Life & Work with Hannah Medley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Medley.

Hi Hannah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I originally started in November of 2020 as Southern City & Company. I had a blog way back when called The Southern City Girl and found it was only fitting to call the store the same thing. I ended up putting my store aside in April of 2021 because I was getting married and a lot of my extra funds went to the wedding instead of the store.

In August of 2021 (after the wedding), I decided Southern City & Company was not the most fitting name for what I wanted my brand to be. After brainstorming, I came up with Adamas+ Ru (a-da-mas). The word Adamas is actually the Greek origin word of diamond and it means indestructible/invincible.

I wanted an underlying biblical background to my store and so I was trying to think of unique ways to incorporate my faith without it being in your face. Proverbs 3:15 says “She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her”. Adamas+Ru is basically a spin-off of that bible verse as Ru is just a shortened form of rubies.

I wanted a brand that makes women not only feel invincible but helps them know their worth. I hope to eventually have a brick and mortar where I can further instill that in anyone that enters my store. For now, I plan to stay online and do various pop-up shops around town until I feel that push to move to a brick and mortar.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely 10000% NOT. My first struggle was I quit my job in 2020 with no backup. Funds were limited but my precious husband (fiancé at the time) believed in me and my passions and he helped pay for my first round of inventory.

It was smooth for a couple of months until wedding planning was in full swing. I wasn’t selling enough online to cover costs and I wasn’t able to do pop-up shops with all my weekends filled with either my wedding events or someone else’s. I didn’t want to close down the store but I had to press pause on it before I had a complete meltdown.

Once I rebranded again it ran a little more smooth and I think that’s due to having a clear understanding of what my brand is and what I am trying to accomplish. Owning a business, in general, is stressful. For me, right now the struggle is balance. I now have a full-time job that I enjoy but I am also doing pop-up shops every weekend. I struggle with burnout pretty big right now. It feels like it’s just go go go all the time.

Even when I set time aside to relax, I don’t really relax. I think of all the things I could be doing with the store instead (there is always something to do). I don’t think it will ever be smooth though, there’s always going to be a bigger struggle the bigger it gets.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When I am not working on my store, I work as a business consultant for a PEO called Co-Advantage. I have been doing this for a couple of months now and really enjoy it. I get to work with small business owners and CEOs all of Tennessee to help them with their HR, payroll, and medical benefits.

I would say I am known for being a big people person. I love people and I love helping people which is a big reason why I think I work well in this industry. My whole job is to help people and take the not-so-fun tasks off their hands so they can get back to doing what they love which is running their businesses.

I am most proud of myself for keeping my store going while doing my full-time job. I am learning so much that can be applied to my future business endeavors and even apply it today when running my store. I am not going to lie it’s been hard managing time but I am proud that I am still able to do them both.

I think what sets me apart from others is authenticity, I am me what you see is what you get. I know that’s a little cliché but I see a lot of people try so hard to fit in some sort of box that society gives us and I just don’t see a point. I also think something that sets me apart is I love learning from other people.

I never want to be the smartest one in the room, I am always asking others about their lives and how they got to where they are. Other people’s backgrounds are just so fascinating to me, I am a sucker for a good underdog story. And lastly, my philosophy is to love God, love people, be your true self, and treat people how you would want to be treated.

What makes you happy?
So many things.

1. A warm sunny and 75 days- self-explanatory.

2. Spending time with family- I talk to my parents almost every day so I am pretty close with my family so when I get to spend quality time with them it just makes me feel all warm inside almost like I am a kid again.

3. Making others happy- I enjoy making other people smile or feel good. I will never understand why people intentionally tear others down because it makes me feel good to build others up.

4. A warm cup of coffee particularly in the AM.

5. The months October-December- There’s just the ambiance in the air during these months that always made me happy.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://adamasru.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamasru/

Image Credits
Bee @photosbybeecon