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My name is Meme B., I am a Busy Brown Girl who owns an online boutique & this is Busy Talk with Brown Girl Proverb.
Melinda Butler is an Atlanta native who has successfully inserted herself into the world of business and has effortlessly embodied the bossiness that is of an entrepreneur. I guess now that I’ve gassed her up enough, you all can finally meet her...
As an entrepreneur, what has been the most difficult or tedious task since launching your online boutique?
I would say the most difficult task for me was getting traffic to my website. At first, I only spread the word to friends and family, as well as my social media platforms, but now I have noticed that I have to PAY for marketing to drive more traffic to my website.
What would you say helps differentiate you from the other online boutiques out there? What makes you stand out among the rest?
What differentiates me is that my boutique is like a one-stop-shop. Customers are able to complete their entire look on just one website. I offer hair, lashes, clothing, swimwear, phone cases, heels, jewelry, etc. I think that is what makes me stand out, because although I have many competitors on the clothing side of things, I believe that offering hair and lashes will make women shop with me and know that they will receive one package with their full look!
What is it like being young, gifted and black?
Sometimes it is hard, because with dating men think I am a little too independent and educated. They feel like I am ahead of them in life, (which may be true, LOL) but I don’t try to make it seem that way. I just mention my business and education background and I feel they get intimidated from there. But other than that, I love being young, gifted and black!
Since your boutique caters to so many different areas from beauty to fashion, what was the process like for you when it came down to deciding what you'd sell and how you would brand yourself?
I became an entrepreneur from selling hair only, and then I expanded to offer lashes and other hair accessories. I later came across a vendor who had very high quality clothing and swimwear that I was wearing personally and one day I said to myself “how can I combine my hair business with a new clothing & swimsuit business”. I talked to my younger sister and she said “why not just have a whole online boutique that offers it all?” I thought OMG that would be a great idea because I was actually thinking of making it two separate businesses at first. So once that idea was brought to my attention I figured out a name and rebranded the entire business.
What advice would you give a young woman or man who’s interested in tapping into outlets like e-boutiques and fashion?
My advice to someone else would be to just START. The hardest part of becoming an entrepreneur is starting. An individual can have so many ideas but be afraid to start their business. But anyone who comes across me in conversation, I always tell them to take the leap of faith and just start the business. Research like crazy, find people who have the same type of business you want to have, and then go from there.
What’s a typical day/week look like for you?
A typical week for me would include adding products to my website, shipping orders daily, and posting on my business’ social media page frequently to make sure I am catching potential customers at different times of the day. I also spend time researching, as well as listening to business podcasts and YouTube videos. I find new products for my e-boutique daily, and start ordering so I can test the products out. But other than that, I plan out my week on Sundays and try to follow my to-do list daily.
Where do you see The Passion Collection being within the next 3-5 years?
In the next 3-5 years I see The Passion Collection being a very popular boutique where I will need to hire employees because of the overwhelming amount of orders. I plan to have a fully-staffed business where I am paying people to make TPC a great online company. As of now, I am working towards this goal as we speak.
These talks just keep getting busier and better and bossier and, honestly, I could do these everyday! Meme, you are a vital part of the percentage of us entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. I’m proud of you and what you've accomplished thus far! Keep the bundles, the lashes, the fire a** clothes and everything else coming because the girls are waitinnnnnng! Be great.
Favor, Peace & Blessings
Mimi