(Interview) Mompreneur Briana Greer Re-built Business, Made Six Figures During Pandemic
Embri Shop Founder, Briana Greer, is on a mission to let other mompreneurs know that it’s okay to take a step back in order to spring forward. The Arizona native’s business “baby,” EMBRI Shop was established unexpectedly and out of necessity. As Briana surfed the web for a good MacBook case and was unsuccessful, she chose the DIY route.
After posting her beautifully hand-crafted laptop case, she was met with rave reviews from friends and followers alike. This fueled her to start the EMBRI Shop, but soon after, Briana found herself struggling to keep up. Before sourcing a quality manufacturer, she was designing and making every order by hand. At one point, things became too overwhelming and she walked away from the business. In late 2019, Greer discovered the courage to begin again, and even during a pandemic, her business has grown bigger than ever.
In this episode of #SpecMagShorts, Briana talks in detail about her journey from being a model to becoming an entrepreneur. She explains how the expertise and skills she obtained in the fashion industry have helped with her business. Offering a robust collection of high-quality tech accessories that blend premium quality and beautiful style for one-of-a-kind products, Briana excitedly tells us about her designs that including MacBook cases, laptop sleeves, and keyboard covers.
(Watch #SpecMagNC) Mompreneur Briana Greer
Before starting Embri Shop, Briana attended and graduated from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in 2012 with a degree in Merchandise Marketing. Having developed her foundation in the fashion industry, she tried her hand at modeling and her efforts were well-received. After countless auditions, Briana was fortunate to land appearances in national campaigns for major brands such as Converse, Pacsun, and Call of Duty. The most unforgettable and valuable gig was appearing in a national broadcast advertisement for Call of Duty, because it taught her that you can really do anything if you allow yourself to stay open to unexpected possibilities. The Call of Duty campaign also featured the late-great NBA superstar, Kobe Bryant and was a huge success. This trailblazing Black woman entrepreneur has now stepped out from behind the veil and is putting a name to the face behind her company and career.
While Briana’s glamorous tech accessories store continues to expand (and inspire other entrepreneurs to imitate her,) the day-to-day reality is often a far stretch from glitter and rainbows. As the resilient and relentless operator of a six-figure business, her most important job is being a proud mom to her two children, ages six years old and seven months old. Being able to stay at home and raise her kids gives her a strong sense of empowerment and freedom, even if that means having to hide baby-vomit on her shirt while finishing a zoom meeting. Nevertheless, her journey is one of inspiration for any mother juggling children while in pursuit of their side hustle.
Celebrities and influencers that have touted the brand are people like Candy Johnson, Heather Sanders, Alari Swank, Felicia LaTour, and the GRAMMY Award nominated R&B Singer Jhene Aiko.
For more information on Embri Shop, visit the official website www.embrishop.com and follow @embrishop on Instagram and Facebook.