November 28, 2023 • 12 mins
I recorded this episode on my Birthday, November 27th.
As I celebrate my birthday today, I reflect on where I was a year ago and where I am today. I have a lot to be thankful for. Life is not black and white, and it's never going to be a straightforward path to achieve what you want.
I'm learning to appreciate the hurdles because it's growth at the end of the day. And that's what makes my story unique, but yet relatable. And I truly hope that you're able to take tidbits of what I'm sharing and apply it to your life.
Topics Covered:
- What I'm Thankful For
- Not Falling Into The Trap of Self Sabotage
- Celebrating The Growth & Wins - Design Patent
- Your Door is a Platform for Others
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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 (00:01):
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.
I hope everyone had a wonderfulThanksgiving celebrating with
your loved ones and having theopportunity to reflect on what
(00:23):
you're truly thankful for.
Today is November 27th and it'smy birthday and I'm grateful for
my friends and family becausetoday I received so many
messages and calls from themwishing me a happy birthday.
I'm really excited to celebratethis day.
Another year, and I'm trulygrateful for that.
(00:46):
I'm thankful for the opportunityto be a first time homebuyer
this year, as I had the chanceto celebrate and host
Thanksgiving at my home with myfamily.
My older brother and his familycame down from Minnesota, and
then my older niece and nephew,they flew in as well, and it
(01:07):
was...
It was amazing for all of us tobe in the same space celebrating
Thanksgiving and just to betogether.
We, we don't really have theopportunity to do that because
we're spread out, but when ithappens, it's a beautiful moment
for us.
The other thing that I'mgrateful for is I've had the
(01:30):
wherewithal to persevere and notself sabotage myself when it
comes to building my leathergoods brand, Pamoja.
I've come across numeroushurdles in product sampling of
new bags this year, having afair share of costly and timely
mistakes.
(01:51):
In fact, I'm still waiting formy sample order I placed five
months ago.
I factored in delays, but Ididn't think it was going to
take this long, quite frankly.
And it shouldn't take this long,especially when my product specs
and materials are clearly laidout.
(02:13):
Unfortunately, I'm realizingthat the manufacturing partner
was not the right person forthis job.
I'm still pretty new to thiswhole sample making process, and
there's so much for me to learn,and I know I'll eventually lock
this part of the process down.
(02:34):
I took notes from some of themistakes and failures, and um,
I'm just gonna apply it goingforward.
The thing about it is this delayis going to prevent me from
participating in a showroom inFebruary, which was a huge
milestone I was working towards.
(02:55):
But in the process, I recognizedit's so easy to blame others for
not accomplishing or reachingthe milestones I set out for
myself in pursuit of chasingperfection.
And I want to emphasize the parton chasing perfection.
(03:16):
With this delay, I've had topivot.
It's not a straightforward path.
It's not black and white,recognizing that I can do other
things to achieve the ultimateoutcome, which is to broaden
distribution, working withboutique wholesale accounts.
So being in a showroom is notthe only way for that to happen.
(03:42):
So how do I reach this goal inanother way?
Ultimately, it's about buildingand nurturing relationships.
So first, I created a list ofboutique stores in the U.
S.
that I believe Pamoja would fitin and bring a unique advantage
(04:04):
to the overall store assortment.
In addition, earlier this month,I shot a lookbook with the first
iteration bag samples.
So when I do the outreach, Ihave lifestyle shots of the bags
accompanied with a line sheet.
And a line sheet essentiallylists out all of your products
(04:27):
with the color variations of thebags.
In this case, I hired aphotographer to color correct
the bags, and he did an amazingjob.
So, for example, just todescribe it, I have a large
black bag, and I'm going tooffer this bag in five different
(04:49):
colors.
I only have this sample in onecolor, but I need to show it in
the other four colors.
So what he was able to do wasPhotoshop and change the color
of the bag.
And it looked exactly how itneeded to look.
(05:11):
I don't know how they do it.
I was trying to figure it outmyself, but you know, it was
just one of those cases whereyou're like, where I'm like, I
need to just hire a professionalto do this because I don't have
the time.
I don't have the skillset and.
It is what it is.
And it turned out amazing.
So I'm really grateful for that.
(05:32):
In addition to listing out theproducts in the different
colors, the line sheet alsoincludes details around
specification of size andpricing.
So essentially, all of theinformation that a boutique
store needs to place an order isavailable to them.
(05:56):
They can make that decision withthat information or they can
decide to continue aconversation with me.
And from this experience, Irealized I can get a lot done
with a little.
I didn't need samples in everycolor.
And I almost went into thishorrible cycle of self sabotage,
(06:23):
you know?
So at the end of the day, youlive and you learn.
If it meets 80 percent of thevision, it's time to execute and
move on.
I can continue to tweak and makemy changes along the way.
The important thing is that Istarted and I will get better
(06:47):
for having done it.
As I celebrate my birthdaytoday, I reflect on where I was
a year ago and where I am today.
And it's so important because,you know, like, If I was in this
position a year ago, I'm notsure if I would have pivoted in
(07:11):
that way.
You know, it's so easy to giveup and lose hope when things
aren't going your way, whenthings that are beyond your
control are not happening in theway you need it to happen.
(07:34):
And I'm just extremely grateful.
I'm grateful that I had thatlevel of maturity and the
mindset to shift focus on thethings that truly mattered.
So I'm celebrating the growthfor one.
Secondly, I'm celebrating thewins.
(07:58):
And I don't know if I mentionedthis before, but I was
officially granted my U.
S.
design patent on October 31st.
So, you will see, as I continueto build out Pamoja and
introduce new bags, I have adesign patent for a unique
(08:20):
handle design, because handbaghandles are pretty much
standard, a bit boring, in myopinion, and so I spent quite
some time, I spent years, tryingto figure out how to do
something differently.
And finally figured it out, andthis handle is it.
(08:45):
Um, and it's going to be a coreelement to Pamoja's design, and
I'm really excited about that.
I have a design patent grantedin China, a design patent in
Europe, and now I have one inthe U.
S.
for this handle.
The third thing for me is tostay blessed and be humbled.
(09:11):
This journey is a very humblingexperience to say the least.
You know, I wish I was where Iwanted to be already with Pamoja
and who doesn't want to alreadybe where they want to be in
life, you know, but I'm learningto appreciate the slowness.
I'm learning to appreciate thehurdles because it's growth at
(09:35):
the end of the day.
And that's what makes my storyunique, but yet relatable.
And I truly hope that you'reable to take tidbits of what I'm
sharing and apply it to yourlife.
It's so important to not staystagnant.
(09:55):
It's important to not give upbecause your door is a platform
for others.
I want to end this episode witha clip from Tyler Perry's story,
Maxine's Baby, which I highlyrecommend, by the way.
It's available on Amazon Prime.
(10:17):
And Bishop T.
D.
Jakes shares some inspiringwords on The journey on how
greatness takes time, and it'sjust so important to recognize
that.
So here goes the clip.
Bishop T.D. Jakes (10:33):
Don't be upset if it doesn't happen when
you're 20 and it didn't happenwhen you were 25 and it didn't
happen when you thought it wasgoing to happen.
That doesn't mean it's not goingto happen.
You see Tyler now, but youdidn't see him then.
Tyler is 50 years old.
Greatness takes a while.
Greatness takes a while.
Greatness takes a while.
(10:55):
Greatness takes a while.
You can't get there overnight.
But if you withstand the storm,and the attack, and the test,
and the wears, and the wave,something good is going to come
out of this.
God opens up a door, an amazingdoor, and somebody finally hears
you, or sees you, or noticesyou, and they open up a door for
(11:16):
you.
And I want to thank Tyler Perryfor not stopping.
And having a door for yourself,but your door is our platform.
You open up a door so thatpeople who would never get
noticed anywhere else could walkthrough and have a chance and
that deserves a clap and thatdeserves a shout and that
(11:36):
deserves emulating and imitatingthat deserves praising God.
But you floated on top of whatother people drowned in and if
you never succeed you ought toshout because you survived.
You must be willing first to bea survivor before you can be
(11:57):
successful.
Everything that went wrong inyour life is what made
everything go right in yourlife.
Stephanie (12:10):
And that's a wrap.
So own it and make moves.
One day, I want to share yourjourney on this 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.
I hope everyone had a wonderfulThanksgiving celebrating with
your loved ones and having theopportunity to reflect on what
(00:23):
you're truly thankful for.
Today is November 27th and it'smy birthday and I'm grateful for
my friends and family becausetoday I received so many
messages and calls from themwishing me a happy birthday.
I'm really excited to celebratethis day.
Another year, and I'm trulygrateful for that.
(00:46):
I'm thankful for the opportunityto be a first time homebuyer
this year, as I had the chanceto celebrate and host
Thanksgiving at my home with myfamily.
My older brother and his familycame down from Minnesota, and
then my older niece and nephew,they flew in as well, and it
(01:07):
was...
It was amazing for all of us tobe in the same space celebrating
Thanksgiving and just to betogether.
We, we don't really have theopportunity to do that because
we're spread out, but when ithappens, it's a beautiful moment
for us.
The other thing that I'mgrateful for is I've had the
(01:30):
wherewithal to persevere and notself sabotage myself when it
comes to building my leathergoods brand, Pamoja.
I've come across numeroushurdles in product sampling of
new bags this year, having afair share of costly and timely
mistakes.
(01:51):
In fact, I'm still waiting formy sample order I placed five
months ago.
I factored in delays, but Ididn't think it was going to
take this long, quite frankly.
And it shouldn't take this long,especially when my product specs
and materials are clearly laidout.
(02:13):
Unfortunately, I'm realizingthat the manufacturing partner
was not the right person forthis job.
I'm still pretty new to thiswhole sample making process, and
there's so much for me to learn,and I know I'll eventually lock
this part of the process down.
(02:34):
I took notes from some of themistakes and failures, and um,
I'm just gonna apply it goingforward.
The thing about it is this delayis going to prevent me from
participating in a showroom inFebruary, which was a huge
milestone I was working towards.
(02:55):
But in the process, I recognizedit's so easy to blame others for
not accomplishing or reachingthe milestones I set out for
myself in pursuit of chasingperfection.
And I want to emphasize the parton chasing perfection.
(03:16):
With this delay, I've had topivot.
It's not a straightforward path.
It's not black and white,recognizing that I can do other
things to achieve the ultimateoutcome, which is to broaden
distribution, working withboutique wholesale accounts.
So being in a showroom is notthe only way for that to happen.
(03:42):
So how do I reach this goal inanother way?
Ultimately, it's about buildingand nurturing relationships.
So first, I created a list ofboutique stores in the U.
S.
that I believe Pamoja would fitin and bring a unique advantage
(04:04):
to the overall store assortment.
In addition, earlier this month,I shot a lookbook with the first
iteration bag samples.
So when I do the outreach, Ihave lifestyle shots of the bags
accompanied with a line sheet.
And a line sheet essentiallylists out all of your products
(04:27):
with the color variations of thebags.
In this case, I hired aphotographer to color correct
the bags, and he did an amazingjob.
So, for example, just todescribe it, I have a large
black bag, and I'm going tooffer this bag in five different
(04:49):
colors.
I only have this sample in onecolor, but I need to show it in
the other four colors.
So what he was able to do wasPhotoshop and change the color
of the bag.
And it looked exactly how itneeded to look.
(05:11):
I don't know how they do it.
I was trying to figure it outmyself, but you know, it was
just one of those cases whereyou're like, where I'm like, I
need to just hire a professionalto do this because I don't have
the time.
I don't have the skillset and.
It is what it is.
And it turned out amazing.
So I'm really grateful for that.
(05:32):
In addition to listing out theproducts in the different
colors, the line sheet alsoincludes details around
specification of size andpricing.
So essentially, all of theinformation that a boutique
store needs to place an order isavailable to them.
(05:56):
They can make that decision withthat information or they can
decide to continue aconversation with me.
And from this experience, Irealized I can get a lot done
with a little.
I didn't need samples in everycolor.
And I almost went into thishorrible cycle of self sabotage,
(06:23):
you know?
So at the end of the day, youlive and you learn.
If it meets 80 percent of thevision, it's time to execute and
move on.
I can continue to tweak and makemy changes along the way.
The important thing is that Istarted and I will get better
(06:47):
for having done it.
As I celebrate my birthdaytoday, I reflect on where I was
a year ago and where I am today.
And it's so important because,you know, like, If I was in this
position a year ago, I'm notsure if I would have pivoted in
(07:11):
that way.
You know, it's so easy to giveup and lose hope when things
aren't going your way, whenthings that are beyond your
control are not happening in theway you need it to happen.
(07:34):
And I'm just extremely grateful.
I'm grateful that I had thatlevel of maturity and the
mindset to shift focus on thethings that truly mattered.
So I'm celebrating the growthfor one.
Secondly, I'm celebrating thewins.
(07:58):
And I don't know if I mentionedthis before, but I was
officially granted my U.
S.
design patent on October 31st.
So, you will see, as I continueto build out Pamoja and
introduce new bags, I have adesign patent for a unique
(08:20):
handle design, because handbaghandles are pretty much
standard, a bit boring, in myopinion, and so I spent quite
some time, I spent years, tryingto figure out how to do
something differently.
And finally figured it out, andthis handle is it.
(08:45):
Um, and it's going to be a coreelement to Pamoja's design, and
I'm really excited about that.
I have a design patent grantedin China, a design patent in
Europe, and now I have one inthe U.
S.
for this handle.
The third thing for me is tostay blessed and be humbled.
(09:11):
This journey is a very humblingexperience to say the least.
You know, I wish I was where Iwanted to be already with Pamoja
and who doesn't want to alreadybe where they want to be in
life, you know, but I'm learningto appreciate the slowness.
I'm learning to appreciate thehurdles because it's growth at
(09:35):
the end of the day.
And that's what makes my storyunique, but yet relatable.
And I truly hope that you'reable to take tidbits of what I'm
sharing and apply it to yourlife.
It's so important to not staystagnant.
(09:55):
It's important to not give upbecause your door is a platform
for others.
I want to end this episode witha clip from Tyler Perry's story,
Maxine's Baby, which I highlyrecommend, by the way.
It's available on Amazon Prime.
(10:17):
And Bishop T.
D.
Jakes shares some inspiringwords on The journey on how
greatness takes time, and it'sjust so important to recognize
that.
So here goes the clip.
Bishop T.D. Jakes (10:33):
Don't be upset if it doesn't happen when
you're 20 and it didn't happenwhen you were 25 and it didn't
happen when you thought it wasgoing to happen.
That doesn't mean it's not goingto happen.
You see Tyler now, but youdidn't see him then.
Tyler is 50 years old.
Greatness takes a while.
Greatness takes a while.
Greatness takes a while.
(10:55):
Greatness takes a while.
You can't get there overnight.
But if you withstand the storm,and the attack, and the test,
and the wears, and the wave,something good is going to come
out of this.
God opens up a door, an amazingdoor, and somebody finally hears
you, or sees you, or noticesyou, and they open up a door for
(11:16):
you.
And I want to thank Tyler Perryfor not stopping.
And having a door for yourself,but your door is our platform.
You open up a door so thatpeople who would never get
noticed anywhere else could walkthrough and have a chance and
that deserves a clap and thatdeserves a shout and that
(11:36):
deserves emulating and imitatingthat deserves praising God.
But you floated on top of whatother people drowned in and if
you never succeed you ought toshout because you survived.
You must be willing first to bea survivor before you can be
(11:57):
successful.
Everything that went wrong inyour life is what made
everything go right in yourlife.
Stephanie (12:10):
And that's a wrap.
So own it and make moves.
One day, I want to share yourjourney on this podcast.
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