This is where it all started, 18 years ago.
I didn't have a clue what I was doing or how to do it. All I knew was that I loved fashion and design and I wanted to make a name for myself.
I started Mel Boteri in a very different day and age from today, when social media didn't really exist. IRL was the only way, so I set up pop-up shops ALL OVER the Atlanta area, where we were and are still currently based.
Basically, if there was an opportunity for me to get in front of people to show them my bags, I was there.
Case in point: this gem and bead show, circa 2008/2009...as in the gems and beads you use to make jewelry. Random, I know, but my strategic thinking at the time was I could stand out as the only vendor selling leather.
Did it work? Not really. Did I sell anything? I honestly can't remember, which means probably not.
But I didn't let this stop me from continuing and I didn't see it as a loss.
18 years (and a lot of hustle and patience) later...
I'm now producing custom leather goods and creating luxury corporate gifting experiences for some of the top brands worldwide. I'm getting paid to travel the world, staying at incredible luxury resorts and bringing on-site gifting experiences to life for corporate events and incentive trips. And perhaps most importantly, I've built a business that allows me to work alongside an incredible team of partners who have helped turn what started as one small idea into something much bigger.
But it all started with one pop-up shop on a random weekend, where I was lucky if someone stopped to purchase, nonetheless look at, what I was creating.
I share this not to brag, but to hopefully encourage anyone setting up shop for the first time.
Business is not a race to the top, or a finite game for that matter.
It is an infinite loop with many unknowns and the goal is to keep showing up and getting 1% better everyday.
Keep going. Your dream client is waiting for you.