Longtime retail veteran by way of senior executive for a major fashion retail brand, Shennel Fuller is the Founder of Miles and Milan, the inclusive gender-neutral clothing brand for children.
So, you may be wondering how this fashion boss mom started her brand – Miles and Milan. Well, after becoming pregnant, she began receiving gifts from friends and family that didn’t quite seem to connect with her minimalistic and fashion-thoughtful aesthetic. It was evident there was a gap within the baby clothing market that Shennel wanted to fill. Shortly after the birth of her first son, she decided to create Miles and Milan – a children’s brand that’s classic, simple and effortless. Free of stereotypical colors, cliché phrases and loud prints, there Miles and Milan was born.
As a participant in Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator, Shennel knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship and the journey it takes to create a groundbreaking business. Keep reading to find out more about what she’s learned along her journey of entrepreneurship and how it’s helped shape her current career goals below.
4 Things Shennel Fuller Learned Along her Journey of Entrepreneurship
- Be Consumer Obsessed– In order to have a business you must have a customer. Understand who your customer is and what they are looking for.
- Test to Learn– Innovation is important. Test your market to see how it responds in the areas you are hoping to grow. The more you learn, you will be able to prioritize your company’s next steps.
- Invest in Yourself – You will not have all the answers. Push forward with humility and authenticity to seek the mentor, education, and/or support to help you lead towards success.
- Everything Starts as A Seed – Nurture your ideas. Give yourself time. Trees don’t grow overnight.
Miles and Milan is a brand for everyone. I hope my journey to create a world class brand inspires anyone who is following, especially my sons,” said Fuller. “I want my sons, no matter what outer voices may say, to always follow their hearts and shoot for the moon. I want them to dream big and apply hard work to everything they set out to accomplish and until that happens, they will watch mommy do just that every day.”
Shennel Fuller is a participant of Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator, a $150M commitment over 4 years to empower Black entrepreneurs selling in Amazon’s store by providing access to financial assistance, strategic business education and coaching, and marketing and advertising support. To learn more about what Amazon can offer to Black entrepreneurs like her, visit amazon.com/bba.
For exciting new styles and concepts, visit her Amazon store at Miles & Milan.
