Meet Athens Graves of I’m Flossy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Athens Graves. 

Hi Athens, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a first-year dental student at Midwestern University, College of Dental Medicine-Arizona (CDMA). I am a God-fearing woman, Arizona native, brunch connoisseur, and travel enthusiast! I’m proud to say that I’ve really been on this journey since the age of five. Even at that age, I always knew I wanted to be a dentist. My dream really started to come to fruition when I was accepted into CDMA. In this digital world where social media is at the tip of the thumb, there are a lot of creative people who are sharing their individual journeys. I follow a lot of healthcare professionals that look like me on social media: reading their blogs, learning about the businesses they have, and appreciating how they encourage and represent underrepresented minorities (URM) in places that we are not often populated, i.e., the healthcare field. Once I got into dental school, I always knew I wanted to encourage others by creating a platform to share URM’s stories going into a healthcare profession. Having a background in designing web pages really helped to kickstart my dream. I also personally enjoy scrapbooking, and with my background and interests I decided to combine my creativity to start my small business- I’m Flossy, LLC. 

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 struggles of operating a business in dental school is challenging! I have so many ideas, but dental school is one of my top priorities. A challenge I face daily is finding new approaches to marketing. I strongly believe that how much time you put into your business will show in your profits. Since I do not have as much time as I did before I started dental school, marketing my business has had its challenges. Trying to please and anticipate the wants of each potential buyer has been a challenge as well. I often battle designing what one person from a different profession wants in the moment and/or promoting the inventory I have right in my hands. I want to be able to create for each healthcare profession, but it takes time, money, and resources. I am a one woman-shop. I am the CEO, CFO, and VP of marketing. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I created I’m Flossy, LLC to encourage, stand by, and most importantly be a representation for underrepresented minorities (URM) going into healthcare. Whether it be dentistry, medicine, nursing, and more, everyone should aim to “Wear Scrubs, Don’t Date Them.” I identify as an Afro-Indigenous woman and there are only 3.8% African American dentists and 0.2% Native Americans who practice dentistry in the U.S. according to the American Dental Association. My profession intertwines with my business. I want people to know about I’m Flossy, LLC, to know that there are people who look like them and exist in these places and they can also. My journey to dental school was very challenging. There is a small community of people that share the same experiences getting here as I did, and I want people to know that and feel inspired by it. I have a blog where I share my journey of how I got into dental school as well as my journey and experiences through it. In addition to my blog, I wanted to create something with healthcare workers in mind that is relatable, laughable, and inspiring. I started researching clothing accessories that health professions wear daily, and I have always enjoyed a laughable pun that is healthcare-specific. The first pun I came up with was “Wear Scrubs, Don’t Date Them™”, and I designed a pin in the shape of a scrub top with the saying. I realized that a pin is a great accessory because it can be worn on hats, backpacks, or coats, and it is small yet noticeable. It struck me that even though our white coat is the most expensive coat we will wear, a lot of doctors wear pins on their white coats to add personality and show who they are. I want people to realize they do have something to show off about who they are and their journey, and they can proudly do so with I’m Flossy LLC. 

Like other professions, we wear scrubs as a uniform. This gave me the idea to create socks that can also be shown off while in uniform. A lot of dentists’ shoe game is top-notch, so I wanted to expand on not just pins but socks as well. Even though we can’t add much onto our scrubs, we can dress up our feet. I wanted to create something that people can see every day, stickers. Thinking about it I realized that we see stickers everywhere and every day. My items became so popular that other healthcare professionals would message me asking if I had items related to their profession. Today, I have expanded my business to include more dental and healthcare professional puns, and have expanded my business into creating pins, stickers, and socks. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I can name so many! But the number one reason is that my success comes from God. He can turn Ls into Ws. Having self-discipline, a transparent family, and friends who support you and your business no matter where you are at in your journey are also important to me and my success. 

Pricing:

• Pins-$10 each.
• Socks-$16.00
• Stickers-$3.00 each

Contact Info:

• Email: imflossy@thedmddiaries.com
• Website: https://thedmddiaries.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imflossy_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestudentdrdiaries