Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in home care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with MacKenzie Duffy, Founder of Modern Myth Decor, located in Portland, OR, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Modern Myth's philosophy is to support a lineage of handcrafted goods made by indigenous artisans from around the world. In this way, we are directly protesting the heartlessness of fast fashion and encouraging a deeper, more natural state of appreciation and gratitude for a slow and rich life. One continuous celebration after another of the imperfectly perfect. Our products come from the earth and will go back to the earth. A cyclical cycle for an eco-friendly lifestyle. You will never find a synthetic strand in all that is woven here. We are the epic center for earthy, heirloom goods, luxury vintage rugs, and authentic relics of the heart, creating a landscape of poetry within the home. Each piece is carefully considered in curating a unique collection, complex in its history but soft in its expression.

Modern Myth is a female-owned and operated brand, self-made and self-sustained. This vision is alive and well because of the ethics and values we collectively share. In this woven culture, we carve out intentional spaces to pause, consider and unfurl. We're all complex creative creatures that deserve a tranquil place of rest in this rapid-fire culture of consumerism. Modern Myth is the antidote. Together we carry on a lineage of the heart, woven into our culture and collective identity, a tapestry of belonging.

Tell us about yourself

Since the age of 21, I've been galavanting off on solo pilgrimages to cultures in search of a rich slow, and deep way of life. It is no coincidence I found myself on Berber soil for the first time in 2017, eyes wide open, walking through a dream. It was the kind of trip that you know is just the beginning, like a door swinging wide open and inviting you to the next chapter of your life. I returned a year later for my first solo sourcing trip to kick off what is now known as Modern Myth Decor.

When you're open and listening, life seems to guide you, and this journey was most definitely a guided one. I arrived in the north of Morocco, in a small town painted head to toe in blue. Quite literally, a resemblance of heaven on earth. I was ready to hit the ground running, to get after my vision, and to source my first collection! But as it happens, right away, there were other plans in place. Surrender. I was sick as a DOG. I had eaten unclean food at the airport and was gutted with food poisoning, losing track of days and finding myself quite sedentary in this tiny town, not on the move at all.

What did that gift me? What does slowing down always gift you….. connection. In the town of Chefchoan, I met and conjoined with the original people of North Africa. Berbers, also known as Amazigh, the original nomads. They are people of ritual and song, trance, and mysticism. Here, I was invited into the home of Omar and Idriss. We sat with a few others in a tiny circle, the space no bigger than a small bedroom, also used as a shop. We shared a home-cooked Tajine, using bread as silverware and enjoying the simple pleasures of life in Morocco, Gnawa music.

Music and art run deep in this culture. It's the vitality that courses through their veins and keeps them connected and whole. I was blessed to share this experience. In Gnawa music, one phrase of poetry is repeated over and over again, acting as a ritualistic prayer that brings people into a trance. It felt like a song washing over my body and soul, a melodic lullaby, a chant bringing me into a state of remembering. I walked home that night and slipped into a dream where the music continued. When I opened my eyes, it was as if there had been a collective CLAP, and the ritual was over. I speak in detail about this moment shared because it was the beginning. And this experience echoed out as I wandered village by village, dirt road by dirt road, and wound myself for a month through mountainous landscapes. As it turns out, this way of eating and making music together is common & simply a way of life. Over and over, throughout my journey, I was invited to tea and a meal and offered a bed to sleep in or to gather and play music.

When you are a part of Berber culture, you are a part of a wide communal web. You will never go hungry; you will never be without a place to rest your head. This was a much deeper teaching and gift that left a lasting impression. Richer than any collection I could have imagined. It is the artisans and indigenous people I've connected with during my travels that keep me committed to the success of Modern Myth.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am opening my first brick-and-mortar shop on N Williams this coming November. The shop will be a collaboration of three small female-run businesses under one roof. We've named it Origin Story, and I couldn't be more thrilled. There will be plants by Wilde Haus, eco-conscious clothing by SolLuna Collective, Moroccan rugs, and worldly home decor by Modern Myth. Our opening will take place at the parallax building over black Friday weekend. Come shop with us and join in on the celebration!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

WEARING ALL THE HATS!! I'm so grateful to be far enough along in my journey as a solo entrepreneur to begin collaborating and hiring out help as needed. I'm creative at the core; being a business owner is something I've had to learn along the way. There's a lot to it!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Find the larger reason beyond finances to keep you engaged and growing your business.
  2. Collaborate with others. You don't have to be an expert in every field!
  3. Time management, don't burn yourself out by working around the clock. Respect your time.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://modern-myth.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernmythdecor/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/modernmythdecor/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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