Today we’d like to introduce you to Melvin Browne.
Melvin, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My early years kept me busy and challenged. Born in NYC but raised in upstate Rochester, NY. I grew up playing the trumpet for a world-class drum corps and studied piano and musical composition before my introduction into marketing.
During my senior year, I accepted a non-exclusive contract with a male modeling agency in New York and moved right away to be featured in campaigns with brands like Urban Outfitters, Virgin Mobile, Paisley & Gray, Akademiks and Piercing Pagoda just to name a few. Moving back to the city was a pivotal moment for me. Being exposed to fashion, marketing and fast city life drove me to entrepreneurship. During my undergrad program at Berkeley College, I worked full-time as a Merchandiser for a fashion brand, Kenneth Cole. The key to my growth was my ability to be flexible, intuitive and simply, be myself.
Post undergrad, I launched my first 501c(4) non-profit, launched a swimwear line that was stocked in 3 retailers in the south and took a paid marketing internship at a major creative agency, GTM. That Internship exposed me to the Wine & Spirits Industry and Brand Activation. I assisted with developing branded experiences with Diageo brands, Smirnoff and Guinness. I spent my early professional years then, working as a Global Sales Manager for a variety of fashion brands. Wholesale and merchandising is where all of my life experiences came into play. I traveled to apparel trade shows every season and managed multi-brand showrooms for La Perla, Brioni, Profound Aesthetic, Taylor Byrd and Royal Oak just to name a few.
Til this day, I travel, live and work between Atlanta and New York. It’s my balance, and I can’t have one without the other. In 2014, I sat around my ATL apartment and decided that I wanted to commit to entrepreneurship. I knew two things, I was extremely skilled in marketing/sales and I knew that I wanted to use the color yellow to represent my brand. My ideas and ways were fresh, strategic and visually dynamic. I wanted to work with all brands. From fashion, beauty, food, wine & spirits, entertainment, to hospitality. I understood that image and perception drove value and without image, there is no perception. And my very own creative agency Lemon Brands was born.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely NOT! Lol and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The Rocky Roads Taught me EVERYTHING, I know! Being young and chasing your goals is never easy. I grew up running a business. My flaws, mistakes and uncertainty played a huge part in discovering my place in this world as a professional. I learned that there is no one way to success.
Aside from personal hardships and overcoming outside pressure from the world we live in. It was difficult leaving wages and employment for entrepreneurship. It was scary and hard to leave a promised weekly check after working 40 hours – to then with confidence, leave that check behind for the opportunity to chase my dreams and financial independence.
The day I left my job as a Global Sales Manager was the day sh*t got REAL. Taking accountability for managing a team, offices, resources and clients is a WHOLE world within itself. Being young, black and gay, I have experienced everything from realtors not taking me seriously when looking at commercial spaces, down to doing whatever I have to do to ensure my team and staff are paid 1st. No excuses necessary.
Also, sometimes you end up doing business with clients who may not necessarily have all the right intentions. Understandably, it’s hard to let go as a business owner and put your livelihood into someone else hands. Some clients struggle with that and never get passed it. You can only work as hard as a brand or business is willing to work for themselves. So working with brands that I believed in was key to overcoming reservations about new business and the changes it comes with.
I do not like seeing people invest and waste their money and time. My rocky road smoothed out and all It took was delivering on my promises, providing transparency and treating my clients as if their businesses were my very own. People appreciate feeling like a priority and knowing that the person they chose to take them to the next level cares and understands just as much or more.
To anyone ready to take that step into starting your own business. Just Do It. Don’t look for the moment, just take it. There is never a “good” time to start, that’s more of a waste of time than anything. The struggle is real. But so worth it. I believe exposure to a variety of lifestyles, multi-levels of business and professional settings is required to understand consumers and that comes FIRST. Understand the consumer first, then bring innovation and then brand it. It’s NEVER too late to become what you could have been.
Please tell us about Lemon Brands.
Lemon Brands is a boutique creative agency that cultivates brands and products through strategic branding, social media strategy, brand activation, product development, sales and graphic design. We have worked with over 50 brands in a variety of industries here in the U.S. and around the world.
Some of our clients include The Busy Bee Cafe, Qilo, Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen, Think Royln, Lambda Vodka, BSquared, Cecil Steakhouse, UNCF, Lenox Saphire, ColorBloc Music Festival, INOVATION3, Label & Label and BURDEN – The Film to name a few. LB is based in ATL & New York and we have a small team of photographers, graphic designers, project managers and support staff. We are a 360 agency and we specialize in small to medium-sized business in diverse markets.
I am MOST proud of our consistency and ability to raise the bar and standards for ourselves constantly. We are ALWAYS learning as individuals and as a team. Anyone can start, not many can keep going. It’s hard out here and I am extremely happy and blessed to still be here.
What sets Lemon Brands apart from others? Well we’re a young team, full of fresh ideas and full of life. We understand conversion. We understand visibility, consumers and connection. We have what we call a “Lemon Squeeze”. A significant step in the on-boarding process of a new client. Where we dump all of our ideas, critiques and strategy into one place and figure out where to go next, our way allows the client to be heard and leaves room for growth. It creates a space for everyone to contribute and also learn, which is invaluable.
We believe in leading with our best foot forward. You really only have one first impression. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to do what you love and be successful at it. In a world full of options, making sure your that BEST option is the KEY to success. We are known for BUILDING brands from the ground up but also restoring, refreshing, stabilizing and turning sour days into sweet ones. So when life hands you lemons… Call Lemon Brands.
Contact Info:
- Address: NY Headquarters
1460 Broadway
New York, NY 10036 - Website: www.LemonBrands.com
- Phone: 212.804.7366
- Email: Melvin@LemonBrands.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/lemonbrands
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LemonBrands
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lemonbrands
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lemon-brands-new-york
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lemon-brands/
Image Credit:
Please Credit: Lemon Brands/Morgen Purcell
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