Marvina Robinson is the founder and CEO of her own boutique brand champagne company, B. Stuyvesant Champagne that was launched in February 2020.
Her journey was anything but “ordinary.” She puts it this way: “There was no direct correlation.” With a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Master’s degree in Statistics, and the career path of working in finance on Wall Street for over 20 years, the entrepreneur bug hit her, big time. Prior to Stuyvesant (as it’s affectionately called), Marvina had her own indoor cycling studio, which she later converted into a café.
After the landlord of the building the café was hosted in wouldn’t allow her to sell beer or wine, she took his “no” as a lead to make her vision a reality, and open up a champagne bar. So she took the next lead, and ventured to France to make connections in the champagne and wine world.
While sitting down eating crepes in France at 5 a.m., she met someone who would help her make the introductions she needed to succeed, and the outcome of that is what you see today.
Although Marvina didn’t know what she was looking for, at first, and her business plan was in her brain, notebook and laptop, she’s proud that she built her business incrementally, and her “true business” is now falling into place. The insane grind included red eye flights between Manhattan and France for almost a year. For Marvina, it was all worth it.
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You’d probably think that launching a new business in the middle of a pandemic wouldn’t be the most “received” idea, but for Temidayo Adedokun, she accepted the challenge. In 2020, Temidayo launched Ade + Ayo, a collection of beautifully crafted pieces that make the African aesthetic practical for even the littlest among us. Her pieces keep things modern and affordable for parents, too.
Interestingly enough for Temidayo, she’s no stranger to the entrepreneur world as her parents paved their own way, although they encouraged her to take a more “traditional” path. And for her, that was law. While attending Yale for her studies, during her second semester, she became dissatisfied with the path she’d chosen. After Yale, the future entrepreneur decided to pursue corporate law to pay off debt (so relatable!), but ended up hating it and leaving that firm after nine months because she felt like she sold her life to the firm.
Upon trying to figure things out and working at a boutique law firm, Temidayo became pregnant with her first baby. She immediately became hooked on watching YouTube videos and finding ways she could bring Nigerian and African culture into her son’s life. After searching on Etsy and other places, she couldn't find what she was looking for, which was African prints and colors on soft fabrics, that she’d feel comfortable putting on a baby, but also felt modern.
Enter Ade + Ayo.
Here’s what you’ll learn about Temidayo and her business from this episode:
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Ade + Ayo (Instagram) – @adeandayo
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If you’ve ever seen Canishiea J. Sams’ Instagram account, you know that her nail art style is far from basic colors and french tips. Her designs are fun, vibrant, eclectic and, most certainly, the future of nails. Canishiea is a nail artist and owner of “NailsbyCanishiea,” where she specializes in hand painted luxury press-on nails and nail care.
What started as a hobby quickly turned into a passion for the nail art guru, and after much practice and encouragement from her sisters, friends, and husband, Canishiea decided to pursue her dreams and attend nail school. But get this, by day, she was still attending university and studying criminology, and by night, going after her dreams. Needless to say, everyone was questioning her life plan, except her.
In 2016, Canishiea finished nail school, gave birth to her son, and graduated from college all in the span of months. With a move on the horizon, she took that as a sign to go after what she wanted and do the type of nails she wanted to do. Her step of faith, ended up being an amazing leap! Now, even in the midst of a pandemic, she’s found a way to pivot and change her business model after being forced to close her nail studio’s doors.
In this episode you’ll hear:
✔︎ How Canishiea launched her business and gained clientele as a young mom
✔︎ How transparency on social media jump started her as an entrepreneur
✔︎ And how she spent the earnings from her first client
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud
This episode is brought to you by:
Try FreshBooks free for 30 days! No credit card required. Go to freshbooks.com/sidehustlepro, and enter “SIDE HUSTLE PRO” in the ‘How did you hear about us section.’ And get more time back to build the business you love.
Gusto
As a Side Hustle Pro listener, you’ll get three months free when you roll your first payroll. Sign up, and give it a try at gusto.com/shp.
Links mentioned in this episode
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Canishiea J. Sams (Instagram) – @nailsbycanishiea
Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro
It’s the final week of the Side Hustle Pro Bootcamp, and we’re going to ACT! That’s right, you’ve officially entered a “no excuses allowed” zone.
For the past three weeks, we’ve built up to this moment by getting in the zone, kicking our doubts to the curb, finding virtual mentors, starting to do the basics, and limiting the opinions of others. You’ve been equipped for this. You’re ready!
In three tips, I’m sharing how to take action and get things done, and put your side hustle out in the open because like I’ve said before...2021 is the year that we’re talking our side hustle seriously. We want to launch that product, write that blog post, record that video, and tell the world about what we did. You can’t just keep it on your computer.
We want people to root for you when you’re starting, even if it’s not perfect, because it doesn’t have to be. Like we talked about in week one of the bootcamp, just start! You have to make your product or service in order to make it better. Think of it this way: you can be making sales while you’re improving.
And don’t forget your homework: Announce your side hustle if you haven’t already! I’m rooting for you.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud AND join the bootcamp for accountability: sidehustlepro.co/bootcamp
This episode is brought to you by:
Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/hustle and get a free trial of Premium Membership
Gusto
As a Side Hustle Pro listener, you’ll get three months free when you roll your first payroll. Sign up, and give it a try at gusto.com/shp.
Links mentioned in this episode
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Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro