We were lucky to catch up with Tracey McGhee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tracey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Travel has been a passion of mine for years! I’ve been to nearly 30 countries and counting. However, on nearly all of my trips, I always seemed to run into the same frustrations. From my necklaces tangling, to my makeup and toiletries never being as organized as I liked, I felt there had to be a better way. When I sought out to find the line of travel accessories for women that address some of these challenges, I always seemed to come up short. I not only wanted products that were functional, but I also wanted products that were stylish. What I found were either very functional products, or very stylish products – never the combination. That’s when I thought there might be a gap in the travel accessories space.

Ms. Jetsetter was created as an answer to this dilemma, because I knew I couldn’t be the only woman that felt this way. Our mission is to create functional travel accessories that help women stay organized on the go, without sacrificing style. Our Travel Trio includes a Jewelry Case that promises no tangled necklaces, a Makeup Case with travel-sized makeup brushes, and a Toiletry Bag with a detachable toiletry pouch to carry small items while out and about. Women have responded well to our product offerings. Since we launched, we’ve been featured on HSN, GMA Deals & Steals, select Walgreens, airports, casinos and I’m scheduled to launch with another major retailer by the end of year. The runway is long a wide for Ms. Jetsetter. We’ve only just begun!

Tracey, 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?

I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My father, grandfather and aunt were all entrepreneurs. So, it’s fair to say entrepreneurship is in my blood. Over the years from high school through college, I’ve had a variety of businesses, but could never be fully invested in them due to school and/or work obligations. And quite honestly, because I knew how challenging owning a business can be, I decided to take a different route and got both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business Administration.

After spending nearly 25 years in a corporate role, I felt incredibly unaligned. With the support of my husband, I decided it was time to step away and I gave entrepreneurship one last try. I spent months doing research on the travel accessories space and saw what I believed was a void. In the Spring of 2019, I left my corporate job, and launched Ms. Jetsetter in the Fall of 2019 with the Travel Trio. I took the products to popups across Chicago and the response was beyond my expectations. Women loved the concept and realized that they too had the same or similar challenges. The momentum started to build so I knew I was on to something.

Ms. Jetsetter was nominated for the Walgreens Diverse Supplier Award 2 years back-to-back. We were awarded the 2022 Supplier of the Year Class I by the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, and nominated for the Supplier of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

Being able to not only survive, but thrive after starting a travel brand right before a pandemic is what I’m most proud of.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Leaving a stable corporate job and launching a travel brand right before the pandemic was the single most challenging thing I’ve ever experienced. Despite what seemed like the all-time worst decision I could have made, I pivoted. It was because of my pivot, amazing coaching and support, that I was able to get my first product in Walgreens. My pivot product was a Mask & Wristlet Set that I pitched to Walgreens while I was in an accelerator program. They liked the product, decided to test is, and fast forward, I now have over 10 SKUs in Walgreens stores across Chicago.

The Trio has been featured on HSN and GMA Deals & Steals. Ms. J products are available in several airports and we’ll soon launch with Macy.com later this year.

Being able to not only survive, but thrive after that experience is an example of resilience.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

When I first launched Ms. Jetsetter, an early mentor suggested that I do some research to find the trade shows that were in the travel goods industry. She felt it would be a good exercise to attend one and see how other brands showcase their products, and learn what types of customers attend these shows.

After doing some research, I found a show that was perfect for my brand. My initial plan was to simply attend the show, but I later decided to buy a booth and showcase my products. That was one of the best decisions I made early on. Not only did I learn the lessons she recommended, but I got my first customers from that show. One of my best customers to this day came from that show. Now, I’ve made trade shows a standing approach in my marketing strategy because it’s given the brand great exposure while netted several new clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.msjetsetter.com
• Instagram: @mjbrand
• Facebook: @msjetsetter
• Linkedin: @traceymcghee

Image Credits
Life Made Still Images, Geraldine Teoco