Made by Malyia with Malyia McNaughton
Made by Malyia with Malyia McNaughton
Starting a business is not for the weak of heart, but if your gut is telling you to do it, and you just can’t imagine a life otherwise, than even though it might not make sense financially and might not make sense on paper, it just might be the right path for you.
My guest today, Malyia McNaughton, founder and CEO of Made by Malyia, is one of those founders. Her story of being one of the only black women in her fashion industry job to one of the only black women designing jewelry is truly inspiring. She joins me today to talk about the seemingly crazy decisions she’s made and how that has led her to an amazing chapter in her founder’s story
What are we drinking?
Malyia - Fresh Mint Tea
Shannon - Black Cherry Schweppes
Podcast Notes
Made by Malyia was an accident. By 2013, Malyia had worked in fashion for several years, as a buyer or in sales or design for U.S. major fashion houses, but she was missing the creative piece.
She was always interested in fashion and she majored in it in college. Fashion is difficult to get into as a woman, and especially as a black woman.
Malyia had to step away and find her own path, because she couldn’t get into management or higher-paying roles, and it wasn’t because of a lack of talent. It was freeing, because she made the decision and left on her own terms.
She had been building her brand on her lunch break. She had a celebrity who wanted to wear her jewelry on a late night show and she decided to leave work to get the piece to the celebrity, because she didn’t want her job to prevent her from that opportunity. There were repercussions to her leaving, but she didn’t want to miss out.
Malyia started from ground zero. Midtown has a lot of craft and beading shops that are not good quality, but they are good for a beginner learning how to create jewelry.
She spent a couple hundred dollars and made a body chain that she wore it to a music festival. Body chains were all the rage, all of the celebrities were wearing them then, and you couldn’t find them for less than $14,000.
Her friends talked her into selling it on Etsy and when she asked what she should call her store, her friend said Made by Malyia. She set up the Etsy shop and got all of the social media handles with that name, and she had the one piece sitting there for six months, until she got her first order.
When she got the first order out, she wanted to take it to the 10th level. She was approached to do a pop-up shop where she was photographed by Vogue for her personal style, and she put in her resignation the next day.
When she left her job in 2015, she was making about $40,000 a year. In New York, that was like calling her an intern. She had a lot of side hustles to make it work.
She had saved some money and she didn’t have to work for a year while she built the brand. She went into a little debt to do what she needed to get done and that is the only regret she has. Malyia was passionate and she made it work.
The first few days felt like freedom and she reveled in it, even though she didn’t know how any of it was going to turn out. The first month she looked into selling platforms, pop-up shops, and any other way to get the brand out there and she had great, organic growth.
Malyia found her sources for materials like she did at the fashion houses. She talked to other people and searched. It was important to her to manufacture her products in either New York or somewhere in the U.S.
She still works with her first mom and pop manufacturer. They took the time and patience to help walk her through the process.
Malyia is currently at the pivotal moment for her company. She has had mini pivots, because she has been featured by countless publications and had organic exposure.
Although she has always been passionate about her company, she has lacked the resources to build it out the way she wants. For the last year, she scaled back on projects and new developments and worked with The Financial Gym to get her finances in order.
The silver lining in 2020 is that she was able to slow down and look at the bigger picture and tap back into where she started.
In the last five years, she never thought about throwing in the towel and going back to work for her previous company. Financially, she had some “How did I get here?” and “How do I get out of this?” moments.
Malyia heard about The Gym through her friend who had just signed up. She signed up within the next couple of days. Every time she gets discouraged, she tells herself she was made for this.
Malyia saw the breadcrumbs of success as they were, and it kept her going.
The Gym hosts a market for clients who create, and two years ago, Shannon fell in love with Malyia’s progression hoops.
COVID-19 has been the biggest challenge in Malyia’s business. However, she did see a bump in sales with people wanting to support black-owned businesses.
She didn’t have much inventory when the pandemic hit, because she was transitioning manufacturers and she couldn’t visit her manufacturer in person. Her shipping costs went up dramatically. She now has a better system to manage that.
She has been doing a limited release of jewelry, so the factory could keep up and so she could still sell.
This pandemic has given entrepreneurs so many problems to solve. The greatest thing is when you put the pieces together and you solve the problem. Businesses that figure it out will survive.
This has really stretched Malyia and it has shown her what she can do with limitations. She feels like her personal financial journey is tied to her business financial journey and everything to this point has been a reinvestment. She has invested the sweat equity and now the financial equity.
There are not many black, fine jewelry designers, and it is important to her to grow in that space and bring the brand to the forefront. She is hoping to partner with major retailers that wouldn’t speak to her before and offer her products on their platforms as well as on her own.
Malyia wants to engage with her supporters, and she wants to make her company a multi-million dollar lifestyle brand.
Malyia has a designer in Zimbabwe she is working with and she recently started working with a manufacturer in Detroit that is owned by a black woman. She wants to show that women can help one another climb.
Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is to trust your gut. Sometimes, what you’re meant to do may not make sense on paper, but when your gut is telling you to do it, it’s almost as though your body knows on a cellular level that it’s the right move for you.
Random Three Questions
Are you a binge watcher or reader? What have you been bingeing?
What do you do to relax?
If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Connect with Malyia
Website: madebymalyia.com
Social Media: @madebymalyia
Personal Instagram: @themodelmalyia
If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or If you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me to Shannon@fingyms.com, or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group, and let me know what you want to hear.
If you’d like to talk to my team at the Financial Gym about helping you manage your finances, especially if you have a business or you’re thinking about starting one, we’re offering a number of great deals now. Our team is more than happy to help you make your plan and take money stress of your plate. So head over to, or send friends to, financialgym.com to get set up today.