Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Slaughter.
Sierra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The journey to finally seeing growth within my business has been a rollercoaster. I launched back in July of 2019 and used the mistakes of previous business attempts to make everything seamless. So I thought, but that wasn’t the case at all. I tried many things to get my name out there from pop up shops to running ads on Instagram, but I couldn’t gain traction. It wasn’t until last month where COVID-19 caused me to pivot. I did some research and started making cloth dust masks with filters inside. I’m not going to say mine can prevent the virus, BUT my filters don’t allow particles through and that alone makes me happy. My mom works in the healthcare field in the ER, and her safety was more important to me than making money, but God’s plan was bigger than mine. I have filtered and unfiltered masks because some people wanted to use their precautions but still make a fashion statement lol. I have donated my filtered masks to healthcare workers to make sure I’m doing my part in helping during this time.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Far from smooth! BUT, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I feel like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be and the best part is I didn’t give up. I was working a full time job that I hated, and it was killing my creativity. Every time I came up with a dope concept or idea, I was too sleepy to execute it by the time I got off. Doing something you despise every day and feeling defeated and like nothing is changing for the better is draining, and in turn, it took away from my business. God had different plans for me as usual and I got fired. In their words, my position was being “dissolved.” January 24, 2020 that good news was delivered to me. They expected some negative response, but little did they know I was ecstatic. I haven’t had this much freedom since college. I had never been laid off before, didn’t know how unemployment worked, and I was worried I can’t lie. I thought my phlebotomy certification was going to cover me, but it didn’t. So, that pivot I was talking about has granted me the ability to create as my heart desires and I have seen more growth over the past two months than I have since I’ve started. My obstacles were mental, but anyone who knows me knows that I can’t focus on too many things at once or I’ll overthink and overwhelm myself. Also, the routine of waking up dreading my job, sitting in traffic for an hour, doing a job that insulted my four years in college, and sitting in traffic to get home to do it all over again four more days out of the week was never in my plan of adulting.
Si. Slaughter Boutique – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The primary focus is tomboy chic. I wanted it to represent how I want to dress when I have money to spend lol. My boutique features handmade items, including the cloth dust masks, but I still wanted to embody what my brand meant to me. I’m most proud of the success I’ve seen so far and being able to reinvest the money I’ve made back into new ideas for what’s to come. What sets me apart from others is me, and the endless amounts of research I do before I jump into something. That may be my downfall one day, but I’m working on it. Everything that goes into creating my products I’ve taught myself. No classes, just YouTube University and my desire to put me in a position to create my table of success.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success by people knowing my brand and what it represents. People yearning for what’s to come whenever I say I’m launching something new. That has kept me on my toes this past couple of months and I love it. The money will come, but to be able to be in this space and create what has been in my head for years puts me on this high that I cannot describe. I love it and I’m finally happy with where things are headed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sislaughterboutique.com
- Email: info@sislaughterboutique.com
- Instagram: @sislaughterboutique
- Facebook: fb.com/sislaughterboutique
Image Credit:
Sierra Slaughter
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