Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanisha Butt.
Hi Tanisha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hello, we are Tanisha and Mama Ruby, the truly loved & favored mother/daughter duo and owners of Conquest Gems. How we derived at this name is because Conquest is our family name and Gems are for the beautiful gems that we sell. We started our jewelry business in July of 2020 in PA after both being laid off due to the pandemic and needing supplemental income. We have always been lovers of jewelry, and we knew a few people who had started their business as independent consultants for the very popular company named Paparazzi, and we decided to step out on faith and give it a try. We were concerned, of course, wondering if this could really be financially enough to keep our bills paid, but we knew we wouldn’t know for sure unless we tried. Now six months later we are financially surviving from this business and very pleased with our decision.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Things actually started off better than expected. We decided to go LIVE on facebook which myself nor my mother were comfortable or confident about but surprisingly on our very 1st LIVE show we had so much support an so many viewers and we ended up selling over 50 pieces on day one. As life goes, we did face some setbacks but we kept the faith and a postive outlook. We ended up deciding to move to GA 3 months after we started and had to search for houses from afar so that we could move in by the end of November. During the process of trying to move, we had boxes everywhere. Trying to find space to do our LIVE show was a chore indeed and trying to find good lighting in a crowded area was also tough. A week before we were schedued to move, Mama Ruby was hospitalized unexpectedly and had to stay for a few days. A week after that, our family pet was also hospitalized, and it put our business on hold for about 45 days. During those 45 days, we moved to GA and unfortunately didn’t get into a house right away, etc. so we couldn’t go LIVE. We were very concerned we would lose our customers and business, but we prayed and stayed faithful, and our customers were right there waiting for us when we returned. It was from that moment on that we took the reigns and started to run this business the way that we saw fit for our customers to be satisfied.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
With Conquest Gems, we specialize in both women’s and a few men pieces of affordable jewelry. Our motto is “you don’t have to spend a million, to look like a million.” Our goal is to help both men and women learn how to accessorize for less to look their best. Most items are $5 and look absolutely beautiful and worth more. We are always open to having others join our team who are wanting to start their own business but unsure where or how to start. Please reach out to us, and we would be more than happy to tell you more.
This is truly a family-run business. My twin daughters also help us out with our LIVE Facebook shows twice a week. Deyahna is the behind-the-scenes one who is filling the baskets with customer orders and Deysha is our Deejay on Sunday’s where she joins our LIVE show and plays music, introduces games/winners and help to entertain our customers. She also sometimes fills in if one of us can’t be there. We are so thankful for everyone who has helped to make this business successful. We have three beautiful ladies who have joined our team, one which referred us to this magazine Renee Mack of Sweet Pizazz, whom we are thankful for.
Tanisha is actually a jack of all trades. She co-manages one of her daughter’s acting and modeling career. She works as a Virtual Executive Assistant for a Film Producer, she is the Talent Manager for an Entertainment Company called D Richardson Productions, and she is a full-time mother. Her previous accomplishments were owner of a Virtual Assistant business, a Daycare Provider and Life Coach. Tanisha is most proud of being a mother to three amazing, young entrepreneurs her 3 D’s-Devahn, Deysha & Deyahna and is also proud of all she has been able to accomplish as a single mother. She attributes everything to God, her strong Mama Ruby for leading the way and her family & friends for all their support.
Mama Ruby is thankfully retired now from working three jobs for many years in corporate America for over 50yrs and she is now able to focus on being the Co-owner of Conquest Gems and the hands-on & extremely supportive grandmother to five wonderful grandchildren and 3 children who are all doing great things. Ruby has accomplished so much over the years from doing volunteer work, being a Buyer for a Manufacture company, Hotel Management, Retail District Manager and more. She has exemplified strength, class & willpower over the years and we all have learned so much from her.
We are thrilled to now have put our brains and ideas together to now be running a successful jewelry business and more. What we feel sets us apart from others is our genuine personalities and care for others. Our knowledge and expertise when it comes to knowing how to run a business, and also the fact that this is three generations of strong ladies working together for one common goal, financial freedom.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
What we learned during the Covid-19 Crisis is that it’s very important to always have different streams of income to hold you up when things get pulled right from under your feet. We learned to not always sweat the small stuff because tomorrow is not promised, and we learned that we make a great business team who is able to do anything we put our minds to.
Pricing:
- $5 For most items
- $25 For our Z Collection pieces
Contact Info:
- Email: conquestgems4less@gmail.com
- Website: www.paparazziaccessories.com/conquestgems
- Instagram: instagram.com/conquestgems
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/conquestgems
Image Credits
Gr Group Entertainment Deysha Nelson Twyla Johnson Elizabeth Wilson-Westbrooks
