Christella Morris is the owner of mrchgrl , a vertically integrated merchandising company that specializes in creating merchandising campaigns for new and mid-level artists.

What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?

Every day is different for me. Some days I am meeting with new prospective clients, so I will be putting together informational materials about my company. Other days I am working on new orders, so I will be on the phone and e-mailing to make sure everything is getting done right. Days that I’m on tour selling merch I usually wake up on a bus, sometime in the mid-morning. We’ll usually be in a new city, or on our way to a new city. I will take out my laptop and go through the sales I did the previous night, check it for a second time to make sure my numbers all add up. Then I may send a few emails to managers/merchandisers about the previous night’s sales. I may grab some lunch with the band or watch a movie. When we get to the new city I usually make a bank drop, depositing the moolah into banks so I don’t have a ton of cash on my person. From there we do load-in, so I would take all of my boxes to the area I’d be selling merch, set them up, meet with the venue manager and discuss the contract. Once I’m all set up, it’s a bit of “hurry up and wait” until the doors open. Sometimes I go get ready, put on make-up and stuff like that. Other times I may have a chance to visit the band backstage before their set. Once doors are open I’m at the merch table doing all my best sales pitches! Once the end of the night comes, the band has been finished for a while, I’m usually the last one out the door. I have to re-count everything, do my totals, make sure my cash and numbers match, and then settle with the venue. By the time I get back to the bus or hotel it’s usually 3 or 4AM. I’m usually too exhausted to party, so I head straight to bed to wake up and do it all over again the next day!

What was your first job out of school?

I got a job in a screen-printing and promotional products company. I was the office administrator, but my skills outweighed my job description and I ended up being an office manager, sales rep, graphic designer and accounts payable. All at the same time!

What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well?

Creativity, Great Sales Skills and Perseverance!!

What do you love most about your career?

It’s different every day, and every day is a new learning experience. I’ve been able to work with amazing bands like The Trews, Die Mannequin, Children of Bodom and so many more! I love helping new bands and artists figure out how the merchandising industry really works and setting them up with some great merch!

Do you have any warnings?

For this type of job there are really no people you can send a resume to and expect an interview. This is a job I’ve carved out of nowhere for myself, something I set as a goal I wanted to achieve and made it happen. It took years of understanding the industry from every aspect and working in many different environments. If you truly have the gumption to do it, expect to be broke for a long long time!

If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?

I LOVE my career, but if I had to do something different, it would probably be a Tattoo Artist. I love tattoos and I think with my drawing skills it’s something I would definitely learn quickly and have a lot of fun doing!

Follow Christella on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrchgrl/