Today’s REWIND guest is Nailah Ellis-Brown. I first heard about Nailah from my roommates, Nydia and Stefanie at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
They supported her business as part of the MBAs Across America program that they participated in (and you’ll hear more about this in the episode).
I’ve been fascinated by Nailah every since. A Black Woman from Detroit with Jamaican roots, Ellis-Brown has made a name for herself as part of the Detroit manufacturing renaissance. Her distinctive hibiscus Ellis Island Tea, based on a family recipe and bottled in an urban 4,000 square foot plant, has expanded sales into six airports and locations across 12 Midwestern states along with shelf space in regional retailer Meijer, Whole Foods and most recently Sam Club stores.
She’s been named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30, has been featured on MSNBC for a small business makeover, and she’s only getting started.
Her plan was to go to school, work on wall street then quit and be an entrepreneur. But when she realized the student loan hustle, she wanted no parts of it.
On today’s episode, Nailah gets into:
How she’s been able to brew and bottle a recipe steeped in family tradition How she went from selling out of her trunk to selling in Sam’s clb Learning the science behind her How she took a leap of faith and started over from scratch How investing in herself and her business led to big rewards in major brand partnership Plus how she’s continuing to grow her brandListen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play
Links mentioned on this episode Ellis Island Tea Michigan State Product Center Think & Grow Rich BookClick here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss
AnnouncementsIf you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook
Social Media InfoConnect on Instagram:
Ellis Island Tea – @EllisIslandTea
Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro
#SideHustlePro
342: How Domonique Brown Grew Her Art Into An Everyday Lifestyle Brand
341: How Jocelyn Delk Adams Turned Grandbaby Cakes Into A Household Name
340: How Ehime Eigbe Created West Africa’s Biggest Frozen Yogurt Brand
339: From Ghana To Ulta: How Hanahana Beauty’s Founder Is Expanding Her Brand
338: How Two Side Hustling Moms Pioneered The Momference for Millennial Moms of Color
337: How Jacquelyn Rodgers Got Black Santa Onto Target Shelves
336: How Keewa Nurullah Cornered The Kid’s Market In Southside Chicago
335: How Supermom Trina Small Created A Super Brand For Moms
334: How to Get Your Side Hustle Up And Running
333: How to Jumpstart Your Year
332: My Holiday Watchlist and Intentions for 2023
331: The Best of Side Hustle Pro 2022
330: What I've Learned 5 Years Into Entrepreneurship
329: Side Hustle Pro: 2022 Year In Review
328: How Janae Marks Went From Side Hustler To Full Time Best Selling Children’s Author
327: How Codie Elaine Oliver Brought Black Love To The Big Screen
326: How Two Friends Created A Million Dollar Wine Business During The Pandemic
325: How Wilglory Tanjong Got Her Luxury Bags From Senegal To Beyoncé
324: How Tolu Went From Having An Idea To A Podcast That’s Sponsored By Google (Podcast Moguls Student Spotlight) REWIND
323: How I Landed In The Top Charts When I Launched My Podcast
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
Aligned Money Show
Gorse Culture PODcast : The H.R. Detective Agency!
HCI Leadership Revolution
The Ramsey Show
Planet Money