FORT MYERS, Fla — Since the day she opened her own business, Catina Fletcher has said she would do whatever it takes to make sure it's a success. In the last two years that promise has taken her down a number of new roads.
Catina’s story is part of our SWFL Reinvented: Moving Forward series. We meet business owners, who have changed their lives and taken a risk to start a new business. Then we follow them on their journey and document the ups and downs they face.
Catina is a little bit different. We actually first told her story in May of 2019, just as Diamonds Haircare was getting off the ground. So we thought we would check in with her now and see how she’s doing.
Let’s start with the fact that she’s no longer in Fort Myers. She moved to Georgia.
“There’s a lot of opportunities here in the state of Georgia, with the hair expo and the pop up shops, and we have a lot of new customers and clients here,” she says.
Before Covid, she found a higher demand for in-person sales. And because a lot of the demand was coming from people in Georgia, she moved to bring the products closer to them.
“Where the brand is most wanted and needed,” Catina says.
She bought a house and continued to make many of the products from home. But in 2020, the pandemic closed down the expos and pop up stores. And suddenly, Catina’s best revenue sources were gone.
“I started working with the Small Business Development to expand Diamonds Haircare products,” she says. “You have to take advantage of the online space, everyone is using it. Everyone is at home shopping.”
Not only did she decide to go back to selling more of her products online, she decided to expand her company. She opened Fletcher Kollection Boutique, where she offers clothing and fashion accessories.
“What I have learned, is always have a plan,” Catina says. “Because you never know what’s going to happen."
