By: Bree Palacios
Myssfit was an idea I created while in high school sitting in my Web and Graphic Design class. It was based around a class project for a storefront. We had to create a brochure, mock website, logo and slogan. I settled with “Missfit: Clothing with Unique Attitude”.
It was 2006. I was 16 and also a HUGE Hot Topic fan when they were also in that “Emo/Scene” kid phase. I lived and breathed anything that was hot pink, black, checkered, studded or sparkly (Whose kidding, I still do…maybe minus the studs now). My music tastes fell in the category of Breathe Carolina, HelloGoodBye, to Avril Lavigne, Fly Leaf, and New Found Glory to Simple Plan, to many others that I am sure no longer together. I was a girl who thrived in a world full of color and even though I spent a majority of my last years in high school day dreaming, I somehow managed to excel in the creative world. I began drawing sketches of clothing, dresses, shoes that I wanted to create. Two of my school dance dresses were designed by me, and thank god for my mom who put up with me and actually sewed the final product.
I dreamt of owning my own business and making a difference in other’s lives. I just didn’t know how. All I knew was that I wanted others who were considered “weird” to have a safe place where they felt accepted no matter their size, shape or color. I wanted to become a fashion designer, move to New York City but didn’t have the funds for the college I wanted to attend. I also wanted to use my graphic design skills to land myself a job at Cosmopolitan or Bigger magazine like Jenna in ‘13 Going on 30’. I wanted to sing and become famous and posted my FIRST video to YouTube in 2007. After college, I fell in love with the idea of landing a job in television/radio. I literally wanted to be the next Ellen DeGeneres. I wanted a talk show to help adolescent girls thrive. My dreams have been ALL OVER the place.
It wasn’t until the past 4 years where I really uncovered what I wanted to do. I tried to become a Beachbody Coach, Life Coach, wrote a self-help book, started an all women support group, threw a few more vlogs on YouTube, and then fell in love with modeling for local photographers that helped me grow my self-esteem and confidence. That is when my original dream resurfaced. I met some like-minded individuals in the photography community and realized that I could put all of my passions into one brand. Magazine & web design, apparel, creative community, and support/motivation.
Myssfit Magazine was launched in June 2018 with a mission in mind. Marrying the creative minds of photographers, writers, models, fashion editors, musicians, artisans, makeup artists, designers, trend setters, and free thinkers. We embrace the "ALL" in alternative. We support and help each other grow and succeed. With a few random memes, inspirational quotes thrown in between. We market to anyone who has felt outcasted and wronged for being different. Myssfit is where the weirdos go!
We all have been working remotely together throughout different locations of Ohio. We also all have full-time careers outside of Myssfit. Recently, I moved “home base” from my small spare bedroom to my 80 year old basement in hopes to have more team meetings, bring in more merchandise and grow the business even more.
In our new space you will note that I brought my love for hot pink, black and shiny things into the space. As well as motivational posters, a dish full of blow pops, inflatable furniture, a cute iridescent chandelier, a 10 year old television to mirror power points onto and some mementos I have saved over the years.
There have been MANY bumps in the road. So to anyone who is wanting to start their own business, do not feel defeated when something doesn’t work the way you hoped. Be prepared for State and Federal paperwork. Set aside extra funds to help cover costs of trademarks, and obtaining your LLC (or your choice of structure), EIN, and website domain/host. Read and plan as much as you can before making any tough decisions. Prepare for members to quit. Create back up plans, and written processes. If there is something you need to learn to help your business run better, do it. There are a lot of free educational resources available on the internet that can help you succeed.
Don’t let failure scare you. Failure is what helps us grow. Failure helps us find out what actually works. Failure helps us prevent repeating mistakes. As we continue to grow at Myssfit, we hope you can join this wild adventure with us as well.
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Original designs from 2006