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How would you describe the values of your brand?

We definitely have values. We say that ‘less is more.’ We recognize, again, celebrating the beauty of everyone and all of its forms, but kind of honoring and celebrating you as you are. So whatever that means to you. As I said, you could be a makeup minimalist, or you could be someone who loves makeup. But, we also honor celebrating moments in life. We recognize that people may feel like they want to look this way one day and feel like they want to look this way the next day. So, I think that’s a big basis of it - that overarching thing of uplifting girls and women in general across the board of health and wellness. So that’s kind of our mission.

Where do you see your company being in the next five years?

That has changed so many times even. I’ve only been on the market for one year… but it’s changed so much. I definitely still want to be a major contender in the industry. How that looks for me - it’s still up in the air, to be honest. It’s not because I don’t have a vision. But, I feel like there’s so much room for us to grow in different ways. I don’t want to box us in these early stages, and just feel like this is the only thing we’re going to do. So, I’m more open to partnerships and collaborations, and opportunities in that way. But overall, I would love to be maybe acquired by a larger beauty brand’s sector, like L’Oreal, or something, which a lot of people don’t realize in the industry is that all these brands that you see are owned by L’Oreal, or Shiseido, or something. They all are under the same umbrella, but we just see the brand. It’s not necessarily for the big bucks, because yes, getting acquired comes with a lot of money. So it’s exciting, but at the same time, it’s more so the ease of it. They already have their things in place to be successful as a beauty brand, and it’s built-in and so starting your own brand, as an entrepreneur, as a one-woman band, getting yourself in an opportunity like that is a successful way to win in the industry.

Project Name Dress for Yourself

Product Type Apparel

Development Stage In the Market

VCU School of Business: Marketing

Dress for Yourself

Fashion for Self-Esteem

By, Hadia Moosvi & Kii Williams

Mason Miles is an undergraduate student at VCU working to build confidence through the art of fashion and style. His brand, Dress For Yourself, inspires people to overcome their insecurities and express themselves with unique apparel. The mission is simple: Dress authentically.

How would you describe your product?

I have an apparel brand called Dress for Yourself. Our mission is to help people find their confidence and overcome their insecurities and be authentic through their passion. We have letterman jackets that are getting in the process of being ready to be sold. Then, we have hoodies as of the moment right now. Right now, everything else on the site is print on demand. So we have t-shirts, long sleeves, and crew necks.

How did you come up with the idea?

So in high school starting, I think junior year, I started to get into fashion. I didn’t really find my footing yet, so I’d just wear whatever, like colorful shirts, and I got clowned a lot for it. Then, that kind of led me to dress more conservative... But over the Pandemic, I really started self-evaluating. I said, ‘Why did I conform to what other people thought fashion was? And why didn’t I just wear what I wanted to wear?’ So I said, ‘You know what, let’s make a brand that teaches people to not be scared, to be yourself.’

Have you experienced any failure building this brand?

Oh yeah, a lot of failure... When I first started off, it was print on demand, and I like drawing, so I’d just draw a design and put it on a shirt. I didn’t get the response I wanted. People were like, ‘Oh, this is wack, this is corny.’ That really drove me to really work on my craft and create something that I could be proud of even more, and I really wanted to prove those other people wrong.

Where is your product now? Are we selling it?

Are we still getting it together?

Right now it’s able to be sold pre-order wise, but we’re still getting the product for this new drop, so waiting for inventory to come in. And then I found a manufacturer to screen print, so after I get the product, I’m going to give it to them and they’re going to put the design on the shirt.

How did you find out about Shift?

Actually, I found out through the School of Business mentor program. One of my mentors, she talked about the da Vinci Center and how great it was. So I was like, ‘Let me go check this out.’ I went to an open house event to start talking to people and then I learned about Shift through Mary Chris Escobar. She started talking about Shift and I was like, ‘Man, maybe I should get into this...’

Then, I applied to be a Shelfie and it’s been history ever since.

Does being a Shelfie have any perks?

I will say the things I’ve learned from people like Tyrone and everybody who’s in the lab, they gave me a lot of great feedback. I really applied that to what I’m doing with my business. They gave me kind of a plan and structure, and I’ve been following that. Plus you get a stipend!

Would you say Shift’s not just for people in business?

It’s open to everyone. I think that for sure. The Shift team should work into really getting more art kids involved. I think that’d be a great place for them to showcase their art or even do something like a product shoot where they’ll have one day where they have photographers from the photography major have an opportunity to work on their portfolio by taking stock images of people’s products for their corporate portfolio.

How would you describe Shift in three words? Entrepreneurship. Experiment. Experience.

Project Name ti Boulé

Product Type

Food

Development Stage

Small Batch

VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation, Master of Production Innovation

ti Boulé

A Hot Sauce Inspired by Haiti

By, Bella Lubinskas & Brandon McCleskey

Zachera Kernizan is pursuing a master’s in Product Innovation from the VCU da Vinci Center. Where she has worked this year to develop her Haitian-inspired hot sauce, ti Boulé. ti Boulé is a combination of scotch bonnet and habanero peppers with the freshest herbs to provide a burst of flavor that mellows into a slow-burning heat.

Why hot sauce?

This idea was born out of being a part of the da Vinci program. I was looking for something that spoke to who I was but also lent well to creativity. I love food, so I just started playing around in the kitchen and trying to see what connected to my Haitian roots but also just tasted really good. During my 8 years in Richmond, there were times of being homesick. That’s when I realized there is no Haitian food in Richmond. So I thought this could be a fun way to introduce a touch of home to Richmond.

What is the flavor profile of your product?

I would say it’s very flavor-forward, and then the heat comes in on the back end. It is like a tasty slow burn you can’t resist. I would say it falls somewhere between 100,000 - 350,000 Scoville units. So like a 7-8 out of 10.

What inspires you?

It’s going to sound corny, but Love. Food is how my family specifically my mom, shows affection. When I come home or have not been there in a while, my mom’s immediate reaction is “Have you eaten?” “What do you want to eat?” “What can I make you?”. So food is the currency of love in my family. So yes, I will stand beside it and say Love inspires me.

How did you find or create this recipe?

The recipe is built on a recipe of a sauce my family makes that has roots in Haitian folklore. So I took one of our traditional meat sauces, but instead of using it for a meat product, I used that same process with the peppers and the spices. It’s made with about eight main ingredients, creating the perfect vegan hot sauce! The process is very similar to the process that thousands of Haitians use daily when cooking major proteins.

Have you experienced any defining failures throughout your venture process?

I failed in a lot of ways, I would say. I feel like all of my failures, though, have been failing forward because each time I’m learning new things. The idea for this hot sauce was created in December of 2021, so I’ve gotten a lot of traction in less than a year. I was featured at Demo Day and got an honorable mention, which was very encouraging, even though we did not place. We are currently working through iterations of the logo and have failed a lot during this process. I would say one of the hardest critiques I received was someone told me the sauce was so personable, and when I talk about it, they felt like they know me. But then when they looked at the logo, it looked generic and basic. That truly hurt my feelings, but it also pushed me forward to keep iterating, searching for what resonates with my sauce and who I am as a person, rather than just presenting what I am projecting or expecting from others.

How did you find Shift? And what impact has it had?

I found Shift through the da Vinci Center. I am currently an MPI student and during undergrad I received the Product Innovation Certificate. The skills were always kinda brewing and stewing in the background just waiting. Then the timing of everything aligned perfectly. I would say Shift gave me the confidence to pursue a business. If you would have asked this time last year, none of this would have been on my radar. Now I feel like it could be a potential career path. It provided a shift to what I thought was possible. I feel like being a shelfie represents untouched potential. As I look at the range of where all the other shelfies are in their process, some of them are at the very beginning, some of them have sponsorships, and are out there with a real business, they’re just doing it!

Project Name

Gewd Botanicals

Product Type

Skincare Product

Development Stage

Ready for Market

VCU School of Medicine