Meredith Jurica had a problem. The makeup bag she used couldn't hold all the items she wanted. The bags that she bought tipped over, and often were messy with leaky or spilled products. Being able to sew, Meredith toyed around with a design that laid flat, held more (much more) of her cosmetics, and were lined for easy cleaning. What started as a little side hustle not only solved her problem. It has also grown to be a multi-million dollar business.
Meredith, who goes by MJ, shared with CEO her journey from speech pathologist to product designer to manufacturer to business owner. MJ even learned the ropes of securing a design patent which has helped her product remain her intellectual property.
MJ was in Terre Haute this past weekend to work with Becky Anders, owner of Petals by Flannel Rose, to promote MJ's products called Makeup Junkie Bags.
CEO toured the Petals location and saw how both their online and store operations work. Kyla Dowell said "with an online business, description is everything." Customers want to know as much as they can learn about a product. Returning items isn't desirable for either customer or business. She said, "AI has helped a lot with writing descriptions."

MJ's trip to Terre Haute included live online sales for two evenings. MJ met with CEO, covering numerous lessons she learned in manufacturing, marketing, and pricing her items. In 2018, her items and approach to her business were so intriguing that she was selected to appear on "Shark Tank," where she pitched her items for marketing help, financial investors, and mentorship.
MJ prides herself in a product that is 100% American made. Even though foreign labor could help her bring down the cost of her product, Meredith said that's not who she wanted to be.
MJ shared with CEO a piece of wisdom she has learned from her journey as a business owner: There's no rules when it comes to entrepreneurship. You decide what you want your business to be.
#miehq #petalsbyflannelrose #makeupjunkie #youngentrepreneur