Inspiring Conversations with Monica McMillan of Creators and Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica McMillan.

Hi Monica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my career at age 15 when I was working for a local consignment shop as the owner’s right-hand visual merchandiser and assisting LaTrisha Valdez-Rushing backstage at local-inspired NYC fashion shows. Mrs. LaTrisha scouted me at a fashion show her husband produced at my middle school – Carnage Middle School – where I was the Mistress of Ceremony. Entering high school I knew I wanted to continue fashion but also understood entrepreneurship was my path as a 3rd generation entrepreneur. In my junior year of high school at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, I centered my graduation project on how fashion influences the community through visual psychology. I had a head start with the project and committed to coordinating shows and giving scholarships to the winners of the show with hand-picked judges and my mentor was Mr. Carl McLaurin who is my client today.

When I graduated I decided to go to Meredith College because of the smaller setting and wonderful fashion merchandising and business programs. Fashion show coordination stuck with me as I did a few independent shows in the community and then relaxed after getting very sick from the labor intensiveness of coordinating the shows as a one-man team and having a few helpers. In college, I majored in fashion but with my sickness from stress after 2 years I decided to go another natural path – business administration. During this time my lovely friend Lo Alphin and I created an events business working with music artists and small businesses to curate artist events for the community which was a success and had a little fashion in there. But business came naturally to me and honestly in my fashion classes I wasn’t making the best grades.

I was doing a few freelance graphic designs like logos and websites and it clicked to study the creative and strategic sides of the business – marketing specifically branding to understand the psychology behind the designs. Coming out of college I knew I didn’t want to work for an agency so the dream was to become a nanny for about a year and then go full-time with independent branding. And I took the leap of faith found an amazing nanny family and after eight months I took the jump because I had a gut feeling to go for it and I save up a cushion so I knew everything will be okay and I can invest in my business and be passionate about what I was doing and define who I wanted to serve.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It certainly has been a journey. My dad has taught me to think of the challenges like a river – there is always going to be a rock in the river but the water still flows. When creating my business it was seriously emotional and took a toll on my mental health but now with a lot of clarity and learning perspectives and being open to not always being right has opened my mind and care for the passionate and kind human beings that I desire to serve. I decide where my energy is exchanged because as an entrepreneur times get hard and you have to let people go because your energy matters, you matter.

Creators and Company were curated based on my maternal grandmother’s legacy to have a good time, love your family, serve your community, and not forget about YOU. My mother has taught me the same as a female entrepreneur, your mind is sacred and there are people that may want to deter your route but you have to overcome and look beyond what is being said to you and choose what you are listening to. It is important to have a support system around you to get perspectives on these challenges because they can not stop you – you choose to be agile. Your business model is key and you have to change it based on what your gift is and create a streamlined method to experiment, learn from, and grow.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Creators and Company?
We build legacy-driven businesses to take action with a passion beyond their vision. Our priority is to serve kind, passionate, and transparent human beings. Our creators use psychology to create and diverse perspectives to deliver while we use the creator’s method – effective, efficient, and eloquent. The brands we create are simple, timeless, and bold brands from the soul that will connect with your audience… and a touch of grooviness. We connect with unique, self-less, community-driven individuals that prioritize taking care of their body, mind, and soul. We believe slow growth to clarity and believing is essential to your view of success. Our services will create the full foundation for your brand and maintain the journey to growth and evolution.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something that most people who know my work may not know that I am a big lover of tiny homes especially containers. Almost every travel adventure I go on I try my best to stay in a tiny home or a cozy little loft. This allows me to enjoy and appreciate the space but also appreciate adventure in the outdoors rather than just staying in.

Contact Info:

• Email: monica@creatorsandcompany.com
• Website: creatorsandcompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creatorsandcompany/

Image Credits
Toni Irwin Indy’s Den, Indyah Bryant Creators and Company, Monica McMillan, Chef Bill, William J. Overby II The Aesthetic, Ruby Durham The Worthy Woman Initiative, Teresa Smith Rise and Flow, Stephany McMillan AMP Studio, and Carl McLaurin.