Ep 16: Living a Dang Fine Life with Matiana Mitchell
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This week we are so excited to talk and laugh with a guest who once described herself as a serial entrepreneur. Matiana Mitchell is the founder and co-owner of Dang Fine Rentals where she brings all of her creative and worldly inspiration to life. In this episode, we will talk about how “fake it till you make it” describes her business motto. We will learn she receives joy from experiences not things unless its bugs. Let us introduce Matiana Mitchell!
GETTING INTO DESIGN
Matiana’s first job was working for a jewelry boutique that made unique jewelry. She took what she learned at this store to college with her and began making her own jewelry for friends as gifts. One day, while wearing one of her necklaces, she went down to a sample sale to check out some clothes and the jewelry caught the eye of someone there. Matiana told them it was her brand, Matiana Mitchell Designs, her first “fake it till you make it” moment. She made an entire line of jewelry that same weekend to show them the following Monday. They wanted to make a purchase so she filled out the paperwork, and just like that created her own business.
Matiana would travel with these girls all over the US to top designers repping her brand. Eventually, Matiana Mitchell Designs was in 35 stores nationwide including big-name retailers. She loved that she was able to create her own line every season, but found her passion was more for designing and building her booths. Matiana really liked designing her own booths for trade shows. At Magic in Vegas, Matiana created her own booth that was as if you were walking into her closet with furniture and decor. She got a lot of attention from other brands at the trade show and the next market she was asked to design other booths.
GETTING INTO WEDDINGS
Designing booths turned into designing events which turned into designing weddings. She like to joke,
“I’m a professional at the ‘fake it till you make it’ part. If you fake it till you make it you have to come through.”
Matiana talks so strongly about her family as a support system. She mentions how going through schooling she never felt pressured by her parents to know what she needed to do as a career. Her parents always supported her in her initial venture as a designer. Her dad always helped her build huge pieces and she credits a lot of her creativity to her artistic mother. Her mom even supported her decision to leave her successful jewelry business when she wasn’t getting the joy she wanted. When she booked her first wedding, she had cousins, aunts, sisters, and her mom all there to help her throughout the entire day.
“You have to be able to have people that are ready to rally behind that”
She came out to Arizona to do 3 events. She was constantly asking: what else can we get? But there weren’t a lot of options for rentals in Arizona besides a few companies. Starting from scratch, Matiana paid attention to what the Arizona market was lacking. She would reach out to girls from other states for help with insurance, contracts, etc. She knew that asking for help would allow her to bypass a lot of hardships, she loves helping others and coaching them and knows there are people out there who would do the same.
Matiana shops all over the world for pieces for her rental company. She gets so much inspiration from traveling and started using it to set the brand apart with pieces that no one else has. Her sister and she travel all the time together were she takes pictures of things that inspire her abroad and then they come home and build it. She is eager to go somewhere new to continue to get inspiration, see new things, and bring new ideas home with her.
GETTING INTO BUGS?
Matiana does not get the feeling of embarrassment. She is an open book. However, she shared something not many know about her, she collects things, and by things we mean bugs. Matiana has always been completely fascinated by nature and has never been afraid of bug. They are significant and she even names some. She has a butterfly from the Leaning Tower of Pisa and a dragonfly from her old job at Juicy Couture called “Juicy Critture.” She also collects shells, shark eggs, and things from the beach.
She spends money on experiences. She throws parties. She surrounds herself with family and friend. Matiana celebrates life every day and we are grateful to have her share just how she does it. We wanted to finish this off with a great inspirational quote from Matiana herself for you to sit and think about:
“This is your dang fine life, what are you doing with it?”
GET IN TOUCH
dangfinerentals.com
Insta: @dang.finerentals
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