Today we’d like to introduce you to Shampaigne Graves.
Hi Shampaigne, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey as an entrepreneur started with just $20 and a dream to build a brand that truly supported women in business. That initial spark led to my first company, Boldifi. With no budget for a professional campaign, I turned to strategic partnerships, bartering services, and community-building to create a wildly successful launch event that sold out with over 120 women in attendance and secured sponsorships from major corporations.
This hands-on experience taught me a powerful lesson: true brand loyalty isn’t built through manipulation; it’s built through empathy and community. Over the next few years, I privately coached over 200 women-centered businesses, helping them craft their ideal customer profiles and marketing strategies.
This work was the foundation for my proprietary framework, the WCR4™ (Women’s Consumer Research Framework – 4-Step Method). Unlike traditional consumer research that only looks at data, my framework goes deeper to analyze the emotional and social nuances that drive women’s purchasing decisions.
The WCR4™ method explores four key pillars:
Emotions: Moving beyond “bully marketing” to build trust and authenticity.
Gender Socialization: Understanding how social standards and the phenomenon of “Purchase Panic” influence buying behavior.
Demographics: Going beyond surface-level data to explore how intersecting demographics shape consumer profiles.
Legacy Consumerism: Tapping into generational brand loyalty to create a lifestyle around your product.
I help organizations anticipate challenges like returns and diminished brand reputation by respecting the prolonged decision-making process of women consumers. My insights have led me to speak at over 60 events, reaching audiences of more than 10,000 nationally and internationally. Now, I help organizations build the same authentic connections I created with Boldifi, transforming their research, marketing, and sales strategies into a source of enduring loyalty.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. I started with every disadvantage possible. No money, no MBA, no business development skills.
In particular I struggled with learning how to build a business, creating a final product, and growing as an entrepreneur.
Building my Business: With no business savvy, it took humility to ask for help. I launched with just a mission and vision and in turn created a community before I knew exactly what my product was. Back then my company was named Bold Babes Co, which is now Boldifi, and had the tagline of “helping you start and stay in business.” Which was ironic because I had no idea how to stay but I most definitely knew that starting a business needed to begin with a why. My “why” was empowering women through becoming an online business owner. The reason why I chose online business is because it is the most cost effective way to start a business and allowed women the autonomy to create a brand in their own vision. So with this amazing community with no product to consume, I spent years unknowingly gaining trust by NOT selling to them but painting a picture of what the world could look like with every woman having the option to become an entrepreneur with a virtual format.
Creating a Final Product: Admittedly, after 8 years in business the final product for Boldifi is finally coming together. Through the years the central purpose of Boldifi has been education. From brunch in learns in Dallas to an online learning platform that included group coaching for women in ecommerce. Boldifi will be re-launching in 2026 as a white label education program. Buyers of the program will be getting a full license to use the content, research, and thousands of hours in sweat equity that created a first of its kind online business building framework. Made specifically for women, the program doesn’t just teach women how to build the business of their choice online, it teaches them how to become a confident leader in industry.
Growing as an Entrepreneur: Relationships were the key to growing and staying in business today. I made three kinds of strategic relationships to help grow.
Mentors: The women I admired who could give me the knowledge to not make their same mistakes.
Competitors: The women who were serving a similar audience in a different matter.
Interns: Working with emerging leaders to grow my vision through trusting them to work in my business in their “zone of genius.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Boldifi?
Originally launched in 2018, Boldifi was created to help women start and stay in online business. No business degree or experience required.
From sold out live brunch-and-learn events in Dallas, TX to a full self-paced digital accelerator program. Boldifi helped hundreds of women build their first businesses online using education content that was accessible, empowering, and effective. For the first time ever, Boldifi’s complete program will be available as a white-label license, so accelerators, NPOs, consultants, and coaches can put their brand on a proven education solution. Launching in 2026.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Start with a vision of who you want to be after your business becomes successful. The more detailed the better. Write down the details of that vision and keep track when the image changes. These words, hopes, and dreams will become your north star.
Contact Info:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shampaigne-graves/
- Personal Website: https://shampaignegraves.com/
Image Credits
Goldenlight Creative
Sustainable Brands
