Interview with CEO of The Polished Diva Mary Harris Jones
When I met Mary, she was the most sweetest and welcoming person I have ever met. One thing I like about her is she is confident in who she is and is not afraid to show the next sister some love. This lady right here, is an example of class and sophistication. She definitely lives up to her name the Polished Diva!! This is why she is our Style N Beauty feature of the week. I hope you enjoy and be inspired by her story.
Tell us about Mary HarrisJones CEO and Lead Style Consultant. How did you get started?
I grew up in a family of fashion forward women. From an early age, I paid particular attention to my appearance and cultivated my personal style. As I grew, so did my love for various fashions, styles and most of all shopping!
I kept a sharp watchful eye on the flow of fashion cycles and trends. While other children were spending allowances on toys and candy, I was busy hunting for fashion treasures. My mom and nana couldn’t keep me out of her clothing while playing dress up! I think that also fueled my love of vintage style to this day.
Fast forward to today: I run my own styling/personal shopping company and help women find their own personal style. Realistic style is about what works for the average woman and understanding how to dress and what works for you and your body. During my style sessions, I help my clients find their own personal style while also showing them how to shop their very own closet. So many times, we can’t see what we have for the clutter. Once my clients begin to purge items that either they aren’t wearing or will never wear again, they can see what they have. During my closet edits I’ve made up to 50 different looks. My clients were amazed at what they had nestled in their own wardrobe. Just needed a little sprucing.
What was the influence or the motivation behind creating your brand?
In the early stages of creating my brand I was clueless in terms of what I wanted to name my business. In the beginning I wanted to stay away from anything with the word “Diva” in it because I just thought it was a cliché. However, I reached out to Sherron Washington from The P3 Solution marketing & consulting firm and engaged her services to start the process of naming my business vision. We went through our initialcreative session and The Polished Diva was birthed. Looking back, it was the perfect name to begin this amazing brand and my legacy as a stylist.
What was the most challenging obstacle to overcome in your career?
I think like many other entrepreneurs the main obstacle to overcome is balance. I still currently work my 9-5 and work my business alongside my job. I’m a marketing program manager by day and stylist by night and on the weekends. Managing home (my hubby and fur baby poodle Marli), in addition to my 9-5, personal life, responsibilities to family and extracurricular activities (very active in my chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.) AND managing my style clients on the weekends can become overwhelming. However, I must continue to grind while building my business and brand. I know this will only last for a season. I know without a doubt that helping women transform their lives is my calling, and I will do what I must do until I can do what I want to do…
4. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business or brand?
My main advice to someone looking to start a brand and subsequently a business is to be sure you establish your brand before you start putting your information out there. Also, from a marketing perspective, be sure you have a marketing plan. When I went through the exercise of creating my brand, this was the main thing that my marketing consultant stressed. When you introduce yourself to the public especially social media, you want to make sure those who follow you know your brand by sight. You want to make sure you show the public what sets you aside from your competition and why should they select you for their styling needs. Regardless if the business is a stylist or a t-shirt designer, be sure your brand is tight before unveiling it to the public. People actually do look and pay attention to this when considering whether they will give you their business. Stay professional at all times.
5. What’s next for Mary HarrisJones the Polished Diva?
I would like to think eventually I will move forward and work my business on a full-time basis. I’m not there yet, but I do feel as if I’m moving in that direction. I would also love to find a great celebrity stylist that I could study under. It’s really a shame that in this business it’s so territorial. I do understand that competition is very steep. However, in any job I’ve had I’ve always had a mentor, and someone mentoring another wouldn’t or shouldn’t hurt their grind. I’m a firm believer that what is FOR YOU is FOR YOU.
6. How can we connect with you online and through social media?
IG: Polished_D
FB: The Polished Diva, Personal Styling & Shopping
