Besida Wins Stitch Fix Grant Program

Besida Wins Stitch Fix Grant Program

Can we have a 30 second praise and hallelujah break for this announcement! I am so honored to share that Stitch Fix chose Besida as one of its six finalists in the Elevate Grant and Mentorship Program. This opportunity is major and I can’t begin to express my gratitude to Harlem Fashion Row and Brandice for collaborating with Stitch Fix for this remarkable program. 

As always, I have a testimony about this victory.

IT ALL STARTED IN 2020.

I applied for this program in its inaugural year. I knew it would be a great fit, but we were turned down. Here’s a screenshot of our denial email.

OCTOBER 2021.

My friend Jamelia sends me an Instagram message with the 2021 application. My confidence was much higher this time around because over the past year, I’d grown so much as a business woman. I spent 3 days on the application and submitted what I thought was an amazing video. 

INTERVIEW

I received notification a week later that Besida was promoted to the next round. I was NERVOUS because it required a 45 minute interview with a panel. The email stated I’d have 5 minutes to pitch the business before Q&A’s. In true over achiever fashion, I created an interactive presentation and practiced pitching in front of my friends and family. This was really helpful. 

WINNER!

Though I did do my best in the interview, I was still not confident that we had it in the bag. So it was a total shock for me when I got the news over a video call with Loretta Choi at Stitch Fix. AHHH

If at first you don’t succeed…

You know the rest of that lyric. I’m learning that’s literally the story of many successful brands. “Dust yourself off and try again” You can look forward to seeing Besida on Stitch Fix’s platform this year. Read more about the grant program and meet my cohort here. 

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