Name: Mallory Musante
Major/Graduation Year: Marketing, 2009
What She’s Doing Now: Founder & CEO, Mallory Musante Shoes
HC: Tell me a little bit about your experience at Bryant.
MM: I was a Marketing Major and International Affairs minor. I had never really wanted to own my own business so I thought I’d try marketing and maybe work in some kind of corporation after I graduated. That changed partway through my sophomore year when I got the idea for my shoes. At the time, Entrepreneurship wasn’t offered as a major yet, but I did take a class called Entrepreneurial Marketing, which is how I met my mentor, [Professor] Sandra Potter. Even though I graduated in ’09 we still work really closely together and I still meet with her all the time, which is awesome.
HC: How did the idea for Mallory Musante Shoes come about?
MM: I got the idea when I saw the movie “PS: I Love You.” At the end of the movie there’s this short clip that shows Hillary Swank creating her own shoes. When I saw that, it really got me thinking that was something I’d love to do. So I took a 5-day intensive shoe-making course in San Francisco (through London-based design school Prescott and Mackay) and learned how to hand make a pair of shoes.
Unfortunately when I researched it more I found that it was really difficult to get all of the materials and everything. However, when I went to the Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization national conference with Bryant and met a guy there that hand-painted sneakers, it finally all started to come together. I had always loved to paint, so I bought one of his kits and started experimenting with my own shoes. As it turned out, people really liked them! So I started doing custom designs and launched my business in April 2010, just a few months after I graduated from Bryant.
HC: How did your Bryant education help you in launching your own business?
MM: During my last semester at Bryant, I did a directed study that was largely focused around starting my business, so I was able to find my manufacturer and learn about the process of importing and things like that before I even graduated. My shoes are manufactured in China, so I talked to people in Bryant’s U.S.-China Institute to get their advice on importing and things like that, which was really helpful. The Bryant network is also great. Even now I have alumni contacting me all the time and putting me in contact with other people that might be able to help get the word out there, or become clients themselves.
HC: What are the best and most challenging things about owning your own business?
MM: The most challenging thing is doing everything yourself. Even when I’ve had a part-time job or something, my business has always been a full-time job. I work on it from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep at night. I have some interns now, which helps a lot, because there is only so much one person can do in a day, but time management can definitely be a challenge. The best part is hearing people say how much they love my shoes, and how happy they make them. I especially hear that about my custom designs because they are really one-of-a-kind and customized to that individual’s personality.
HC: Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs at Bryant?
MM: Do your research. Make sure there’s a need for what you have to offer. Then, persistence and patience become key. And while you’re being patient, continue to grow and adapt. I’ve changed my strategies and processes several times already in order to be more efficient, and I’m probably going to keep changing them.
Check out Mallory’s chic designs atwww.MalloryMusanteShoes.com, or follow her on Twitter @MMusanteShoes.