Sistahbiz Spotlight on Jeneba Barrie

Jeneba Barrie is Founder and Creative Director of Jeneba Barrie Nude Footwear, LLC. Her line is a first to fill the diversity gap in the shoe world, creating inclusive options for women of any shade. Jeneba Barrie is a luxury skin-tone shoe line with an objective of revolutionizing and redefining the meaning of nude shoes from beige to skin-tone colors that matches the wearer’s complexion. Finally some nude heels we can all slay in!!! Here is what she had to say to all up and coming black female entrepreneurs in her Sistah Biz Interview:

What’s the #1 piece of advice you have for Black women starting new businesses?

My one piece of advice is to be confident and know why you started the business in the first place. Once you have the confidence and remember the “why”, you will be able to overcome hardships.

What is your morning routine?

In the morning, I get my sons (23 months old and 2 months old) ready for the day. I get ready for the day and begin replying to emails, calls and settle down to do more work on my business.

Has your product/service gone through iterations or changes? What was your strategy for learning from customers and improving the product?

My pumps are still in the pre-order phase. But we did 4 rounds of prototyping. We will be doing another round for lower heel lengths because that is the biggest request from potential customers.

How did you acquire the necessary capital required to scale your business get to this level?

My husband and I raised the money to begin prototyping. We then launched a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter to raise capital for our first production run.

What area of your business did you have the least experience in when you started? How did you handle the learning curve and ensure that the business succeeded in that area?

The area of business that I had the least experience in was finding manufacturers and tanneries in Italy (where the shoes are made). But I researched and was able to find a middle man that connected us to these factories.

What advice do you have for women trying to cross cultural lines to grow their businesses? Can you speak to this from both a race and class perspective?

Of course! My product, in its DNA, is targeted at women of all skin tones and race. My advice is to be your authentic self and show how your product can make their lives better.

Tell us about your first big deal and how you achieved it?

My first big deal was raising our first production funding through Kickstarter. I achieved this by preparing (over 8 months). I collected email addresses, told everyone on my social media channels, and asked people for commitments before actually launching the campaign. Preparing this way allowed me to raise well over $5,000 more than my original goal.

What advice would you give entrepreneurs about how to manage business relationships?

Having a great relationship will always have positive impact on your business. Nurture your business relationships. Be kind but firm. Set boundaries and respect the boundaries of others. Remember, it’s not personal. It’s business.

Can you share a failure or disappointment that you’ve learned from?

A great disappointment that I learned is that people will let you down. They will fail to keep their promises. Learning this has taught me to have less of an emotional and more pragmatic approach to running my business, and that is a big deal and helps alleviate stress.

If you can share one message to inspire other new or aspiring Black women in business, what would it be?

Keep going! Just keep pushing and stay true to you and your brand. You can never fail at being yourself.