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
282: How To Find The Right Audience For Your Side Hustle (Side Hustle Pro Bootcamp Pt 2)
281: How To Choose The Right Side Hustle For You (Side Hustle Pro Bootcamp Pt 1)
280: Inside My Playbook: How I Landed In The Top Charts When I Launched My Podcast
279: Inside My Playbook: How I Landed Big Guests When I Was Just Starting Out
278: Unlearning purpose: How to stop overthinking and start side hustling
277: How Morgan DeBaun is Defying Expectations As A CEO REWIND
276: How Zakia Blain of FBF Body Determines When To Pivot In Business REWIND
275: Co-Work with me: Brand partnerships, Side Hustle Pro Merch, and Figuring out my Vlogging (and Life!) schedule
274: How Charis Jones Crossed the $2 Million Mark With Sassy Jones Boutique (Rewind)
273: How The Spice Suite’s Angel Gregorio Expanded Her Spice Shop Into A Lifestyle Brand (Rewind)
272: Co-Work with me: What I’m Working On Now
271: Student Spotlight: How Tolu Went From Just Having An Idea To Launching A Podcast That’s Sponsored By Google
270: How I’m Refocusing on my Business in this Quarter & What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Mom
269: Should You Start a Podcast? Here’s What You Need to Know
268: How Teri Ijeoma Quit Her Job in Education to Trade Stocks and Travel the World REWIND
267: No More Excuses, It’s Time to Act on Your Side Hustle Idea REWIND
266: Side Hustle Success in 3 Steps REWIND
265: How to Overcome Doubt and Move Forward With Your Side Hustle REWIND
264: Just Do It! Don’t Procrastinate, Start Your Side Hustle This Year REWIND
263: How Morgan DeBaun is Defying Expectations As A CEO
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