Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariyah Oliver.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mariyah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised on the small island of Kauai, Hawaii. After graduating from high school in 2014, I then decided to further my education and volleyball career in California at Hartnell College. At the end of my first volleyball season, I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus, which required three different surgeries and a year and a half of recovery. I got back up and played my second season there. After receiving my Associate’s Degree, I transferred to Texas A&M Commerce to continue my education and volleyball career. I had a successful first year studying Social Work and playing one of my favorite sports. However, the second year was a little different. I tore my ACL in my other knee during the preseason and failed ALL of my classes that fall semester. I had two choices: drop out and go home (to Hawaii), then come back the following semester, or stay and take five Fʻs on my record. I chose to stay, rehab my knee, and take five Fʻs. Again, I got right back up. I got straight Aʻs the following semester and overloaded my course work in the summer.
At the end of the 2019 summer, I graduated with my Bachelorʻs Degree in Learning and Technology. By the end of it, I had switched my major from Nursing to Psychology to Criminal Justice to Social Work to learning and technology, and Psychology was definitely my favorite out of them all. At this point, I still had one more year of eligibility left for volleyball, but instead, I decided to focus on my Masterʻs Degree in Psychology and forgo my final year of volleyball. Spring 2020 was the start of my Master’s Degree and the start of the Corona Virus. Having to quarantine made me think about my long term goal, what do I want to do? Who do I want to work for? In all of my newly found free time, I started making people smile and laugh with TikToks and Instagram filters. Then I came to the realization that I have the opportunity to be an influencer.
From here, I started to shift my goal once more to making all types of videos, from makeup to working out, to random cow suit videos. Finally, I decided that I wanted to start an online boutique minus boutique pricing. I wanted it to be an affordable place for women to shop. It started out with womenʻs clothing only. Then I began to add in eyeshadow palettes. Most recently, I have added lashes with custom cases that I make from scratch. I love doing creative things that not many other people do or things that I have not seen done yet. My goal is to continue to create and inspire all around the world. That is exactly what I did. I was able to build my TikTok community to 150k followers, sold out of multiple products, and sold a product to someone from each of the 50 states in my first two weeks of my launch date. I am always coming up with new things to add to my shop and I am enjoying every step of the way!
Has it been a smooth road?
My journey has definitely been a rollercoaster. Between the injuries and constantly switching up my major, I wasn’t sure if I would ever settle. Aside from that, I was slightly scared to run my own business. I am used to hearing “9-5 jobs pay the bills”, “9-5 jobs give you benefits”, “9-5 jobs give you steady weekly payments”. Whereas for your own business, it is different, everything lays in your own hands. Finally, I realized if I am going do this, I am giving 100% and will only fail if I allow myself to fail.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
MOOYAHYAH is an online womenʻs boutique. I currently have clothing, makeup palettes, and personalized eyelash cases that I sell. I make my own eyelash cases out of cardstock and allow my customers to choose what lash they want, the name on the lash case, and the color of their lash case. I am most proud of the fact that I was able to reach people all across the nation as well as some international customers. What sets me apart is that my main goal isn’t to profit off of people, I keep my pricing as low as possible. Another thing is that I am constantly coming up with new ideas to add to my shop. For example, the next feature I will be adding is customizable clothing. I think the biggest thing that sets me apart from other people is that I do not define myself under one set niche. I have multiple strengths. Instead of putting my focus on just one of those strengths, I enjoy being able to be in touch with/express all of them.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Of course, the Dallas area is very supportive of one another. I could say the same about Texas as a whole but when people see that you are around the Dallas area, you are automatically like family. Itʻs awesome! Plus, there are tons of helpful resources and suppliers in the area.
Contact Info:
- Website: mooyahyah.com
- Phone: 8084824690
- Email: mooyahyah@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/mooyahyah
- Other: tiktok.com/@mooyahyah
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