The Beginning 

In March we celebrated our one year anniversary as a brand and as the Creative Director, I can attest to the fact that this has been quite a journey and a labor of love. When starting Matimoo, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but one year later I can tell you that it has been one of the most fulfilling projects while quite possibly one of the hardest. If you followed us from the beginning we launched our core bracelet in four color ways and began promoting it via social media channels the main one being Instagram.  With the help of some amazing friends along the way word began to spread around the local tri-state area and then soon after orders began coming from across the country and even Canada. It was the beginning of an exciting year, in late spring 2015 we launched more color combinations and since then we have continued to evolve the collection up til this day. Over the course of the past year we have sponsored and participated in several events across the tri-state area ranging from Charity events, women’s shopping events, and even street fairs. Each one of these venues have been extremely unique and have played a major role in growing our presence as a brand.

My Strategy

Within the first couple of months we were fortunate enough to gain acceptance into small boutiques across the NY/NJ area and even became a popular trending brand in various Facebook groups. With a longtime career in the fashion industry I had enlisted close friends and even past colleagues to assist in my mission to spread the word.  My vision has been and remains to keep my brand as an affordable, asprirational, and attainable collection for all ages. These are the components that continue to drive Matimoo and will remain in place as our core principles as we continue to grow one step at a time. In one years time we have sold roughly 6,000 bracelets and a lot of work has gone into ensuring that our customers are fully satisfied. My goal isn’t for Matimoo to be a one hit wonder but a brand that sustains and continues to build momentum over the course of time. It is for that reason that I choose to grow my brand at a more strategic pace in an effort to ensure that each facet of the Matimoo brand is never compromised.

The Lessons along the way

Initially as I began receiving orders I could handle the amount on my own. The most time consuming part of Matimoo is that we inspect each bracelet prior to shipping, therefore the process is extremely time consuming. Back in October I realized I could no longer do it on my own, while managing the other aspects of the business especially leading into the holiday season. Stressed out and overwhelmed I decided to post an ad on Craigslist and the next step of building Matimoo began. As I built a team comprised of part timers who helped inspect, tighten, and adjust each bracelet to meet my set standards of quality control. I knew that the next phase of Matimoo  was well under way.  Having been in the industry for a long time and watching brands struggle as a result of quality issues. This made me extremely attentive and possibly obsessive with ensuring that I was managing this part of my business seamlessly. If someone had ever told me that a bracelet on a wax cord which is also fully adjustable would be so complex, I would have never been able to wrap my head around it.  Well fast forward to 2016 and I can tell you that there is a lot more to this little bracelet than meets the eye.

The Moment’s you never forget along the way

I learned a lot about myself this year and my ability to wear several different hats while juggling a million tasks. I had always worked for major corporations and along with that came stability and structure so starting my own business didn’t necessarily provide any of that. However, I created my own structure and incorporated the same skills that made me successful in my previous roles to building my own business. The only difference this time around is that the only person I answer to is myself at the end of each day. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned this year is just how amazing my friends are and how I am so grateful to everyone for their unwavering support throughout my journey. During my peak season several of my closest friends (You all know who you are) came to my office to help tighten and adjust bracelets so that I could fulfill all of my orders. Additionally so many of my nearest and dearest have posted on social media, have promoted Matimoo to local stores, and in some cases on days where we had multiple events scheduled they helped me out by running an event. I believe that life is full of many lessons and sometimes you learn more than you anticipate, I began building Matimoo on a quest to expand my horizons while utilizing my background as my foundation. As I mentioned earlier, I have indeed learned a lot about myself and my inner strength. However, I think above all else, I learned a lot more about the people around me and just how fortunate I am to be blessed with such an amazing group of friends. As we continue forward to our second year, the lesson I would love to pass on to any reader is how important surrounding yourself with positive energy will undoubtedly produce a positive outcome in your life. Thank you for your support & keep looking for new Mati-moments.

Conceive it, Believe it, and you will Achieve it!

-Stacey