Gabrielle Mallory of Gabrielle Ginger: The Power of Flexibility; How I Was Able To Pivot To A New Exciting Opportunity Because Of The Pandemic

You will need more start-up money than you expect. I’ve had to finance this endeavor with my earnings from my day job. Going into a business that requires samples, prototypes, and overhead is not cheap — so plan accordingly and make sure it overlaps with your existing income if you have the ability to do that.

As a part of this series called “How I Was Able To Pivot To A New Exciting Opportunity Because Of The Pandemic”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gabrielle Mallory.

Gabrielle Mallory is a fashion and accessories designer and diplomat based in Washington, D.C. Gabrielle is originally from Ohio and moved to Washington, D.C. in 2000 seeking a career in politics.

Gabrielle worked on the Hill, then transitioned to State where she remains. Gabrielle holds a graduate degree in International Affairs/Political Science from Howard University.

Today, Gabrielle, her children and her husband, Chair of the D.C. Public Service Commission, live mere blocks from the Capitol.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I grew up in Ohio as the youngest of five children. Things were pretty normal and Midwestern until I moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue a career in politics. That’s when things got exciting! I had always been interested in everything D.C. had to offer and knew it was the center of governmental power — there’s really no other city like it.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My life lesson quote isn’t very sophisticated but it does the job. “God don’t like ugly” is what I try to adhere to. It basically means to be kind in all things you do.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

My favorite podcast is Masters of Scale, which is about how brilliant entrepreneurs grow their businesses from a startup to a global success. In one episode I heard a founder describe how it took him eight attempts to get a response from a CEO. That inspired me to fire off an email (again) to a buyer that I had been courting for months. The very next day I got a positive response.

Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you tell our readers about your career experience before the Pandemic began?

I’ve enjoyed a long and often exciting career at the State Department doing foreign affairs. I’ve gotten opportunities to travel around the world, but I wasn’t able to pursue my creative passions of fashion and design.

What did you do to pivot as a result of the Pandemic?

My accessories company, Gabrielle Ginger, has been a passion project for a long time. I started thinking about designing the perfect bag back in 2017 when I couldn’t find something that was high quality, functional, and beautiful. When friends and acquaintances took note of the prototype I had made of the Peyton bag, I realized many people were lacking stylish and edited accessories, so I began curating other items for a collection. In 2020 I pulled together branding and a website and started making things more public — a scary jump, but it’s been rewarding.

Can you tell us about the specific “Aha moment” that gave you the idea to start this new path?

Everything in life just slowed way down with COVID-19, leaving me the space and time to pursue my dreams. Working from home allowed me to continue a high-powered career while moonlighting with my newly formed e-commerce business.

How are things going with this new initiative?

Launching has gone better than I could have imagined — I’ve gotten tons of support from friends, family, and even new customers.

Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My husband is my rock and partner. He helped me understand it’s OK to pursue what makes me happy and what I am passionate about despite all of my other responsibilities as a mom and a diplomat.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started in this new direction?

I had been courting small boutiques to carry my products for months to no avail. All of a sudden, one of the boutiques reached out to me to see if I’d like to be featured during a Women’s History Month celebration pop-up. It was exciting and introduced me to the thriving female business owners community.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my organization” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. You will need more start-up money than you expect. I’ve had to finance this endeavor with my earnings from my day job. Going into a business that requires samples, prototypes, and overhead is not cheap — so plan accordingly and make sure it overlaps with your existing income if you have the ability to do that.
2. Business logistics are HARD. The administrative part of starting a business is more challenging than I expected. The licensing and approval process took forever and a lot of patience.
3. Not everyone will support you, but that’s okay. I’ve had some friends and family whose support has not been what I anticipated. For every person who isn’t interested in that, there are many, many more who have been helpful and positive.
4. You will work harder for your own business. I have been around entrepreneurship in the past, so I knew plenty of business owners who worked extremely hard for their own business. Launching my own business taught me first hand how it feels. You really never stop working — morning, noon, and night.
5. Slow, incremental growth is good growth. The quick pandemic boost was great, but as we push forward, we take small wins as they come — a large order, or a glowing review can be tiny wins that add up over time.

So many of us have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. Can you share the strategies that you have used to optimize your mental wellness during this stressful period?

I have stopped watching the news altogether. I still read news, but reading it doesn’t induce the same kind of drama or anxiety.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I’d LOVE to start a movement to cut the work week! People are so focused on their job which means less time for caring for each other and following our passions. Happiness and taking care of each other should be more important.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

I’d love to have lunch with Tracee Ellis Ross because I love her energy and style. I like the life she is inviting her fans and followers to live. I think she could impart lots of wisdom about improving my business, specifically my social media engagement.

How can our readers follow you online?

They can shop all of the Gabrielle Ginger accessories on our website, and follow us on Instagram at @gabriellebydesign.

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good