We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Akellia Stewart. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Akellia below.

Akellia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It came very natural for me due to the need and want for it. So I already have a company called CustomsByAk which is a custom shoe company. Saving Soles came about from me just simply giving back to kids within my company. I saw that a lot of students loved what I do and took a interest into what I did. I also saw students in need of a mentor, guidance and structure and balance. So I started a nonprofit called Saving Soles by Ak, dedicated to providing fundamental tools that will allow children to advance in their future career path and express themselves through sneakers. It’s where I allow student to be me and also get the feel of what they truly want to do by exploring there career. I also provide resources for after school knowledge and mental health. It’s grown so much within a year because of the outpouring from schools and teachers. I saw where there was a gap between student, teachers and parents. Within that gap i created a sneaker lab where kids would create there own custom shoe based off a topic like mental health and be able to express themselves free of judgment and have a custom shoe that they could take with them that expressed all there emotions and thoughts. It was a way for them to see and reflect on how they felt. I saw that students where needing someone not from school or home to be a lending ear for help. So Saving Soles is curated to assist any student or child with moving forward. I knew it would work when I had a student who took one of my sneaker lab classes who didn’t want to go to college cause she felt like she couldn’t afford it, or she wasn’t talented enough in her career path call me and say a month later she was enrolled into college and was able to pay for college through all the resources I provided to her. She just needed that extra push and boost and that’s what Saving Soles is truly about.

Akellia, 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?

Akellia Stewart but I go by “AK” I own a business called CustomsByAk which is a custom shoe company. I bring creative art styles to shoes. I started iff as just a wrist who had the passion for painting and a big sneaker lover. From there it took lots of hard work and dedication to my craft to get to. CustomsByAk. It allowed me to have clients have the option of designing a theme or have me freestyle a custom design shoe for them. With this option, I use the client’s style and interests to develop a design. This is what I’m most known for, my creative, freestyle designs. I use different elements like grass, flowers and even objects on the shoe but what I’m most proud of with CustomsByAk is the ability to give back with my nonprofit Saving Soles I want to impact the world by “Changing Soles One Shoe At A Time!” Saving soles dedicated to providing fundamental tools that will allow children to advance in their future career path. I got my first start from a good friend who happened to play for the NFL. He challenged me as an artist to step outside my comfort zone by creating a custom shoe for him. I haven’t stopped since and it’s been 10 years of doing what I love. I’ve traveled to different places and have been featured at various events for my custom shoes designs that I have done for many athletes and celebrities. That one opportunity blessed me and gave me the opportunity to serve a bigger cause, which is helping children express themselves through art. My goal is to provide children with a safe place to be able share their feelings and concerns. That is what “Changing Sole One Shoe At A Time” stands for: changing the way children express themselves. The best part is I’m just getting started there so much to unravel within my business and I’m so excited for what’s to come within the future.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes!! The reason why is typically we are doing something else at the time before we actually start doing something in the business trying to build. For me, I worked in the medical field full time. I worked very long hours and really didn’t have the time to put in for a business, but I knew what my passion was so I did it as a side hustle. When I had my lunch break a my job I would sit in my car and customize shoes. When I got off work I did shoes, and on weekends I did shoes. I did that for 4 years. It wasn’t easy by far due to lack of sleep, but I was getting to the lint where my full time job became smaller than my side hustle. That was my “Its time” moment. I knew than when I started making more money in my side hustle than my full time job it was time. When I enjoyed my side hustle more than my side hustle it was time. When my coworkers and clients would tell me I don’t know why your at work and not doing what you live cause your so talented. It was lining up for me to show me that it was truly my time. It doesn’t always happen like that but it is a clear sign to know this side hustle might be something to pursue full time. I can say my key milestone is when the week that I was thinking about leaving my job for my side hustle I was so nervous, my mind was everywhere. They day I did it I cried cause I was scared if the journey ri come but the next day I go a call to do a event with the Dallas Maverick’s and for me that was my biggest sign saying you made the right decision. If I would have still been working my full time job I wouldn’t have been able to do the Mavericks event. So it came ti me in different ways but it was never easy but I’m very thankful for the opportunity that had unfolded from my hard work.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

My favorite would be getting a partnership with Dallas Independent School District. Which is one of the biggest school districts in Texas. I always second guess myself cause of course you always want things to be perfect and I’m a small business of four(4) so I’m always thinking I need to do more. I had already been doing different programs within my nonprofit and business with kids in certain schools but not on a district level. I kept promoting different business platforms on what I was doing and I received a message from DallasISD about what I do. They set up a conference call and after that a meeting. Everything went amazing and before I knew it we had a business partnership. But it didn’t come out of thin air prior to that I had already been traveling partnering with other companies and teaching other students. It took me putting myself out there where bigger companies where and just standing tall within them. Also going to different events with like minded business companies to network my brand. Biggest lesson was reminding myself that there more than 10 brands of bread in the bread alse at grocery stores and they all get eaten.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.customsbyak.com
• Instagram: @akellia/@customsbyak_ / @savingsolesbyak
• Facebook: custombyaks
• Linkedin: Akellia Stewart
• Twitter: AkelliaS
• Other: TikTok: customsbyak_

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