Meet Melany Viruet

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melany Viruet. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melany, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I found my purpose through Jesus Christ. After years of running from Him, I decided to stop and give my life to Him. My walk of faith in Him has led me to better understand who I am and what I have been called for. See there was a time in my life where past childhood trauma and mistakes I made in life led me to believe I was unworthy because of shame. I thought I was unworthy of His forgiveness and unworthy of His love. But He proved me otherwise! In 2020 I began to deal with all of that and I found my healing in Him, through confession of my mistakes to him, asking for forgiveness and forgiving those that hurt me through that childhood trauma. That liberated me and I felt like a new person. As I sought Jesus through prayer and reading the Bible, the Lord began to show me gifts that He put in me for a specific purpose. I was also blessed to meet people who became friends and mentors who saw things in me I didn’t initially see. They helped pull out gifts and develop them which led me to understand my purpose, my calling and how the stories of my life could help others find hope in Jesus. My purpose in life is not to make encouraging apparel that has bible verses, phrases and the name of Jesus on them. My purpose is to reach those who feel they are too far gone and have no hope or have tried filling an emptiness they may feel inside with things of this world. My purpose is not just for myself but also to help others who know Jesus share the hope we can have in life, when we have faith in Jesus.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I specialize in making apparel and accessories that are faith based. Childlike Faith Apparel’s core values are faith in Jesus, family as our first ministry, passion for God, transparency and authenticity in all things in our walk in life with Christ and thoughtfulness in all things we create. I want to encourage adults and children to be bold for Jesus like He was for us. The goal is to help believers share their faith through apparel as well as to reach those that are searching for hope. What is so special about Childlike Faith Apparel is the connection I can make with people I encounter whether online or at market events. People are drawn to our brand not only because of the message but because of my transparency with the public on life and my walk of faith. People can relate to my stories and testimonies and it is exciting to know we can have community amongst one another because of these stories. The designs I have launched until now have messages behind them that I can relate back to something I was dealing with even in the very moment of creating them. That has been something that people have appreciated about this brand. For example, our best seller “Trust in the Lord” has been a favorite for customers because of the story behind it. I launched it when my husband and I were going through slow months in our business which affected our finances. Even though we’d try to strategize how to change that, we came to the realization that our only and best option was to trust in the Lord. Trusting Him changed our perspective and grew our faith. Followers of Childlike Faith Apparel related to that deeply and still do till this day.

With that being a huge favorite, we have renovated that design and will be relaunching it for fall this year. New color wave for the fall on a cozy crewneck sweater is dropping this September 20th and everyone is excited about it as are we! We have markets coming up for the holidays so be on the look out for that by following us on Instagram!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My journey still feels very young but one thing that was and still is most impactful in my journey this far, is running my business with excellence understanding it isn’t just representing myself but also representing Jesus Christ. Another skill that has been impactful is stewarding well the finances that come into the business by budgeting and spending with wisdom. I understood profit was not going to come in immediately. But I learned that whatever income came in I had to invest back into the business, so that I could continue to build it as well as invest into what God puts in my heart to sow, like Little Light Ministry which helps unhoused communities. And lastly prayer was so important and impactful in my journey because it helped me connect with the Lord, find peace in the journey and grow my faith to trust the process I was in.

Anyone that is early in their journey I would encourage to take moments where you remind yourself the why. Why are you doing what you are doing, why did you start the business besides the income. There has to be a greater purpose, a passion for what you are doing. When you know this you can focus on that and let all other things align into place as you put in the work and determination.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My husband has been a huge help for me. He started his business, SkalpX Milwaukee, about 6 years before I started Childlike Faith Apparel. His work ethic was such an example for me because he’s always made sure to give the best service he could give to every client that he has had. He is a go getter and a visionary and that inspired me. Those qualities rubbed off on me! I’m a “doer” so his visionary quality with my skill to put things into action complemented each other and we’ve been able to work together to build both our businesses. Some of the hardest parts of my journey have been the finances because I started with little and everything that came in would go back into the business to pay for any bill for it and finance the business itself. I was easily frustrated by numbers for example but because he can be a numbers guy, he’s helped me to understand how to invest into the different parts of my business wisely and how to trust God to help me make those decisions as well. The knowledge and experience he’s gained from building his business from nothing has been of example and encouragement to me.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photographer: Kat Mazang (Market Photos)

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