Page 35 of Sort of Seeing Someone

“Well you’re going to have to make one. Moonie, the power of her posts is undeniable. She’s got so much sponsored content, companies are willing to pay for theThe Shereé Effect. If she’s that into you organically, then let her wave her magic wand for free over you and see what happens.”

“Okay. What is step-one?” I ask, the novice in my voice is really showing.

“You need product—something for people to buy—nothing too crazy, and keep your quantities minimal at first. Just get what you know you can flip and price it to make enough in profit to then re-invest into beefing up your inventory. It’s called scaling a business. Do you have a purveyor?”

I have an Angeline, if that’s what she’s asking.

“And of course you need an eCommerce website. A place for people to actually order your goods. Just a simple one would be fine for now. Those are easy to whip up. Shopify will be your best friend.”

“I’m not sure Shopify and I arethatclose,” I say, admitting my technological shortcomings.

“Fair enough. Let me email my web guy. He owes me a favor. I’ll see if he can set up a basic eComm site pro bono if you send me a list of what you’ve got to sell. Then, you just focus on doing a good job with this initial rush of fulfillment.”

“What do you meanrush?” That’s not a term OB people are accustomed to—even the ones who move back to big, metropolitan cities.

“My guess? After midnight, your email is going to be flooded with orders from new customers. And if I’m right, make sure you budget for a full-blown logo and brand identity package. I’m thinking you’ll want to pull in that lip color of yours somehow. Make it your signature or something. Any questions?”

About a hundred.

“So what I’m hearing is that you’ve got a guy who can turn me into a credible business before 6pm and I should check my email after midnight to see if it worked?”

“Bingo,” says Yas. “I’ll let you go so you can get to shopping. Send me the inventory list ASAP, mama.”

“On it,” I say like the subordinate I am.

“Oh, and one more thing,” says Yas. “For the URL, what are you thinking for your company name?”

“My company name?”

It doesn’t take but two seconds for the idea to strike like lightning. But when it does, I’m confident that even though I may nothavemy MBA, I hereby declare IamMBA.

“My company name is Moon Batch Apothecary,” I answer confidently.

I put my phone back into my purse and reach for that fresh $50 bill as I prepare to head back over to The Energy Shoppe and blow it on as many crystals, candle kits, and smudge sticks as I can.

From FML to MBA to #LFG, all in an afternoon.

10

Chapter Ten

Olivia leaves herfront door unlocked for me. I twist the handle and make my way into her foyer, which smells of sugar and butter.

“Did you get lost?” she asks, not taking her eyes away from her beloved stovetop.

“Sorry, I was…out shopping.”

To avoid further questioning, I decided to spare the details of, you know, starting a business that is in the complete opposite order of what I moved home to do.

“Shoes off! Shoes off! Shoes off!” she repeats three times in quick succession like she’s chanting “Bloody Mary” into a mirror at a childhood sleepover party.

Grilling averted due to her neat freakery, as I take a minute to unlace my boots.

“Are you gearing up for deployment with those things?” she asks.

“They’re Dr. Marten’s, Liv. It’s October. Pretty sure ‘fall boots’ are an acceptable wardrobe choice, especially now that I’m back in a city withactualseasons.”

“Hmm.”

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