Exploring Life & Business with Demajae Muray of Wisdom By Alim E.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Demajae Muray. 

Hi Demajae, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was raised by a single mother with the help of my immediate family. My family consisted my of two aunts and grandparents. My mother and father split by the time I was nine years old, after that he wasn’t present. Luckily for me, my grandfather played the role of my dad. From a young age, he taught me how to work for yourself so that you wouldn’t have to pay others to do for you. He owned land and homes and we fixed them up ourselves. Before I was born, he started his entrepreneurial journey and was successful in creating The Blue Dolphin Co. At the same age of 9, I began working there as a cashier. At The Blue Dolphin, we rented out paddle boats for durations of 30-60 min. There was a snack bar as well. I worked here every summer until the age of 18. I learned a lot about money and how to run a business here unintentionally but who knows, maybe that was the point. 

Fast forward to 2013, I’m in college and growing into a young adult. I couldn’t work for Papa anymore so I’m working at Cracker Barrel to keep a few dollars in my pocket. I come up with this bright idea to apply to Footlocker, Inc. My mindset then was I’ll use my Cracker Barrel income to pay the bills and I’ll use Footlocker, Inc. income to buy shoes (I always had a thing for fashion, my entire life as far as I can remember). I end up being a natural at Footlocker, Inc. and move up the ladder fast due to my skills learned from The Blue Dolphin Co. I step away from Cracker Barrel and take a Store Manager position. Furthering my career in the retail business would be another trend towards me later starting my own. 

Five years later, and the thought process of starting my own brand comes into play. I had just graduated in the Spring of 2018 from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. in Children’s Literature while minoring in African-American Studies. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to write poetry books for children and work for myself. My whole life I learned how to do it, now was the time to put everything into play. The following year of 2019, it would come into fruition, and Wisdom By Alim E. would be born. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road to success is never smooth. Struggles and challenges come in many forms. The main thing to do when faced with a challenge is to push through it. Some challenges that I have met along the way are language barriers, inflation prices due to natural disasters, delayed shipments, un-inspired moments, and more. 

I would say the toughest obstacle I’ve encountered yet is the social media aspect of the business. I myself am not a very tech-savvy person nor do I enjoy the internet at times, but I also understand it is a means to the business in today’s world. The algorithm of social media is also confusing because sometimes it seems as if only certain agendas or things are shared. It is something you must learn in order to create a presence and spread your brand. I prefer to service my customers and create a connection; I just have to learn how to do it over the internet. 

In order to overcome this obstacle, I study the game. I do so by reading articles and staying up on sharing policies and promotion deals with said social media outlets. However, I still have many things to learn. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wisdom By Alim E.?
Wisdom By Alim E. is a brand that focuses on the knowledge and history of the African Diaspora. The brand emphasizes children’s literature through the lens of the African-American culture and history in its book “The ABC’s of Activism: A Children’s Book Highlighting Prominent Civil Rights Leaders and the Alphabet”! Beyond literature, it will simultaneously offer a Black-Owned retail provider to the community with merchandise of apparel and accessories! 

CEO and Author Demajae N. Muray released his first book in the summer of 2019. The books’ sole purpose is to educate black children who grow up misguided and lied to in the education system. The Black children who know rarely any of their history or world history due to a Eurocentric view of history and teaching styles. The book offers poetry and beautiful illustrations while simultaneously showing the Black youth that there are plenty that look like them that have changed the course of history. 

The retail collection consists of streetwear and sportswear. Everything is crafted from scratch and handmade. Creative designs are sketched by CEO Demajae N. Muray and brought to life in every piece of clothing with the help of our vendors. It is essential for us to put out top-notch quality and we do so by providing Terry Fleece Cotton in our sportswear. Terry Fleece Cotton is known for its durability and ability to keep you warm. With the birthplace of the brand being Michigan, it’s no question why we choose to use TFC- “It’s so cold in the D”. 

Wisdom By Alim E. has an end goal to pave the way for African-American Entrepreneurs and Black-Owned Businesses. We want to spread wisdom throughout our community in all ways possible. Our belief as a company is that we must be self-righteous, and be able to take care for ourself. The company is a way to do that and it is only the beginning. 

We are proudly Black-owned and operated! We aspire to learn the ways of the business world so that we may teach it to future generations. Circulation of the black dollar within our communities increases our businesses and practices while strengthening those very same communities. Wisdom By Alim E. wants to be a part of that future growth. The company plans to do so by continuing to tell our stories and by servicing our customers with premium wear. 

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can support in many of ways. We have our website, an Instagram, and Facebook page. The biggest way to support is through shares, likes, saves, and website visits. These four help break algorithms which allows attention to be brought to the brand and web pages. We also asks that when our customers read their books that they share pictures and tag us while doing so. Sporting the brand and tagging the Instagram page is definitely a huge help as well. 

As far as collaboration, we often look to participate in local and countrywide pop-up shops. We’ve participated in various pop-ups throughout Michigan, reaching Jackson, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Southfield, and Detroit. Wisdom has been in Dallas, TX also. The company has a plan to visit one new state per month in the year of 2022 in hopes of spreading Wisdom so we look forward to all invites possible! 

We can be reached by phone or email. 

Pricing:

• The ABC’s of Activism- $20.00
• Wisdom Signature Hoodie- $55.00
• Wisdom Signature Joggers- $60.00
• Wisdom Dad Cap- $30.00
• Wisdom Signature Crop- $30.00

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.wisdombyalime.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/wiseman_alim?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiseman_alim-111333840323321
• Other: https://instagram.com/feelmy_soles?utm_medium=copy_link

Image Credits
Daniel Orhorhoro