Featuring Ellopuppet.com Founder Kierra Mitchner
Presented By
Exquisite Podcast Radio Network
Sponsored By
Ellopuppet.com and Blackstarfundlllp.com
Abbreviated Audio Transcript
thanks for tuning into another revealing better results. And this is show number 111 and 11. And I'm your host garland. del mclaughlin, also known as the consulting guy in today's show,
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was being brought to listeners in part by exquisite podcast radio network. And sponsored by yellow puppet l O puppet dot com e L L O puppet dot com,
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and black star fund, triple lp. And for the listeners out there, remember to follow share and lycos on your social media platforms where you hear us and all the exquisite podcast,
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radio networks show and on revealing better results. We like to get involved by helping entrepreneurs and community leaders in small businesses reach their goals by strategic li, consulting them with podcast services.
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And today we have a special guest on revealing better results with us. We have Ms. kyra mitch, nor on the line with us today, and she's a florida a and m graduate in a strategic accountant.
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And she's also the only founding she foundational black american woman with their own children's diaper line of products and accessories. Now welcome to revealing better results. kyra,
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how's, how's the baby diaper business st. You these days? Well, it is a very competitive industry, but nonetheless, there is space and room to grow.
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But thank you God, of having me truly honored and I do not take this opportunity lightly. So let's get into it. Ok. Ok. Well,
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what inspired you to get into the type of business in particular, you know, just share some stories with one of the lead. So I can, I'll do a timeline here.
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So the pen to me, so 2021. Excuse me, 2020. I got sent home to work to work from home and which was a blessing for me.
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I got to spend more time with my daughter and bond. And then also just kind of reflect on my family matters. I am a single mom and you know,
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it just, it just gave me time to really reflect on how I got to where I was in to, you know, kind of rearrange some things and,
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and put me and my daughter in a, in a better position. But that, you know, but that was one thing. But as we move on to the middle of the year,
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you know, the unfortunate an untimely death of george florida murder, i should say, happened. And I was, I was pretty much triggered at this point because,
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you know, of all of the unjust, you know, police killing of our brothers, our fathers in the black community. You know, and I'm in a,
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I live in the city where, you know, treyvon was murdered. The emotions running high at this point. I didn't like what they were staying, especially when I found out that george floyd was a father.
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And, you know, I could think about was, you know, his daughter not coming home to a father and I'm like, well, it could be me,
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you know, I could have made, it could happen to my child products. So I was like, man, I really want it to create a brand that one for takes families in particularly or 1st black families.
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And so would that send to me by the end of the that's when I started to, you know, pick the business name, do the research, but by the end of 2020 we found out like who was really disproportionately affected right during the pandemic.
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So it was women and then it was women of color, black community we, we were just going through it at this point. And so, you know,
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I was moved by a you tube video where a mother went into walmart to the and the shell. I've never seen the show. No one has ever seen the shelves that empty.
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Right. I mean, it was the size that she wanted to buy. She couldn't buy and you know, so this was widespread, right? Because if you have the money,
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you're going to panic by and you're going to stock up, right? But for those who don't have that money, you know, they were left to either buy diaper that was too small,
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too big, or it's been more of their budget then they needed to write and maybe use a brand that necessarily didn't work right for their beta. We're talking about the brand,
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you know what, you know, and take up most of the, you know, most of the, the shelf space in retail. So with that being said,
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I was like, you know, you know, we need brands that are connected with the community, right? Because honestly, should never happen, your 1000000000 dollar company industry.
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Right. And you run out of product or you know, your customers, some of your customers are disproportionately affected and you're not doing them hand right. It's never right.
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It should be on your heart. You should be your mission, right? So I want it to, you know, not only provide you know, affordable and provide access to quality good.
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But also want it to be a brand cares, right? That serves. So, but that's what inspired me to, to really move forward and really be connected with the what the community and the needs of the community.
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Okay. Ok. Well, what was some of those challenges that you, you had to overcome just to just to get people to, you know, see you and see a product and see what you had to offer.
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So I, let me see, it was, it was, I would say it is, it was very hard for me to try to convince people to buy into a brand,
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right? Or notice a brand or keep in mind of a brand that where we didn't have a product, right? So, you know, I had to be confident as a business owner,
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say man, I could do this like what I have. What I'm going to offer, you know, is, is, is big and it's what's needed,
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right? And so, you know, in whenever you're starting a business like so what if you don't have the product, like even if you have to prototype,
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i read article of a business strategist in theory entrepreneur. And she said, who cares, put it out there. Let people know that you know, this is it,
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or this is coming. And so I had to be confident in that and say, hey, you know, I, you know, I'm the CEO of elo puppy and I'm starting a black own type of brand.
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You know, here's the sample, try us out. Even though you know, you don't know when the, the business loan is going to clear. You don't know when the business credit cards are going to increase to be able to launch this product.
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You just want to get it out there and pray to God that they remember you or still have, you know, to have babies in diapers by the time you do fully launch.
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So that was one of the challenges to really have people believing in this brand before the product actually came out. Another thing is access to capital, right?
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You know, that minority lack that and all of minorities, but excuse me, the black community we like that the most. Right. And so, you know,
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this is not something where you can throw The 5 grand know you need exact. Exactly. So, you know, if we had to go back to the drawing board,
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i was going to launch it for mine. So when I say for line, I just mean you know sizes why? So newborn decides 5, and we're going to the wife as well.
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So a little puppet was opposed to the subscription base. But because, you know, when the pandemic happened, and, you know, I was getting prices quoted back in 2020,
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but when 2021 came around and I'm like, okay, I'm ready. Like the, the fright talk, the loan had more than doubled. I was like what I'm talking about,
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you know, it went from, you know, not single digit, but yet single digit thousands to, you know, to double digit. So, you know,
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it was just like, whoa, so I had to go back to the drawing board and so now we're offering, or we have to offer a trial pack.
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Right? And I think it's much better. This is the pricing to the sensitive market. And so, you know, you want to be able to offer a product,
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at least would they're comfortable enough to try and, you know, I'm okay with that as a business owner. Like at least try us out. That way.
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When we like, when we do fully launch, we think you'll be confident in you know, switch over. Yeah. Yeah. Ready? Yeah. So so is that,
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So what, what is your, what is your current way that you market the brain and I know you're doing a little, the social linear, you're doing some events and you recently had an appearance on a TV show tv program where the interview so yeah,
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