1. What city are you from/ Where are you based now?
I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. I’m currently based in Virginia Beach, VA.
2. What is your creator name? What is your real name? How did you get your creator name?
My real name is Tertiana. I go by Modestee which is a play on my nickname “Tee,” and modesty. I think that’s pretty self- explanatory. I’m a very humble person no matter what I acquire or what heights I reach.
3. At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in business?
I’ve always been a driven and hard-working individual. I’ve told myself I was going to get into entrepreneurship as soon as I felt the time was right because I dreamed to run a successful fashion store. I worked in the auto insurance industry prior to launching. I was so good at what I did in claims, that I grew from a level 1 adjuster to level 3 in under 2 years. Right before I pursued a management position, I told myself, instead of putting in all that work for someone else’s company I need to grow one of my own. Take the same set of skills that helped me climb up the ladder and scale a business up.
4. Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your drive today? If so, how?
I think so. My mom raised me and 5 sisters as well as a cousin of mine. She did this alone. I grew up watching my mom grind to provide for 6 children, 2 who weren’t biologically hers. She never missed work and one thing she never did was let the struggle show. We were all well taken care of. So from the beginning, I came out the gate grinding. There were no excuses because it was really all I knew.
5. How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
6. What ultimately inspired you to dedicate yourself to a career in your industry?
I have 2 girls that I need to prepare a rewarding future for. I don’t want my girls to have to work for anyone. I don’t want them to struggle or face the obstacles well known to black women who are trying to advance in the workplace. I want them to do what they love and not have money be an issue.
7. What’s one reason you are passionate about the fashion business and what inspires you?
I’m passionate about providing the best products at affordable prices. I’m an avid shopper myself and it’s way too often that we come across fashion stores that have products that are either good quality but overpriced or cheap but poor quality. I want shoppers to have a place to go for the same items that these big stores have at more reasonable prices.
8. Do you have any hobbies outside of this? What do you do to stay creative?
I write. I have a book on my personal life in the works and outside of that I enjoy writing fictional drama and mystery books.
9. Who are some of your main influences?
Jeff Bezos has always influenced and inspired me. So much to the point that I found myself researching his history and moves. I’m inspired by the way he was able to scale a small start up to the major business it is today. He keeps his hands in so many things and has literally done enough to set his family straight for generations to come.
10. What are some of your career goals for the future?
I plan to scale my business to 7 figures. Not only that but I’m going to show other entrepreneurs, moms, or people who want to fire their boss how to do the same.
11. Tell us about the product that you are promoting. What is it? Also, what is the name of the last product you released?
I’ve been pushing our Teddy Bear slippers a lot. These are our customer’s favorite item. They come in multiple colors and are comfy indoor slippers that homebody’s will surely love. We are releasing the slide on version of these for more convenience.
12. What has the response been like to that item?
Customer’s have raved about this item like no other. We’ve gained a lot of attention on social media because despite the fact that other shops are carrying this item, none of them beats our prices and service.
13. What are some projects you’ve done in the past that you are most proud of and why?
I launched a campaign with beauty business Kure by Ky and Soeurco.com around black Friday to help scale Kure By Ky to it’s year end goal. It was a collab project that offered a buy one get one deal. So with every purchase from my shop, Soeur, I was able to include an item from Kure By Ky free and the owner, 8 year old Kyler-Peyton, was able to make sales and profit on autopilot.
14. What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for? Include some dates if you have them.
I am working on eBooks that will be tailored toward helping business minded individuals launch startups and scale them up. More information on this will be uploaded to my website and Instagram. They are coming in the spring.
15. What message do you hope viewers take away from your story?
I need people to understand that what they desire is not just going to come to them. They have to get up and go get it. If you have a vision and a goal you don’t necessarily have to take extreme risks. But with dedication and preparation you can put yourself into the position that you need to be in to go after exactly what you want in life.
16. Where can we follow you on social media?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modestee__/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/modestee/
Twitter Business: https://twitter.com/shopsoeurco
Facebook Business: https://www.facebook.com/SoeurBelleBeauty/
Clubhouse: @Modestee
17. Any shop links? Send them
Soeurco.com
KurebyKy.com
18. Anything else you want the people to know.
I’m teaching my daughter the ins and outs of business as well as financial literacy. We co-founded Kure by Ky which is her beauty business that carries gloss, handbags and jewelry for girls and women. Not only is she learning early how to operate a successful business because she is learning how to save and invest her money. She just turned 9. Her shop can be found at KureByKy.com and you can follow her page on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kurebyky/.