Meet Doretta Ellsworth | Creative & Lead Digital Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Doretta Ellsworth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Doretta, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Initially, my thought was, there are less talented people out here being successful. I’m smart, I can be successful too! I have always wanted to run my own business and manage my own time. When I was working in corporate as an Account Manager, we were encouraged to manage our books-of-business as if they were mini-businesses within the company. I had my assigned clients and territory and I fully managed my P & L’s, hired and trained staff, interfaced w/my clients, etc… I took full ownership of my position and responsibilities and figured, if I’m successful here, I can totally do this on my own.

The thing was, at the job, I still had a team to rely on. The company had finance managers, HR, IT experts, etc… we could turn to for help. As a full-time entrepreneur, I had to wear all those hats exclusively in the start-up stage. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. My main goal for launching my brand was to help Christian introverts share the word of God in style! Hence my company, Wear the Promise, LLC. When you can’t speak the word, you can wear the word and instantly become a walking witness! Keeping that at the forefront of my thoughts, is what kept me moving forward, implementing every new thing I learned and figuring out the rest when I had no team to turn to for help.

What should our readers know about your business?
Wear the Promise is a faith-inspired apparel and custom print shop. We help Christian introverts share the word of God through faith-inspired graphic tees, while branding small businesses in custom merch and promo products. What sets us apart is, we don’t make it until you order it! Every item is made-to-order and we’re able to customize most of our products to suit your style and taste. Running a business isn’t easy, but it does get easier as you go. The main lesson I’ve learned is to keep a pulse on the numbers. Most new entrepreneurs do not do any data analysis in their business, so it was important for me to remember what made me successful in corporate, would also make me successful in my business. So, I run weekly reports, I study the data, and I pivot as needed.

Also, so many people are so talented at so many things, they try to do it all at once. I started out focusing on just selling graphic tees and over 5yrs, I’ve been able to expand my business to designing and drop shipping for others. When you focus and remain consistent, growth will happen.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’re definitely hitting up Shlap Muan Chicken Wings in Long Beach. Hands down thee best Cambodian chicken wings ever! Next, we’re checking out all the local and small businesses on 2nd Street and it’s surrounding areas in Long Beach. If I haven’t mentioned it, I’m pretty much an introvert, although some find it hard to believe. I’m really a home body, so outside of local eateries and local small businesses, I don’t go out much. It’s just too peoply outside for me. But I love interacting with mom & pop shops and local small businesses.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In 2018, I had thoughts about starting my own business. It wasn’t until 2023 after reading Two Weeks Notice by Amy Porterfield that I actually submitted my resignation letter and decided to run my business full-time. Since then, I’ve had amazing people invest in my business and me as a person. A huge thank you to my SCORE mentors. SCORE has amazing free resources for those who have no clue where to start as an entrepreneur and mentorship is free as well. I’ve received great advise and guidance from amazing industry experts.

Website: https://www.wearthepromise.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearthepromise/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorettae/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearthepromise

Image Credits
Doretta Ellsworth