Please tell me you read that heading in your best Jay Z voice…
Well, well, well! It is me! I’m here. Finally! Gahhh! I really abandoned blogging. Well, much less an abandonment than a long term break. Soooo what have I been up to is probably your first question!
– As most of you are aware, I went to Cameroon for about 4 months and returned last April. I went to lay the ground work for my business as well as relax, see friends and family I had not seen in over a decade…and eat! Cameroon was such an exciting place and boy have things changed and yet remained the same all at once. It is still as politically corrupt as ever, the food is still as delicious as I could remember and almost nothing is owned by the country. I was impressed however with the youth and how they are really taking charge of their destiny and realizing that the government will not do much for them. They are also realizing that the way our fore fathers were able to work monotonous and un-challenging jobs is most likely not going to be their route of self sufficiency. I saw artists, musicians, entrepreneu
rs and proud business owners within my age range-it was amazing! I faced a number of hardships from lack of electricity and water (lol) to unreliable tailors to attempted robbery (story for another day) and just the headaches that come with trying to get things done in Cameroon. I returned to Canada with malaria, which I had forgotten how debilitating it could be!
-I launched Melapteh with such high expectations and long story short, I was disappointed with the results. Here I was thinking that within my 1st year of business I would be able to at least sustain myself with earnings from my website-only. Boy was I wrong! lol I was so broke after 3 months that I started having what I believe to be panic attacks and I was stressing
for money. I don’t know why I thought just because I had a decent social media following, the business would just take off and Beyonce would be wearing my stuff a few months later. At least Insecure’s Yvonne Orji wore 2 of my pieces so Heyyyyy! I was so disappointed in myself that I had to get a job. I had quit my job just 6 months ago and made this big announcement and everything and here I was re-submitting my Resume. How did I fall so hard? I was back at square one. It took me a minute to go easy on myself and realize that firstly, I needed more time and exposure to allow the business to grow and secondly, that getting a job wasn’t the end of the world.
-I attended a number of events, gave out some items for free, offered discounts and products and made a big loss in September when I traveled all the way to DC for a pop up event (which cost me over $800 total of borrowed money for everything), only to sell ONE ITEM. I repeat, I sold ONE ITEM for under $100. I won’t lie, I shed proper tears that day. I cried my way back to Canada with the meager $50 or so I had left in my account. I had such high hopes for this event based on reviews from other vendors who had participated in it so I went in knowing I would at least break even. It crushed me. I got a job right after that and left all my items in boxes.
-Fast forward to present day and I am working on some new items for the site as well as a new project. I do believe I am a serial entrepreneur because I always try new ventures and if they fail, I may be down for a while but I always come back with something else. I know the clothes I sell are of great quality and reasonably priced, based on reviews and so I just need to work on really finding my target audience and marketing to them.
-I’ve been working on my overall health- using more shae butter everywhere, drinking water with lemon in the morning, exercising vigorously once a week, cooking almost all my meals, shopping less, praying more, keeping in touch with friends more oh and fighting fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed with fibroids almost 2 years ago but unfortunately, my symptoms worsened. I have been working with my gynecologist to shrink mine so pray for a sister!
I am so happy to be back to blogging! I am mentally healthier and ready to have even just 1 reader as long as I am sharing from my heart. This is going to be like my personal journal to the world and you are welcome to read.
P.S. Thank you so much for sticking with me during my hiatus! So many of you have been riding with me for years!!! I love you 🙂
Crop top: HERE
Pants: Fashion Nova