(1) LAEDA: Entrepreneurship is a very challenging path to take with many different possible directions. What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

I decided to become an entrepreneur because it gives me great pleasure making a difference in someone’s life by helping them bring their dream and/ or vision to life.

(2) LAEDA: Why did you choose your industry?

I choose this industry because it’s what I love and it makes me happy. Since I was a little girl, I loved dressing up and prancing around the house in my mother’s heels and clothes. As I got older, I would get bullied for how I dressed and how I wore my hair; so, when I got to high school, I wanted to change that. I was no longer a little girl at that point and wanted to look nice and feel good about myself by dressing like a young lady.

Back then, my mom shopped at the thrift stores a lot so I began to create great looks from putting these thrift store clothes together and making them look like they came from regular retail stores. This is the same tactic that got me through the hard times while living in the projects with my kid/s. Just because we had little to no money didn’t mean we had to look like it. My goal was to keep my kids looking the part so they wouldn’t get bullied like I did. During that time, I would also have a ton of parties where my daughter and I would decorate my apartment with different themes, dress up, and just have fun. I would even do crafting in my spare time which is where the idea to create centerpieces came from.

I was and still, to this day, am a heavy thrift store and clearance rack shopper. Honestly, this mindset actually helped me get through my rough days.

Key takeaways from the program were that I gained not only friendship, family, and partnership opportunities but also business knowledge that will last a lifetime.  One ah-ha moment was right after my interview with the LAEDA Team because it was when I realized that they not only believed in me but also believed my vison was worth giving me a chance. This program helped me tremendously and it forced me to bring my passion to life with confidence.

(4) LAEDA: Tell me about your journey on the road to business start-up. What have been some of the challenges, successes, failures, etc.?

The biggest challenge has definitely been a financial challenge (i.e. getting access to funding). One of the greatest successes so far has been my ability to secure a physical location for my business.