Today we’d like to introduce you to Lenise Williams.
Lenise, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been an entrepreneur for almost fifteen years. Following my graduation from law school, I worked in a law firm. I was a new mother and hated being away from my son for so long and also felt undervalued and unappreciated at the firm where I was employed.
I left the firm after only six weeks and pursued opening my own law firm in order to have more flexibility, freedom and ultimately more time with my young child. I built the firm into a very profitable business in a short amount of time. I did this not because I was the best lawyer; I was still fairly new to the legal field. It happened because I was obsessed with marketing and what I later learned was called branding.
After having a second child and going through a divorce, I realized that my passion was not necessarily in the courtroom; it was in building the business. I decided to pursue that and walked away from the law practice and moved from Louisiana to Georgia to pursue more business endeavors. My success (as well as some of my failures) lead me to become a business consultant to many entrepreneurs.
Years later, in 2016 I was invited to speak on the subject of female entrepreneurship at a United Nations Conference in Marrakech, Morocco. While in Marrakech I was able to explore the city, enjoy the cuisine and meet many people. I fell in love with all that Morocco had to offer, including their leather goods. The leather was of superior quality, and the craftsmanship was like none other I had seen.
I purchased as many as I could fit into my luggage and even collected business cards for I knew I’d want to contact the artisans I had met to in order to purchase more at some point. While traveling back to the United States, I reflected on about how for the last few years I had a desire to create a product-based business. Many of my other ventures had been service-based.
I wanted to create a product-based business that I could teach my children about and eventually leave as a legacy for them. I wanted this but had no idea of what type of product I would sell. I had an ah-ha moment on the plane and realized that these bags could be the product I had been dreaming of. I created a quick little business plan on a cocktail napkin on my flight. I got home and the next week got to work on making the idea a reality.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been completely smooth. Initially, I went through a few manufacturers that promised to fulfill, but after receiving my payment, they disappeared. I also had manufacturers that sent me products of very poor quality that I wouldn’t dream of selling to anyone.
I also had someone serve as a middleman that I learned was “double dipping” and stealing from me. I learned of this after a site visit; my first face-to-face meeting with the middleman. I insisted on visiting the manufacturer he chose in Morocco and while there I learned of his dubious behavior. I was heartbroken and furious but had to be nonchalant as I was in a foreign country, 4,500 miles away from home, alone.
For the remainder of that trip, I did not know who to talk to or who to trust. Nonetheless, I was able to create a relationship directly with a manufacturer while there, which ultimately saved my business. Also, shipping from another country, or anywhere for that matter, has its difficulties.
Shipments get stuck in customs, delivery may not arrive on time, or some items may have mistakenly not been included in the shipment. Those things can cause delays in delivering items to our customers; that is never fun!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Made Leather Co. – what should we know?
We provide handmade bags that are made from genuine leather and ethically sourced from master artisans in Morocco. I am most proud of the attention the bags have gained from people like businessmen and women, a handful of NFL players, to even those that never had an interest in leather products.
Seeing comments and/or hearing feedback from our customers and knowing that they love these bags just as much as I do makes me so proud! Made Leather Co differs from other leather bag companies because each of our bags are unique. Because they are handmade and hand colored, not two bags can be alike- ever!
Also, the process for preparing the leather to create the bags is a six-month process called vegetable tanning. Most other companies used leather that is stripped of all of its beauty and unique qualities because it goes through chromium tanning- a chemically based process.
We are able to provide quality merchandise direct to the consumer and without a middleman or the expense of a storefront. That allows us to offer a luxury, high-end product at a fraction of the cost from other companies. We sell primarily online and also provide our products to brick and mortar retailers that sell our merchandise in their stores.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, this is a great city for my business. Although the merchandise is sold primarily online, the networking and opportunities for me to grow are endless here in Atlanta.
I have been able to connect with many in the fashion industry as well as other entrepreneurs that are always willing to share advice and feedback and connect me with people that they felt could be beneficial for my business development.
I would definitely recommend someone starting out to start in Atlanta. The number of entrepreneurs to connect with, the amount of resources, strategy and learning events are surprising!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madeleatherco.com
- Phone: 4049652858
- Email: hello@madeleatherco.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/madeleatherco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/madeleatherco
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
