We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kylah McNeil. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kylah below.
Alright, Kylah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My mission is to help and inspire young girls to become more confident with themselves and in their bodies. You may be asking why…because I once was the unconfident girl who used to never believed in herself and used to talk bad about herself. So, then I realized it doesn’t matter what people say or think because there is no such thing as a “normal person”, and if I kept living by that and saying I have to be like this person or that person I wasn’t going to make it anywhere in life. Now that I gained so much confidence in myself and started believing in myself and just not caring about what people have to say about me, it’s just been such a relief and just a passion to help young girls with confident so they wouldn’t have to go through some things that I went through.
Kylah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Kylah McNeil I am 15 years old, but I started my business when I was 11. I am from Walterboro, South Carolina but raised in Orangeburg South Carolina. So, believe it or not I actually started off with making lip gloss kits and things like that for girls and also practicing and doing nails, mind me this was all during quarantine, so I had ALOT of time on my hands. So, I stuck to that for a while, but I just grew out of it and was like it’s not for me, therefore I was still finding myself figuring out what I want to do, trying to gain some self-confidence and things like that. But I knew I wanted to do something that would target young girls and just help with self-confidence, because nails and the lip gloss help with self-confidence with me but, I just couldn’t stick to it. Then I asked myself like what I Kylah McNeil really want to do, then that’s when I had my first ever bullying event in 2022. I really liked it and enjoyed it, I was very shocked at myself that I wanted to do that because if you ask anyone who know me, I am very shy and doesn’t really like to talk to big crowds. Then in 2023 I had my second Bullying Event with more people, more things, more speakers, and just bigger and I really just enjoy speaking about bullying and helping others with self-confidence. So, I was thinking I can’t be everywhere at once speaking about bullying and self-confidence etc…so why not make an affirmational calendar which gives affirmations about self-confidence, bullying, empowerment, and also including God in it.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I am very very very grateful because my mom actually helped me fund my business which I am so grateful for. But she didn’t just give me money she gave me a loan and eventually I obviously paid her back, it might’ve taken some time, but I still did it. I didn’t only just use the loan she gave me I also used birthday money, Christmas money, and some money from doing some extra jobs around from family or whatever. But of course, you would want to save up as much money as you can. Now looking back 4 years later I have a business account, an EIN, and now I feel that I am more financially stable with my business.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My mom helped with marketing on social medias, my participation in my youth mentorship program, and my mentor. In the program I was taught entrepreneurship skills, business pitching, marketings, budgeting, and so much more. This program also helped with my motivational speaking’s and self-confidence. I also attend pop up shops in the local community, I was interviewed by a local news station, and was invited to speak at the Rotary Club. I volunteered working at summer camps with my youth mentorship program and also gained followers from working there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.creationsbykylah.com
- Instagram: creationsby_kylah_
- Facebook: @CreationsByKylah