Mikayla Murphy - Teen Entrepreneur
Mikayla Murphy is 18 years old and the creator/founder of Shades of My Melanin. While attending her first Black Lives Matter protest, she looked around her, noticed that there were many different cultures representing the movement and was inspired. It was in that moment she knew she wanted to create a business that empowers women of color to be bold, and confident in their own skin, and embrace who they are.
She launched Shades of My Melanin on July 13th, 2020 and within her first two weeks, she reached and surpassed her monthly sales goal fulfilling over 50 orders. As an entrepreneur, a student-athlete, a ministry leader and club founder/director, starting this business has really helped her learn balance, perseverance, determination, and has taught her what it means to be confident and how to see the beauty in others.
During the summer of 2021, Mikayla was selected to participate in the Los Angeles Urban League's Biz Institute. Over the course of 4 weeks, Mikayla was immersed into several programs designed to help her grow her business. She was awarded 2nd place and received $500 to invest into her business. This investment allowed Mikayla to expand her product offerings by adding statement accessories designed for men. By the end of 2021, Shades of My Melanin shipped over 2,000 orders nationwide.
Mikayla is a determined young lady who has learned to balance being a business owner and student athlete. As a result of her hard work, Mikayla received an academic & athletic scholarship to attend Life Pacific University in San Dimas, California. The decision to attend Life Pacific University and to join their Women's Basketball Team allows her to remain close to home and continue to build Shades of My Melanin as a foundation for herself and to continue to be an example to her 4 siblings. She credits her success in business to her mother and the village of support she has received from family members, mentors, coaches, and friends.
At Shades of My Melanin, our goal is to not only offer products that make you feel beautiful in your own skin but to offer products that tell a story for each and every person who wears them. We offer fun, colorful, and creative products that can be worn by all ages. When wearing our products, our goal is for you to feel confident, empowered, and bold all while making a statement.
Along with offering products to empower women of color, we want our products to reach many different groups of people and to inspire them to step out of their comfort zone. Shades of My Melanin is committed to using our platform to give back to causes that are near and dear to our hearts. We will donate 10% of all sales from our collections designed to bring awareness to support research efforts.
Your Shade. My Shade. ALL MELANIN.
