Episode 3: Launching a Business With God’s GRACE

Acquania Escarne 0:04

You are listening to The Purpose of Money Podcast, a podcast where we talk about ways to build wealth and create more freedom in your life today. I am your host Acquania Escarne.

Launching a business with God's GRACE an interview with Mileyka Maxwell- the founder and CEO of G.R.A.C.E, an up and coming nail lacquer. If you want to follow Mileyka or learn more about G.R.A.C.E, please check out my show notes at ThePurposeofMoney.com/episode3.

Welcome to The Purpose of Money Podcast. Today, I'm super excited. We have special guest Mileyka Maxwell also known as Millie Max. Mileyka is the founder and CEO of G.R.A.C.E by Mille Max. G.R.A.C.E is a named divinely given to her that signifies God Restores And Certifies Everything. She aspires to reach and encourage God's people all over the globe to come to an understanding that their true beauty stems from within themselves, which is the beauty that will never disappear. Mileyka's mission is to spread the message of God's love, joy, and peace like wildfire with the stroke of a brush. Before starting G.R.A.C.E by Millie Max, Mileyka worked in corporate America for over 12 years in the advertisement and media field as a Broadcast Traffic Manager and a Client Finance Manager for well known household and beauty brands. After a successful career in helping brands such as L'Oreal, Lancome, and having a passion for fashion, the beauty industry, and encouraging others, God saw it fit that it was the time that her passion and purpose merged for His glory. Mileyka now encourages, coaches, teaches, and advises many on how to embrace your true beauty from within by using the word of God with a touch of elegance. G.R.A.C.E nail lacquer is packaged and serves as a tool to encourage and uplift all those who encounter it. With G.R.A.C.E, it's more than a color it's an expression of who you are. We are so happy to have G.R.A.C.E on The Purpose of Money Podcast, and look forward to this conversation inspiring all of you.

So hi, Mileyka! Welcome.

Mileyka Maxwell 2:21

Hi, how are you?

Acquania Escarne 2:23

I'm great. I'm so glad you could join me today. I really am so excited to share your story with the listeners of The Purpose of Money Podcast, and I just want to use this opportunity to kind of amplify what it is you're trying to do. So before we dive in, can you give a little more background about G.R.A.C.E? I know you talked about it means something- it means God Restores And Certifies Everything but what exactly does G.R.A.C.E sell or promote?

Mileyka Maxwell 2:54

So G.R.A.C.E is a vegan, cruelty free, friendly nail lacquer line and we're promoting the Word of God. You know, with the brand, we have three collections. One is the fruit of the Spirit. One is the gifts of the Spirit. And the newest one, which hasn't yet been launched, it's called a cycle of redemption. And the purpose behind that is pretty much just says, spread God's love, and a new form of beauty, expressing yourself with color and learning the word.

Acquania Escarne 3:26

So Mileyka, are you working on G.R.A.C.E full time? Or do you still have a nine to five?

Mileyka Maxwell 3:33

So at this present moment, I do still have a nine to five. I am working on G.R.A.C.E. full time. So I have two full time jobs. And, but I've been extremely blessed with the job that I do have and what my manager that I do have. My company offers something called DTO which is discretionary time off. As long as your manager approves the time, you know, you can take it. So like I've been very transparent and open with my manager about G.R.A.C.E. That way, whatever I do doesn't conflict with my job. And you know, she's been very lenient and and understanding with my job and with G.R.A.C.E, and allow me to take the time off that I need in order to fulfill the vision that the Lord has given me, and to fulfill the work that is due.

Acquania Escarne 4:24

That's awesome. I wish I had a job like that. Thank you for sharing that information. I hope that others will kind of figure out ways that they can promote their business and continue to have a nine to five. And I think that's really important because the income from your nine to five is essentially another way to invest in your business, right?

Mileyka Maxwell 4:44

Absolutely, absolutely. It's been a huge help.

Acquania Escarne 4:47

Yeah, so I'm telling people right now, don't just quit your nine to five to be a full time entrepreneur. It should be a gradual process, where you use the income you have to build your business. And then when you have a income stream from your business that's able to support your bills and your vision and what you're trying to do, then you can start thinking about transitioning into full time entrepreneurship.

Mileyka Maxwell 5:13

Absolutely. I think one thing that worked, but you know, for me, in my favor, was the fact that I am transparent and completely honest with my manager, so that she doesn't feel like I'm being slick or lying or anything behind her back with the business.

Acquania Escarne 5:29

Mm hmm. Yeah. honesty and communication. That's really important.

Mileyka Maxwell 5:33

Uh huh.

Acquania Escarne 5:34

Awesome. What is it that sort of inspired you to pursue this? It's not every day you wake up and decide, I want to start a vegan nail polish line. So what was your inspiration?

Mileyka Maxwell 5:47

My inspiration came from simply a dream. So I had a dream, when I was on vacation with my girlfriends back in 2013,I want to say. And we were in Barbados, and I'm sleeping and one day I had a dream and I woke up and I, you know, told my girlfriends the dream and we all laughed it off because I love nail polish. I absolutely love colors. So I've always been the one to go to the drugstore and purchase the newest color, that's out or the newest formula. And, you know it started from there. It started from a dream and then a series of events that I went through in my personal life and my professional career that led me to, you know, taking a leap of faith after being unemployed for about almost three years.

Acquania Escarne 6:37

Oh, wow. So let me get this straight. You were not working for three years and then a dream inspired you to actually start a business. How scary was that for you?

Mileyka Maxwell 6:50

Oh my goodness. It was super scary. I was faced with so many fears, you know? Because being unemployed you think do I take the money that I have saved up to launch a business? Or do I take that money and continue on paying my bills monthly? And it was at that point where, you know, the Lord began speaking to me in my dreams and giving me visions, and from the visions and dreams, I just knew I had to do it. And I took a leap of faith and I was like, "Okay, God, if this is really you, let me try this." If it doesn't work, you know, at least I know that I tried if I failed, but if I succeed, I know I'm following his will for my life.

Acquania Escarne 7:32

That's awesome. And I appreciate like your honesty and how you were taking a leap of faith literally to start this venture. So let's get into the nitty gritty like, what exactly did you have to do to get started? What were some of the challenges you had when you first started putting your vision for grace together?

Mileyka Maxwell 7:52

So the challenges I had was of course, financial. That was a that was a big one. Having to find manufacturers that were, you know, able to accommodate what I saw the Lord showing me for the brand, and also affording it. Because we know nothing comes for free. You can't start a business on luck, you know? You have to pay. So, you know, those are some of the challenges that I had. And then, you know, finally when I took a leap of faith, and I was like, "Okay, I'm gonna do this." I trademarked a name that I thought I wanted. And I felt that that's what needed to be the name and shortly after, I got an opposition from Chanel.

Acquania Escarne 8:40

Wow.

Mileyka Maxwell 8:42

Yeah, like, I got this opposition from Chanel. And I was just like, "Okay, God, I thought you said this is what I was supposed to do. Why am I getting this opposition? I'm not wasting money that I don't have."

Acquania Escarne 8:54

Yeah, so let me take a moment to just explain to our listeners. When you start a business, one of the first things things you do is come up with a name. And so G.R.A.C.E was the name that you came up with after an original name you had and you submitted it for patenting, because you wanted to protect it right? You wanted to make sure that once you launched this product, it could be branded and this name could be popular and what it's known for, but it sounds like once you did that, you probably researched or a lawyer research for you that this name was actually being used by Chanel, whether it was actively being used or not, doesn't matter. They had already the rights to it, right?

Mileyka Maxwell 9:35

Yes.

Acquania Escarne 9:35

So they sent you a letter and told you probably cease and desist. You can't use this name. So you went from a dream to a vision to a major player in your industry that you're entering getting your attention. Are you getting their attention, rather?

Mileyka Maxwell 9:50

Yeah.

Acquania Escarne 9:51

And them telling you you can't move forward. So how did you overcome that challenge? What did you do to come up with an new name or how did you come up with a new name that still fit the vision you had in mind?

Mileyka Maxwell 10:06

Well, how did I come up with a new name? So that story about the name is very interesting, because the name that I originally wanted, you know, I got the opposition from Chanel. And when I received the email from Chanel, I was actually shopping because I was going to make my, you know, my area in my apartment, a home office because now I'm an entrepreneur. And I got the email and immediately as I read the email, I felt so strongly within me, I felt, you know, that God wasn't telling me to use that name. He showed me that at that point, G.R.A.C.E as an acronym. And I was like, "An acronym now I gotta figure out what this acronym means." And it just so happened that at that time in my life, I was going to school getting my Masters of Divinity and the new term was starting. So the professor at the time gave us a list of you know, topics to choose for our final paper and it just so happened that grace and freewill was a part of the list. So when I saw that I was like, "Okay, I have to do my paper on grace and freewill because I know I would get you know, more depth into what God is trying to show me with that." So I did that. And a few months later, I went again, on vacation with my girlfriends, because...

Acquania Escarne 11:26

It sounds like, vacations are your inspiration. Maybe you should take more.

Mileyka Maxwell 11:30

Maybe I should. So yeah, so I went on vacation for a friend's wedding to Barbados again. And a week before the trip, the bride calls me and she's like,"Hey Millie. We have- I have a friend that's going in and she doesn't have a room and your room is the only room that doesn't have a second person. Do you mind if someone comes in you know, stays with you? She'll give you half the money for the room." So in my head, I'm like, "Okay, I'm an entrepreneur. I'm unemployed. I'm going on vacation." Sure, I don't know her, but I'm taking the risk and taking a chance. Sure, I'll definitely let her come in the room. I'll get that half of the money, I can put it towards something that I need. So I, the first night we're there, we're getting to know one another. And she's telling me, you know, what she does, and I'm telling her what I do now. And as we're talking, I'm also studying, not studying but doing homework for my exam, my class. And she was like, "Oh, you don't know what grace means?" And like this conversation about grace came up. And I felt like she was sent to me by God, to give me insight even further on what the acronym for G.R.A.C.E was, huh?

Acquania Escarne 12:40

Wow. So she actually helped you realize that G.R.A.C.E, as an acronym, could mean God Restores and Certifies Everything.

Mileyka Maxwell 12:49

Yes.

Acquania Escarne 12:50

Great. So like you really were able to kind of put that together and it clicked for you.

Unknown Speaker 12:56

It clicked for me, but there was still some reservations because I'm like, "God, I need you to tell me directly what this means." And maybe like about six months later, I was sleeping and I had a dream at home and in the dream, I went, I heard like a noise in my living room. So I got up and I went to check what it was. And when I looked, I looked over to my left, and I saw that in my kitchen, everything was new. Like my cabinets for new, the stove was new, everything's new, but the knob on the stove was left turned on. So I got up and I went to turn it off. And then I went to the cabinet to look to see if all of my, my grocery, my dishes and everything was in the cabinet. And as I opened the cabinet door, both cabinet doors came off in my hand and it was at that moment that I heard his voice in my head in the dream saying, "I took it all away to give it back to you knew." So now, I hear in real life, I hear my doorbell rang and I go look to see who's there. And I'm hesitant, because I'm like, "I'm not expecting no one, no one's coming to my home at, you know, noon 12 noon." So I was kind of hesitant to go. But I felt so strongly that I had to get up to go. So I got up and went to open door, saw no one there. But when I look down, it was the samples from the manufacturer for the nail polish. So when I got up and I felt like God was then again, confirming what had happened in Barbados. Yeah, he was pretty much confirmed like, "Yes, I took it all away from you, but I'm going to give it back to you," which is the acronym for grace. God Restores And Certifies Everything. So it was pretty much reassuring me like okay, yeah, I took it away. But this time that you get it back is going to be certified by me.

Acquania Escarne 14:48

Wow. That that is powerful. It's very interesting how you've come to where you are now. So how long has G.R.A.C.E been actively selling nail polish and and doing activities within the community?

Mileyka Maxwell 15:04

G.R.A.C.E actively has been doing activities within the community, I would say two years but we've officially launched the brand and all the polishes about a year and like three months.

Acquania Escarne 15:19

Great. So congratulations! Now that you've passed that one year mark, what were some of the highlights from your first year?

Mileyka Maxwell 15:28

Wow the highlights of my first year. Everything happens so quickly. When I tell you everything happened quickly, it happened. So firstly I got officially trademarked for G.R.A.C.E by Millie Max. And the brand is in the UK actively, orders in the UK. The brand has also been featured in Vogue magazine and Brides' magazine and in GQ magazine for the month of May,June, July, August and September and October. So, you know, we've definitely been working and super grateful for what he's done. I've been able to sell out of the nine colors so far and had to do a reorder before the year was up. We've been featured on Ellen Simone's podcasts. We've been a vendor at the Pinky Promise conference in Miami. We've been a vender at the marketplace, a Fearless Marketplace in Atlanta, Georgia. Like the brand has been moving.

Acquania Escarne 16:32

Wow. So you've been traveling too then to promote G.R.A.C.E?

Mileyka Maxwell 16:36

Yes, I have.

Acquania Escarne 16:37

That's awesome. And your impact in the UK? That's amazing. I bet. I know when you had the vision, you saw this being big, but what do you think is next for G.R.A.C.E?

Mileyka Maxwell 16:50

So what's next? Well, I've actually been working on I'm working on workshops. I want to curate workshops that allows your faith and beauty to collide, where we're just teaching and impacting the community. The young girls- even male too like, you know, our fruits of the Spirit, our attributes, the characters that the characteristics that we have is what is considered beautiful.

Acquania Escarne 17:16

So what, at the workshops what types of activities can your guests expect to do?

Mileyka Maxwell 17:22

Well we're doing like small group, like you know teachings, Bible teachings on how to like how to study the Bible, how to journal, how to...all the how tools of building who you are within because we have a lot of, you know, small groups out there that's teaching us yes, the Bible stories as we know we got them. But no one is taking time to teach you how to do it on your own.

Acquania Escarne 17:48

Right. Okay, I like that. Now you are a certified entrepreneur, you're going into your your into your second year of business, what advice do you have for someone who wants to start a company or fulfill their purpose that's inspired by God?

Mileyka Maxwell 18:07

Oh, do not lose focus of the vision, even when it doesn't look like you expect it to look. Continue to persevere and have faith. I'm learning every day that being an entrepreneur is all about perseverance, all about pushing forward your brand, believing in what you are selling, what services you're giving, just continue to persevere.

Acquania Escarne 18:36

That is great advice. And it is true. As an entrepreneur myself, I'm constantly challenged, but also inspired because when I do have small victories or you know, someone writes a review or just reaches out to say how I've made an impact. That's what motivates me to keep doing what I'm doing, even though like you said, sometimes what's happening is not exactly the way you envisioned itm but it's still perfect in every way- it's executed in a better way than you ever imagined. So I think that's so awesome. Tell our listeners now can they find you if they want to learn more about G.R.A.C.E. or even purchase some products for themselves?

Mileyka Maxwell 19:17

Well you can find G.R.A.C.E. on Instagram and Facebook @GRACEbyMilliemax and on Twitter @GracebyMillie and you know our website is up and running and it's www.gracebyMilliemax.com.

Acquania Escarne 19:42

Awesome. And for anyone who didn't catch that, I'm gonna put it in the show notes so you can get the links for yourself. Make sure to follow G.R.A.C.E by Millie Max on social media and get yourself your own Colors by G.R.A.C.E. because they're awesome. I have a few myself and they're perfect gifts. For friends, family or for you, so I hope you enjoy and thanks again Mileyka for being on the podcast and we'd hope to have you back soon when you make another milestone.

Mileyka Maxwell 20:10

Most definitely! Thanks for having me.

Acquania Escarne 20:12

Thank you for listening to the purpose of money podcast. For more resources and information check out my website Thepurposeofmoney.com. And while you're there, please sign up for our newsletter, so you'll have the latest information on new episodes and blog posts. Until next time, keep building generational wealth $1 at a time.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai