February 25, 2023 • 18 mins
Episode Summary:
I dedicate this episode in memory of my father, Jerome Evans who made it very clear I can do anything I set my mind to. I am recording this episode in the home I just purchased in Houston, and sharing the hurdles I’m overcoming in product development which is a huge step towards progress in growing Pamoja. I have big plans, strong faith, and I believe anything is possible.
Topics Covered:
- Walking in faith, stepping into opportunities unimaginable
- Testing and learning, growing from my mistakes in product development
- Being Intentional around Time, Myself, and Relationships
- Mantras by Yvonne Orji
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Sponsors:
Thanks to Pamoja for supporting Diaries of a Modern Trailblazer
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Stephanie (00:02):
I am Stephanie Evans, and this is Diaries of a Modern
Trailblazer.
Take note of the journey and beinspired to forge your own
amazing path.
For those of you who don't knowme, my name is Stephanie Evans
and I'm the founder of Posha, aleather goods brand I'm building
(00:25):
from the ground.
Every other month, I take thetime to reflect where I
currently am and where I'mheading.
So it's February.
February is a month incelebration of black history and
industry wise, there are anumber of fashion weeks
globally, including in New York.
Personally, it's the month of myfather's birthday.
(00:48):
My father passed away over 20years ago.
But his spirit will always livewithin me.
I'm the middle child and I'm theonly girl in my family.
And when I was younger, myfather made it very clear that I
can do anything I set my mindto.
To give you some context, um,when I was younger, we built a
(01:13):
central processing unit, a CPUfor our personal home computer,
which was a big deal, and Iabsolutely loved it, and it kind
of got me into tech.
And it's so interesting thattoday, um, like on the side as
I'm working my full-time job, Iam a digital product manager and
it's kind of full circle becauseI never thought or imagined that
(01:37):
I would be in that space.
He also introduced me to daytrading, and personal finance is
something that is very importantand deeply embedded into me.
Um, I also kind of got intosports and realized, yeah,
(01:59):
that's not really for me.
Um, he had me playingbasketball, trying out golf,
other things, you name it, butit just really wasn't in the
cards for me.
But today, I'm active in termsof, fitness, but that's about as
(02:21):
far as this gonna go for me.
Although I was young, um, and asI reflect, my father had such a
profound impact on my life tothis day.
He's a part of my black historyand I love you and I miss you,
(02:44):
and I dedicate this in yourmemory Jerome Evans.
I've been doing a lot of walkingin faith and realizing
opportunities that I honestlynever imagined for myself, but
in the back of my mind, I knowthat anything is possible.
(03:04):
Things are really in full swing,things are in motion, and I just
made a big move and purchased ahome in Houston, and so I'm
settling in here now and I'mrecording this episode in my
home and it feels good to be ina place to be in a space that is
truly mine that I can call home.
(03:26):
I uprooted myself from New Yorkto Texas back in July to save
money to buy a home where Ithought would be LA.
But I'm here.
I'm here in Houston.
Um, it's crazy because it feelslike a new city that I'm
exploring as an adult and I'mloving it.
Um, even though I grew up hereas a child, uh, growing up,
(03:50):
going to the rodeo, whichactually just kicked off this
week, uh, which is crazy.
It's kind of not kind of, itactually is delightful, to be
here and also just soak in thisgreat weather.
Right now it's like 78 degreesin February, and that is amazing
(04:12):
And not to mention, the cost ofliving is a lot better.
So lots of good things that I'membracing in this new space, and
what I'm calling home today fornow.
So at the end of the day, lifeis about pivoting and taking
steps forward, not backwards,like legitimately it's only
(04:36):
upwards from here.
Um, there's no, there's no moregoing back.
There's no going down from here.
Only up.
So I'm in the process of doingproduct development and sampling
and I'm super excited to seethese concepts come to life and
(04:59):
it's a fun, it's a very, veryfun process, but it can also be
daunting at the same timebecause there's a lot of testing
and learning to see if what I'mconceptualizing is actually
feasible.
And also just trials withmanufacturers and hoping that I
(05:23):
am identifying the rightpartners in this process.
Um, to be quite frank, I'vesampled into roughly 10 products
thus far.
And none of them, none of themturned out perfect.
The first go around.
There's always opportunity totweak, make edits, make it
(05:47):
better.
Slight adjustments all the time.
Um, I was sampling back in 2018and that was what, five years
ago?
Like Yeah.
That's crazy.
But.
but it takes time.
It takes time to build somethinggreat.
(06:08):
And I'm, I'm being thoughtfulthroughout the process because
I'm only putting out greatthings as I think about my
customers as I think about you.
So let me tell you about thefirst attempt in product
sampling, which was, it was anepic fail.
(06:32):
I thought I was going to launchPamoja with this bag in mind.
It has this unique handledesigned to it that I have not
seen in the market, just reallytrying to do something
different.
And I'm still working on ittoday.
In my mind I thought it wasstraightforward, but from an
(06:54):
execution perspective, it's noteasy.
It's just not.
I mean, it's, it's a lot easierto draw something on a piece of
paper than making it a real lifeproduct.
There's a lot that goes into theprocess.
So I, I initially started bygoing to a manufacturer in LA
(07:25):
while I was pursuing my MBA andliving out there, and I showed
this sketch to her and I asked,how do I turn this into a real
product?
Like what are the next steps?
And she shared just at a highlevel, what what goes into
(07:47):
making this concept into anactual product.
So with that information, Ifound an amazing technical
designer who I work with to thisday, who's located in London,
and she's just amazing.
And after we finalize initialspecifications for the bag, I
(08:15):
thought, okay, great, let mefind someone that I can work
with in New York, because Imoved back to New York after
business school and I thought itwould be great to work with
somebody who I could meet within person working in the same
time zone and just reallyconnect with immediately for
(08:40):
that direct feedback.
And when I saw the finishedproduct, it was, it was
completely off.
Like it just did not work.
I don't know what theirexpectation was as far as final
(09:02):
delivery, but it did not matchthe specifications at all, and
it looked a hot mess.
And you know, I was, I was justlike, how do you expect someone
to purchase this bag with theirhard-earned money?
Like, it does not evenaesthetically look good, you
(09:24):
know?
Um, I went through papersampling of this product, I knew
that this is something that canbe achieved, you know, just with
a different material that'ssewn, glued, edge painted all
the works that go into it.
And you know, the thought was, Iexpected if you take on this
(09:48):
project that you can actually doit, you know?
Um, but that was not the case inthat situation.
So I had to keep it moving and Ifound another manufacturer, um,
as I did more research and, um,just identifying who I wanted to
(10:12):
work with when I actually do thefinished production.
for the product.
I found someone in Ubrique,Spain, and um, I went in another
direction and worked with a moresimplified bag because to this
day I'm still working on makingedits and fine tuning the
(10:36):
initial bag that I wanted tolaunch Pamoja with.
So we're almost done and I'mreally excited about it, and
it's going to be great.
One, one of the biggestchallenges that I'm facing in
maintaining sanity through allof the chaos associated with
(10:57):
working with multiple partners,to get things moving is just
hoping and praying that I'mchoosing the right people to
invest in throughout thisprocess because I can't do it
all by myself.
(11:18):
And in fact, I don't know how todo it all.
I'm occasionally shelling outlarge sums of money and it's
like throwing a dart, and hopingthat I'm hitting the bullseye.
So yeah, it's, it's a uniquechallenge, but I'm, I'm down for
(11:41):
it and I know that, I know thatit's going to all work out at
the end of the day.
I just have to be consistent andpersistent and that I am.
What I've learned through thisprocess, is that, you know, as I
said earlier, it takes time tobuild something great.
(12:05):
I, at the end of the day, wantPamoja to be a heritage brand
that is known for its greatquality.
that lasts, you know, thatpeople have a great experience
with, and that I'm building anamazing, robust, dynamic
(12:28):
community around this greatbrand.
And it's important that I'mhaving fun, that I'm loving what
I do and I'm continuing to learnand grow along the way.
I'm optimistic about the greatthings that are to come And for
me it's, it's around beingintentional in three areas in
(12:51):
particular.
Uh, time is one of them.
And like I said, it's importantthat I recognize that I'm only
one person.
Time is my greatest currency,and I have to be selective in
carving out space for thepeople, the things, and most
importantly, myself.
(13:13):
And with that being said,another area that I'm investing
in is myself.
In a few days, I'm actuallygoing to Mexico for a treat that
the founder of Mielle, MoniqueRodriguez is hosting and I'm
being intentional around beingin the right places and the
(13:33):
right spaces to ensure that I'mmoving forward as an individual
both personally andprofessionally, because it's,
it's only up from here.
Like that's the only option.
The third area is buildingstrong foundational
(13:53):
relationships with my friends,my family, and my business
partners, because these arepeople who are integral in my
life.
Um, they are my backbone.
They are supporting me andcheering me on, and I, I wanna
(14:16):
make sure that I'm making timefor them in all aspects of my
life.
And you know, as I mentioned,with me being here in Houston,
I'm a lot closer to my family,which is amazing.
And it's cool that I can justdrive a couple of miles to see
(14:42):
my mom and have dinner with herand all of that good stuff.
So I'm fully taking advantage ofthat and I'm absolutely loving
it.
It's a really, it's a reallygood thing.
But yeah, I just wanted to takethe time, and share what I've
(15:05):
been up to.
And before I close off, I justfinished.
Well, I finally finished readingthis book by Yvonne Orji called
Bamboozled by Jesus, and Ihighly recommend this book, to
all of you.
(15:26):
One of the things at the end ofher book is that she includes a
list of 31 mantras that shelives by.
She titles them as bamboozledbeliefs, and I just wanna read
off a couple of them because I,I wholeheartedly agree that all
(15:49):
of these are relevant to me, andI believe that they're relevant
to you as well.
So just wanting to share thisbit of encouragement with you.
I believe I am above always andnever beneath.
(16:09):
I believe all things worktogether for my good.
I believe God has gone before memaking every crooked path
straight.
I believe that when I seek Godfirst, he causes everything else
to be added unto me.
I believe favor follows meeverywhere I go.
(16:31):
I believe somebody somewhere isusing their power, ability, and
influence on my behalf.
I believe my name is beingspoken favorably in rooms my
feet have yet to enter.
I believe I will not lose.
I cannot lose.
I don't know how to lose.
(16:53):
I believe that if God gave thevision, he will bring the
provision.
I believe I am enough regardlessof my qualifications, because
God has qualified me.
I believe that no harm, hurt ordanger will come near me, my
(17:14):
family or my purpose.
So I'm gonna wrap it up hereand, I will most definitely keep
you updated with what's going onbehind the scenes here.
Stay tuned for sure, because astime progresses, there's a lot
in motion and my goal is to havea collection presented during
(17:39):
New York Fashion Week inSeptember, which is right around
the corner.
So chat soon.
And that's a wrap, so own it andmake moves one day.
I wanna share your journey onthis podcast.
I am Stephanie Evans, and this is Diaries of a Modern
Trailblazer.
Take note of the journey and beinspired to forge your own
amazing path.
For those of you who don't knowme, my name is Stephanie Evans
and I'm the founder of Posha, aleather goods brand I'm building
(00:25):
from the ground.
Every other month, I take thetime to reflect where I
currently am and where I'mheading.
So it's February.
February is a month incelebration of black history and
industry wise, there are anumber of fashion weeks
globally, including in New York.
Personally, it's the month of myfather's birthday.
(00:48):
My father passed away over 20years ago.
But his spirit will always livewithin me.
I'm the middle child and I'm theonly girl in my family.
And when I was younger, myfather made it very clear that I
can do anything I set my mindto.
To give you some context, um,when I was younger, we built a
(01:13):
central processing unit, a CPUfor our personal home computer,
which was a big deal, and Iabsolutely loved it, and it kind
of got me into tech.
And it's so interesting thattoday, um, like on the side as
I'm working my full-time job, Iam a digital product manager and
it's kind of full circle becauseI never thought or imagined that
(01:37):
I would be in that space.
He also introduced me to daytrading, and personal finance is
something that is very importantand deeply embedded into me.
Um, I also kind of got intosports and realized, yeah,
(01:59):
that's not really for me.
Um, he had me playingbasketball, trying out golf,
other things, you name it, butit just really wasn't in the
cards for me.
But today, I'm active in termsof, fitness, but that's about as
(02:21):
far as this gonna go for me.
Although I was young, um, and asI reflect, my father had such a
profound impact on my life tothis day.
He's a part of my black historyand I love you and I miss you,
(02:44):
and I dedicate this in yourmemory Jerome Evans.
I've been doing a lot of walkingin faith and realizing
opportunities that I honestlynever imagined for myself, but
in the back of my mind, I knowthat anything is possible.
(03:04):
Things are really in full swing,things are in motion, and I just
made a big move and purchased ahome in Houston, and so I'm
settling in here now and I'mrecording this episode in my
home and it feels good to be ina place to be in a space that is
truly mine that I can call home.
(03:26):
I uprooted myself from New Yorkto Texas back in July to save
money to buy a home where Ithought would be LA.
But I'm here.
I'm here in Houston.
Um, it's crazy because it feelslike a new city that I'm
exploring as an adult and I'mloving it.
Um, even though I grew up hereas a child, uh, growing up,
(03:50):
going to the rodeo, whichactually just kicked off this
week, uh, which is crazy.
It's kind of not kind of, itactually is delightful, to be
here and also just soak in thisgreat weather.
Right now it's like 78 degreesin February, and that is amazing
(04:12):
And not to mention, the cost ofliving is a lot better.
So lots of good things that I'membracing in this new space, and
what I'm calling home today fornow.
So at the end of the day, lifeis about pivoting and taking
steps forward, not backwards,like legitimately it's only
(04:36):
upwards from here.
Um, there's no, there's no moregoing back.
There's no going down from here.
Only up.
So I'm in the process of doingproduct development and sampling
and I'm super excited to seethese concepts come to life and
(04:59):
it's a fun, it's a very, veryfun process, but it can also be
daunting at the same timebecause there's a lot of testing
and learning to see if what I'mconceptualizing is actually
feasible.
And also just trials withmanufacturers and hoping that I
(05:23):
am identifying the rightpartners in this process.
Um, to be quite frank, I'vesampled into roughly 10 products
thus far.
And none of them, none of themturned out perfect.
The first go around.
There's always opportunity totweak, make edits, make it
(05:47):
better.
Slight adjustments all the time.
Um, I was sampling back in 2018and that was what, five years
ago?
Like Yeah.
That's crazy.
But.
but it takes time.
It takes time to build somethinggreat.
(06:08):
And I'm, I'm being thoughtfulthroughout the process because
I'm only putting out greatthings as I think about my
customers as I think about you.
So let me tell you about thefirst attempt in product
sampling, which was, it was anepic fail.
(06:32):
I thought I was going to launchPamoja with this bag in mind.
It has this unique handledesigned to it that I have not
seen in the market, just reallytrying to do something
different.
And I'm still working on ittoday.
In my mind I thought it wasstraightforward, but from an
(06:54):
execution perspective, it's noteasy.
It's just not.
I mean, it's, it's a lot easierto draw something on a piece of
paper than making it a real lifeproduct.
There's a lot that goes into theprocess.
So I, I initially started bygoing to a manufacturer in LA
(07:25):
while I was pursuing my MBA andliving out there, and I showed
this sketch to her and I asked,how do I turn this into a real
product?
Like what are the next steps?
And she shared just at a highlevel, what what goes into
(07:47):
making this concept into anactual product.
So with that information, Ifound an amazing technical
designer who I work with to thisday, who's located in London,
and she's just amazing.
And after we finalize initialspecifications for the bag, I
(08:15):
thought, okay, great, let mefind someone that I can work
with in New York, because Imoved back to New York after
business school and I thought itwould be great to work with
somebody who I could meet within person working in the same
time zone and just reallyconnect with immediately for
(08:40):
that direct feedback.
And when I saw the finishedproduct, it was, it was
completely off.
Like it just did not work.
I don't know what theirexpectation was as far as final
(09:02):
delivery, but it did not matchthe specifications at all, and
it looked a hot mess.
And you know, I was, I was justlike, how do you expect someone
to purchase this bag with theirhard-earned money?
Like, it does not evenaesthetically look good, you
(09:24):
know?
Um, I went through papersampling of this product, I knew
that this is something that canbe achieved, you know, just with
a different material that'ssewn, glued, edge painted all
the works that go into it.
And you know, the thought was, Iexpected if you take on this
(09:48):
project that you can actually doit, you know?
Um, but that was not the case inthat situation.
So I had to keep it moving and Ifound another manufacturer, um,
as I did more research and, um,just identifying who I wanted to
(10:12):
work with when I actually do thefinished production.
for the product.
I found someone in Ubrique,Spain, and um, I went in another
direction and worked with a moresimplified bag because to this
day I'm still working on makingedits and fine tuning the
(10:36):
initial bag that I wanted tolaunch Pamoja with.
So we're almost done and I'mreally excited about it, and
it's going to be great.
One, one of the biggestchallenges that I'm facing in
maintaining sanity through allof the chaos associated with
(10:57):
working with multiple partners,to get things moving is just
hoping and praying that I'mchoosing the right people to
invest in throughout thisprocess because I can't do it
all by myself.
(11:18):
And in fact, I don't know how todo it all.
I'm occasionally shelling outlarge sums of money and it's
like throwing a dart, and hopingthat I'm hitting the bullseye.
So yeah, it's, it's a uniquechallenge, but I'm, I'm down for
(11:41):
it and I know that, I know thatit's going to all work out at
the end of the day.
I just have to be consistent andpersistent and that I am.
What I've learned through thisprocess, is that, you know, as I
said earlier, it takes time tobuild something great.
(12:05):
I, at the end of the day, wantPamoja to be a heritage brand
that is known for its greatquality.
that lasts, you know, thatpeople have a great experience
with, and that I'm building anamazing, robust, dynamic
(12:28):
community around this greatbrand.
And it's important that I'mhaving fun, that I'm loving what
I do and I'm continuing to learnand grow along the way.
I'm optimistic about the greatthings that are to come And for
me it's, it's around beingintentional in three areas in
(12:51):
particular.
Uh, time is one of them.
And like I said, it's importantthat I recognize that I'm only
one person.
Time is my greatest currency,and I have to be selective in
carving out space for thepeople, the things, and most
importantly, myself.
(13:13):
And with that being said,another area that I'm investing
in is myself.
In a few days, I'm actuallygoing to Mexico for a treat that
the founder of Mielle, MoniqueRodriguez is hosting and I'm
being intentional around beingin the right places and the
(13:33):
right spaces to ensure that I'mmoving forward as an individual
both personally andprofessionally, because it's,
it's only up from here.
Like that's the only option.
The third area is buildingstrong foundational
(13:53):
relationships with my friends,my family, and my business
partners, because these arepeople who are integral in my
life.
Um, they are my backbone.
They are supporting me andcheering me on, and I, I wanna
(14:16):
make sure that I'm making timefor them in all aspects of my
life.
And you know, as I mentioned,with me being here in Houston,
I'm a lot closer to my family,which is amazing.
And it's cool that I can justdrive a couple of miles to see
(14:42):
my mom and have dinner with herand all of that good stuff.
So I'm fully taking advantage ofthat and I'm absolutely loving
it.
It's a really, it's a reallygood thing.
But yeah, I just wanted to takethe time, and share what I've
(15:05):
been up to.
And before I close off, I justfinished.
Well, I finally finished readingthis book by Yvonne Orji called
Bamboozled by Jesus, and Ihighly recommend this book, to
all of you.
(15:26):
One of the things at the end ofher book is that she includes a
list of 31 mantras that shelives by.
She titles them as bamboozledbeliefs, and I just wanna read
off a couple of them because I,I wholeheartedly agree that all
(15:49):
of these are relevant to me, andI believe that they're relevant
to you as well.
So just wanting to share thisbit of encouragement with you.
I believe I am above always andnever beneath.
(16:09):
I believe all things worktogether for my good.
I believe God has gone before memaking every crooked path
straight.
I believe that when I seek Godfirst, he causes everything else
to be added unto me.
I believe favor follows meeverywhere I go.
(16:31):
I believe somebody somewhere isusing their power, ability, and
influence on my behalf.
I believe my name is beingspoken favorably in rooms my
feet have yet to enter.
I believe I will not lose.
I cannot lose.
I don't know how to lose.
(16:53):
I believe that if God gave thevision, he will bring the
provision.
I believe I am enough regardlessof my qualifications, because
God has qualified me.
I believe that no harm, hurt ordanger will come near me, my
(17:14):
family or my purpose.
So I'm gonna wrap it up hereand, I will most definitely keep
you updated with what's going onbehind the scenes here.
Stay tuned for sure, because astime progresses, there's a lot
in motion and my goal is to havea collection presented during
(17:39):
New York Fashion Week inSeptember, which is right around
the corner.
So chat soon.
And that's a wrap, so own it andmake moves one day.
I wanna share your journey onthis podcast.
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