The Liberian Entrepreneur Who Is Making 50K a month Selling Jewelry

Photo Credit: Millie’s International Creations/ Facebook

Many people give up on their dreams and ambitions before seeing the breakthrough that they always wanted. This can come from a plethora of reasons. Lack of funds, lack of confidence, or lack of hard work ethic.

Penny Clarke is an exception to the masses. She started her company 6 years ago and saw her sales explode from $5,000 a month to $50,000 a month during this COVID pandemic. Here’s how she did it.

Humble Beginnings

Photo Credit: Monrovia, Liberia Pinterest

Penny is the last baby of 8 children. She was born and raised in Monrovia, Liberia. She looked up to her mother who worked as a schoolteacher and sold cornbread to make ends meet. Seeing that her mother had a side hustle inspired her to expand her streams of income. She migrated to the United States at age 16 to further her education. Her mother passed away in 2014 from congestive heart failure, which moved her to be more committed to helping women of color achieve their dreams.

In 2015 a trip to South Africa inspired her to build a team of African designers. Together they created a line of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, headwraps, handbags, and more. When her company was first launched she was still working as a government employee in Washington D.C. The pandemic has really propelled a lot of online businesses in the right direction. Economists are coining 2021 as the year of “The Great Resignation”. People are quitting their jobs in droves to pursue remote work.

Inflation is a huge issue within the job market. With travel restrictions still in place, many are taking this time to go back to school and really pursue what they love to do. Immigration and work visas have also been on the decline, which means they are a shortage of foreigners to take on jobs that are temporary and seasonal. Many “quitters” are not quitting work entirely. They are on the search for better opportunities.

Penny is among those who are taking a leap of faith to invest in an online business. The memories of how resilient her mother was accompanied by her love of travel, fashion, and foreigners birthed “Millie’s International Creations”. Most of her online boutiques’ materials are derived from Africa.

How Her Business Grew

Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

Digital marketing is an in-demand skill because it can powerfully scale a business from zero to hero. Facebook ad campaigns can target your ideal demographics. A website with a sales funnel can generate awareness, consideration, and qualified leads which can turn into daily buyers.

Penny attributes her growing sales to the digital marketing agency 7th Pro Solutions. “When I started working with Edwin Jardin (the founder of 7th Pro Solutions), he really helped me to create a sales funnel for my website that has literally increased my revenue by 500%. My company now gets sales every single day, and it’s a challenge to keep up with inventory – which is a great problem to have.”

Creating a sales funnel can be a daunting task when you try to do it alone. The 3 main stages of a sales funnel are awareness, consideration, and decision. During awareness, a potential buyer is shown the product or service. How well the advertisement is towards gaining awareness is crucial for consideration. The 2nd stage, consideration is when interest is sparked. The person’s curiosity ignites in them the desire to buy. The last stage, the decision is when the buyer decides to buy a product or service.

7th Pro Solutions is a Digital Marketing Agency that focuses on accelerating business growth through effective strategies. Facebook ads can cause sales conversions to grow rapidly. Each ad has to be tailored to your individual social media platform. A business manager usually decides to use Facebook advertising in a strategic marketing plan when they want to reach new qualified prospecting audiences.

Are You A Passionpreneur?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Millie’s International Creations has a simple mission statement: “Millie’s aims to bring quality merchandise by women designers and artisans at an affordable price to the U.S. market. Part of our proceeds benefits various nonprofits around the world. I am continually traveling and seeking out women who wish to achieve their dreams and support their families through their craft.”

What’s your craft? Is there any hobby of yours that gives you butterflies anytime you daydream about it? Turning your dreams into reality takes investment, a concrete business plan, and a supportive team that works in harmony with your goals. During this pandemic, hustling can open many avenues if you are persistent.

Starting a side hustle can push you to expand past the boundaries in your comfort zone. Need some inspiration? Check out Etsy. You can take common household items to create your own handmade goods. From hats to unique bracelets, people love creations that took time and skill to make. Writing an e-book that inspires others can help you to make connections in the blogging industry. Take your expertise in a field to teach valuable lessons to others.

Monetizing your social media is another way to start building an online business. Instagram is the top social media platform for making sales. Once you have over 10,000 followers, you can monetize your posts and close deals with advertisers. Facebook Marketplace is another great place to create listings and sell handmade items. It’s free to start and you can share your items in various Facebook business groups.

Do you have a success story similar to Penny Clarke? Sound off below!

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What Everyone Must Know About Coronavirus And Hair

Coronavirus. A deadly virus that is being compared to the Spanish flu. With the worldwide death toll surging past 11,000, many are heeding government commands. Social distancing is being practiced. Schools are closing down for weeks. Millions are without work. Within the service industry hairstylists are having to deal with their businesses slowing down. What exactly is coronavirus? How can we protect our hair and still support our hairstylists?

Coronavirus – A New Deadly Disease

man in isolation holding a placard with coronavirus text
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The World Health Organization has declared that the coronavirus disease is a new strain that has never existed in humans before 2019. It is classified as a zoonotic, meaning that the transmission began between animals and people. Researchers have concluded that it started in Asia, and got transmitted from civet cats/ dromedary camels to humans.

Signs of infection include:

  • respiratory symptoms
  • fever
  • cough
  • shortness of breath
  • breathing difficulties

Getting an infection can cause:

  • pneumonia
  • severe acute respiratory syndrome
  • kidney failure
  • death

Worldwide it is being advised that extra precautions be taken to prevent this infection from spreading. These are the safety measures that we must take:

  • Regularly washing hands
  • Social distancing
  • Covering your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze
  • Thoroughly cooking your meat/eggs
  • Staying indoors as much as possible
  • Avoiding contact with anyone that is coughing or sneezing.

If you are coughing and sneezing, you should contact your doctor immediately. It can be a sign of respiratory illness which is associated with coronavirus.

Can Coronavirus Live On My Hair?

Experts have found out that the virus can last for hours, even days, on certain surfaces. For example, the coronavirus can live on steel and plastic for days. These are considered smooth surfaces. Hair is a porous surface, which means liquid can easily wash through it. So its more likely that the virus will not live on hair as long as other surfaces. But there is still a possibility. If someone sneezed on your hair and tested positive for Corona, you could catch it through involuntary contact. That is why many hairstylist salons are temporarily shutting down.

How Can I Still Keep My Hair Styled?

woman in white shirt beautifying herself despite the outbreak
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

It is advised that we avoid contact from others for the time being, and that includes hair salons. Salons and barbershops attract large groups of people. But that does not mean that we should let our hair become wild. Many hairstylists are doing house calls. So we can invite our beautician over. Double-check to make sure their equipment is properly sanitized. Also, make sure that you wash your hair daily.

Practice washing your hands as much as possible. Learn how to do simple hairstyles while staying at home. Spread the word and encourage others to carry a hand sanitizer.

Another way you can still support your hairstylist is by pre-booking in advance. Do you really need to dye your hair right away? Can you wear a protective hairstyle in the meantime? If we do not help small businesses out, service industries could take a big hit. Keeping businesses from slowing down, while being careful when it comes to our health, will do wonders for the community.

Sources:

Featured Image Credit- Getty

https://www.today.com/style/can-coronavirus-live-hair-here-s-what-experts-want-you-t176524

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coronavirus-skin-hair-nails_l_5e73ce08c5b6eab77944be05

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/03/20/coronavirus-hairstylists-making-house-calls-what-you-need-know/2870480001/