For this week’s edition of FinanciElle “Statements” I had the opportunity to interview Eman Bachani, Founder of Meraki Design House.
Meraki Design House is a globally inspired fashion & lifestyle brand, who’s mission it is to support communities and skilled artisans worldwide by creating jobs and opportunities for work in the hopes of contributing to their well-being, standard of living, and purchasing power.
Paolina: What has been your hardest experience dealing with your business and finance and what did you learn?
Eman:
Honestly, just not knowing where to start! I wish that I had been more financially literate before going into business and even though I’ve done a basic course or two; studying a case and applying learnings to your own business are two very different things because of the pressure that comes with the latter…But the biggest learning has been (even beyond the financial stuff) that sometimes you just have to begin and learn as you go.
To keep everything organized and straight from Day 1!!
I have a bad habit of keeping things aside and letting them pile up until I have a proper system for them; but, that has caused me more problems than I anticipated.
Also, while It’s easy to idolize a business model that scales fast, it’s good to know that not every business is meant to scale extremely fast and more importantly, it is okay if that is the case. I have seen the most growth in my business when we do things that don’t scale because we end up winning over long term consumers, and that in itself is a win…
Paolina: What topics would you want to learn more about when it comes to finance and your business and why?
Eman:
I would love to learn more about (active) Fundraising in non-traditional ways –and more about what grants and programs are available to female founders.
FinanciElle™ 