ABOUT
My name is Dee, and I as a blogger I aim to supply my readers with easy to follow advice relating how to properly budget for travel, dining, and everyday life.
It's my wish that my blog nourishes both your intellect and your heart, empowering you to put more beauty out into the world while creating a life you love, providing all key essentials needed to be bougie on a budget.
As, a consultant I foster emerging creative brands by infusing their passion with the experience, critical thinking, and strategic tools needed to evolve the passion into a sustainable business. I have teamed up with millenials on the move: consultants, bloggers, fashion designers, photographers, influencers, and some of the best creatives on the planet.
I launched The Coin Conservationist to support my friends, colleagues, and the maker community. It's my way of investing in this community and sharing all the hard-won lessons learned during my journey.
I began my first official entrepreneurial venture, a clothing store called The Diamond Boutique in 2016 and experienced every fumble possible during its launch. I concede that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at the time! None. I made several painful mistakes along the way: the kind that set my confidence back a few steps, the kind with zeros on the end, and the kind whose ripples I felt for years afterward.
After putting strategic planning before each action, and fully understanding the effects of attitude and attraction, I enjoyed a degree of success that I could never have imagined when I founded the company as a junior in college. The kind of success that's reflected in a well-worn passport, the freedom to design your future and the confidence of knowing that you can achieve absolutely anything you put your mind to.
The Coin Conservation Movement and Diamond Experience is the embodiment of everything I wish I had known when I founded my first company. It's an opportunity to avoid the pitfalls, frustrations and resource drains that too often ambush the journey. It's a chance to get things right the first time or reinvent what's not working and build a brand with strong architecture at its core and a gorgeous vision to share with the world. I created these products and services because I'm intimately familiar with the kind of work you do, and I know how to make that work more efficient, less painful and heaps more rewarding.
Today's engineers and creative entrepreneurs are offering so much more than a product, we're sharing soul and passion and purpose, neatly delivered via meaningful products designed (and often created) with our own hands. But many of us are walking the entrepreneurial path alone, spinning our wheels, burning ourselves out and missing key opportunities.
MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
1990s
Born in East Detroit. Telling jokes for extra snacks was my first, and favorite hustle. Imitating my Grama always had a large payoff.
2005
Started TOTS! (Teens on The Scene), an urban magazine for young women who weren't quite old enough to enjoy Seeventeen or Cosmo. It featured a mix of hand drawn comic strips and beauty and relationship articles submitted by friends.
2014
Said "ta hell!" with campus life and moved off campus to begin my life as a young bachelorette. Worked five summer jobs to save enough money for furniture and a year's worth of expenses.
2016
Secured my dream internship with a large resource company. The flexible hours, great pay, and room for autonomy almost made me overlook the lack of diversity, clouded career path, and hostile work environment. I was laid off after saving the company millions because "interns were no longer in the budget". I then explored the realms of "rock bottom".
1990s
Fell in love with crafts. Learned the significance of expressing feelings through art and monetizing doing what I loved. Sales from handmade bracelets, earrings, and jewelry funded the best snacks from the lunch line. Can you tell my love for food?
2008
Joined forces with my with my best friend and launched KYH, and online radio show discussing the hardships young teens face, such as dating, fleeting friendships, navigating relationships, and of course, school. Our first show had over +150 listeners, which was double the size of our graduating class.
2015
Joined Detroit Does Well as a general member before joining the executive board. Grew the group and increased membership retention by 65%. Secured three partnerships. Fund raised over $1300 + earned the organization three NAACP nominations, and The Unsung Hero Award.
2016
Launched the Diamond Boutique with my last $800 in hopes of making money while navigating corporate america. Headquarters were 50 feet away, in my spare bedroom. The website was published in September and rapidly expanded. The small room was filled with production, so headquarters slowly moved into Mom’s basement.
2016
I stepped onto my first plane and exited twelve hours ahead in Beijing, China. I spent time studying international business and trade at the Tianjin University of Commerce, while also exploring some of the wonders of the area, such as climbing the Great Wall and exploring the Forbidden City. Thankfully, my Hairmisses closure survived the heat, air, and sweat!
2017, June
Said goodbye to customer service. Offered credit repair and freelance graphic design to maintain daily expenses and apply for graduate programs. Blogging was a pastime that I soon realized had a much greater potential.
2017, April
Graduated from Eastern Michigan University's Honor's College Magna Cum Laude with a Major in Human Resources and a Minor in Hospitality and zero debt. Somehow landed a position as a service rep at a call center.
2017, December
Kissed corporate America goodbye and took my dreams seriously! The Diamond Boutique is a paradise dedicated to bringing convenience, affordability, and high quality fashion to today’s woman. Our utopia thrives on empowering and inspiring women to reach their goals, beginning with their closet.
2018, May
I realized that great entrepreneurs know when they need help! I hired my first employees, to aid with marketing, shipping, and re-instilling an international web presence. Doing so aiding in over 30 overseas orders!
2018
Created a flawless savings program that allowed me to pay off four student loans, fully purchase a 2017 SUV, and travel quarterly. Traveling to an all-inclusive Jamaican resort with your mom is the BEST way to detox from any and everyday stress.
2018, August
First solo and entrepreneurial trip across the country. Toured Los Angeles as a fashion advocate securing relationships with Manufacturers and Supplies for Clothing and Textiles. Gained private access to the hidden gems of LA such as Warner Brothers Studios, America's Got Talent and more. All for free!
2018, September
Signed with Resubmit Consulting and Solutions of Michigan as the youngest owner and agent aiding in Web Design and Business Development.
2019
Became a devastating diva of the BaDST sorority in the land,
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
2018, December
Graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Master's of Business Administration
2017, February
Traveled to Europe to study Hotel & Restaurant Management to study hospitality in Florence and Rome, Italy because . . .
who doesn't love a woman that can cook? Discovered my love for NON GMO foods and Tuscan Steaks.