m 25 and I’m from Effingham, SC. I have been a Nurse for 2 Years and I enjoy what I do for the people. I got into by craft because my Grandma Sally encourage me too. She would buy shirts and say, “Here put something on this so I can wear it to my doctor’s appointment tomorrow.” She had every Monogram shirt and jacket you could think of.

The services I provide are Custom Design items such as shirts, cups, any fabric, keychains and etc. I also specialize in certain Wedding Party Decor such as Bouquets and certain bridal fashion.

I’m proud of how far I have come. Last year after my grandma passed, I was ready to sell my business. All of my customers found out I took my page down and sent 50 messages to my phone telling me to stay. After many prayers and time away, I came back with a bang. My customers definitely keep me on my toes. They aren’t even customers to me. I call them My “Topnotchh Family.” Family will always be there for you through thick and thin.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is making sure they receive their order in a timely manner, the price fits their expectations, and their needs have been met. It’s my duty to make sure my customers love their order before they leave my presence.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients is my soon to be married couples, new parents, and expecting parents. Big events such as weddings, birthday parties and other festivities can be costly in this time. My “Topnotchh Family” knows I try to go above and beyond to make sure their events are a success. I always tell people “If I can’t help you, I won’t hinder you.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thetopnotchhway
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/topnotchhcustoms

Image Credits
Images Capture By Tiffanee “Topnotchh” Bines