In conversation with Rachelle Holland
“Both of my brands are my way of going back in time and embracing where I come from and the place I call home.”
- Rachelle Holland
Image: Rachelle Holland
Rachelle Holland is the Ghanaian born, founder of the Beiige Store has harnessed her strong connection to her Ghanaian heritage to create a striking collection that celebrates the beauty of handmade craftsmanship.
Beiige Store is an online store with a deep narrative. A simple design process with a holistic philosophy and a dreamy aesthetic to boot. Beiige Store offers homewares with a rich background story and has made giving back to the local people one of the brands main priority.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Rachelle, I was born in Ghana and moved to the UK at the age of 10. I am a mother of two boys - Isaiah and Eliase and the founder of Beiige Store. I model on the side and I am also developing my new brand called Rachelle ‘The Label’ which is a sister brand to Beiige.
Tell us about your business, how did you come up with the idea or concept? What were your first steps to bringing the business to life?
Beiige Store is a lifestyle and homeware brand exploring my Ghanaian background through connections I have with local artisans and creatives in Ghana. When I lived in Ghana I saw my mum buy furniture from the road side and she would have the locals make me a hula hoop from cane so when I explored the type of brand I wanted to design, I thought about what else the cane can be transformed into. Once I learnt about the possibilities, everything just flowed in terms of designs and what I could make and sell.
The first step for me was a simple conversation with my cousin Selassy, who lives in Ghana. I only travel to Ghana on a yearly basis and knew I couldn’t run a business being limited to the amount of time I could travel as I am a mother and worked a 9-5 at the time. During the conversation, I shared my idea and from there we built Beiige Store.
What was your over arching mission/aim at the outset?
I have always felt that Africa was unappreciated. As I have gotten older my whole focus is seeing Africa win. I knew that connecting with locals would enable them to keep their business going whilst introducing their skills to other parts of the world. Having both experience of the UK and Ghana I really understand how important it is to never forget where I come from so my main focus it to give back to my community in Ghana.
What is the main inspiration for your business?
Ghana is my main inspiration. When I moved to the UK I quickly realised that being African wasn’t ‘cool’ and I would shy away from African related conversations. This has also inspired me to develop Rachelle The Label. Both of my brands are my way of going back in time and embracing where I come from and the place I call home. So it is Ghana that has truly inspired me. The self-taught skills and talent of our people is undeniable and it needs to be recognised.
Were there any initial challenges that you came up against, if so how did you overcome them
Living in the UK is a challenge for me. The aim is to be flexible enough to spend longer in Ghana when I travel there. Starting out, I realised not being in Ghana would have an effect on how I really wanted to show the brand. I wanted to invite everyone behind the scenes so people could really see things come to life. But as I live in the UK I had to give that responsibility to my cousin.
To achieve this, I had to make sure he had a phone good enough to capture the work we were doing as the one he owned wasn’t suitable to achieve the quality I needed. We have such great communication and we’re able to send files to each other much easier than before so our customers get to come with us on our journey.
Can you tell us about your first “win”?
There are many things I am proud of. For me hearing that the guys we work with in Ghana are so happy to hear something they have sat and gently made by hand is travelling to another part of the world is so amazing to me. We have been in contact with huge names that I never visioned and the support has been very overwhelming. Every order excites me and I don't think I will ever get over it.
What’s been the biggest lesson–about yourself, your abilities or just general life lessons – you’ve learnt since starting your business?
I have learnt a lot about my self. Especially as a mother you feel like adding more responsibilities would be too much to take on. Starting my own business really showed me my potential and my purpose. It has given me a drive I wish I had very early on and I'm so grateful for that. I now know the direction I want to take in life and I know how to work towards achieving all the goals I have.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I had received is not to underestimate my self. I am not the loudest in the room, I am a shy and reserved person which sometimes would result in me missing an opportunity. I have really come out of my shell developing my businesses because when you have a passion about something and you know what your talking about when it comes to your passion, it brings out the confidence you’ve always had.
How do you find the work-life balance? What strategies and routines do you have in place to cope with the work-life balance?
I work around my kids. Especially my youngest, he’s only one and wild. So when he takes a nap in the day I grab my laptop and plan my content or check my emails. When my eldest comes back from school, Elaise will want attention from him which also gives me some free time, but I get the majority of my work done in the evening when dinner is made, and the boys are in bed. When I was working a 9-5 there was no distractions but this makes me much happier. I have full control of my workload and I have the ability to spend more time with my kids.
Click here to order from the Beiige Store
Would you recommend any resources that have been useful for you when starting/running your business?
At the beginning I was so put off starting Beiige Store because I couldn’t afford a web designer. After being stuck with the idea in my head for a while, I went on to YouTube and watched videos of how to make your own website. This really helped me and from then it’s been my go-to whenever I get stuck on something technical. So, I would recommend searching on YouTube, having instructions in a video format was very helpful for me.
What would be your advice to anyone wanting to start their own business?
My advice would be to just start and figure it out as you go along. That's how I have learned and grown as a business and as an individual. The what ifs we all ask ourselves are setbacks and to over come that we have to just go for it. I also recommend writing things down, like any plans you have or something you hope to achieve. I have a notebook that I write what I want to do, I say to my self once it’s written down I have to do it. There’s no going back and it becomes a priority where as when we keep things in our mind it can be forgotten or just not prioritised.
How can we support your business? Share any links or information that will be useful to our readers!
Website: beiigestore.com / rachellethelabel.com
Instagram: @Beiige__Store / @Rachellethelabel
Facebook: @Beiigestore / @Rachellethelabel
