We recently connected with Cliche Williams and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cliche, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
I worked in hospitality for 10 years as a waitress/bartender. I love meeting new people and providing them with quality service. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in my life at the time but I knew my purpose was bigger than just being an employee behind the bar. I began to get overwhelmed of the late nights and daily routine schedule. One day I started to think of things I am good at ,that could potentially make an extra profit. Although my hometown Atlanta Is known for entrepreneurship in the hair and beauty industry ,I was never good at those things. I did have a passion for fashion ,I love to dress up in different styles and garments. I would always get compliments on my unique style and vibrant colors . EveryTime I went out I tend To stand out like a soar thumb in the crowd. I was definitely the outcast. I started to do some research on vendors for selling clothes. After trying multiple vendors and testing different fabrics I came across a trustworthy vendor. I ordered a couple of items and started to sale them at my job to friends and family. They loved the quality of the clothing . I started to make more money in two days then what I would have made in a week at work . This really motivated me . I cut some hours of waitressing and focused more on selling my clothing. I then bought a manequin and dressed it up in my living room and began posting pictures on my instagram / facebook of my products. I would load the trunk of my car and drop off orders to my customers. Something that started off as a hobby turned into a business . I named my business Outkass. As I began to build my clientele I could no longer service everyone In one day. I decided the best solution would be to shipped the items . I remained consistent and had my first pop up shop on campcreek market place . My friends and family helped me set up my table and clothing racks . It was a hot and windy day . My clothing racks kept falling to the ground. I didn’t get discouraged ,customers started to pull over and see what items I had to offer . As the line grew longer a man in a trailer pulled up next to me . I couldn’t help but notice how nice it was ,he was selling men’s clothes . In that moment It hit me !I could run my own mobile boutique . I kept the momentum by doing give aways, selling out of my trunk and posting online . Here we are 5 years later I own a mobile boutique bus . My mission is to provide quality products ,and create an experience where women can feel beautiful in their garments . I cater to women of all shapes and sizes . My goal is to expand my services to college campus’s. The idea is to inspire other entrepreneurs that they can be great no matter there back ground. Its not about how you start it’s about how you finish ! Believe in yourself, follow your dreams and anything you desire will happen. Be YoU ! Do you ! For YOU
Cliche, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When I first purchased my shuttle bus i was so excited and full of gratitude. I knew in my my mind I would be able to quit my job and start my journey as a full time entrepreneur . I am a dreamer ! I could just smell the freedom , at my finger tips. At least , I thought so. The next day I took it to the mechanic. What I thought was my golden ticket to freedom turned out to be a lemon. My mechanic stated” You want my honest opinion?”. I said yes. “He said take it back and get your money back”. In that moment I began to worry . I couldn’t take it back there was no return on it. I stayed up all night exploring my options, determined to figure this out. Everything you could possibly think of was going wrong . Not only could I not return the shuttle ,the Ac was broken, and I was having the hardest time finding a mechanic within my budget. My contractor and I were up at 6 am every morning , going to Home Depot to find products to design the mobile store front. There were many days I felt discouraged . Trying to balance my everyday life , work as a bartender and building a business at the same time was a challenge for me. A lot of sacrifices were made along the way. I was force to eliminate things in my everyday life ,in order to focus on building this new life for myself. I soon came to terms how the delays were necessary for this process. Expanding my business has taught me , patience,
discipline,consistency ,and most importantly to have faith. Building my business has allowed me the space to build character as well. I learned what it meant to stretch myself , all while reminding myself to keep going. The best advice I could give is to embrace the journey, fall in love with the struggle of being uncomfortable, and stay passionate about what you’re doing. Your dreams will become reality!
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Having the courage to pursue a retail business in this day and age is already hard, but deciding to put it on wheels amounts to taking the hardest “road” possible. I knew my calling was to dress people from the inside out, and to use fashion as a means to help my folks soulfully “ok themselves” in the mirror. I also knew my mission demanded new and more personal ways to reach ladies who might struggle to find fashion for their soul, or otherwise be completely overlooked by an industry that doesn’t cater to their sizes or complexions. My fashion vision was clear as day, but I honestly can’t say the same for knowing how to pick, fix, retrofit and operationalize the OutkassFashion bus boutique. In many ways launching a boutique on a bus was emblematic of the challenges that continue to shape my own growth as a person and an entrepreneur. As I initially looked out over that vast bus yard littered with both good and bad buses, I had to discover the assurance of value and have the conviction to see untapped potential. I also had to dig deep when I turned the keys on the bus that I picked to be my instant golden ticket, only to find out that it didn’t start. Instead of turning back on my dream, I allowed the challenge to teach me everything the bus needed to become what it was destined to be. I had to re-tool everything under the hood, identify and shore up its core power sources, make sure the inside could stay cool when it’s hot outside, carefully smooth out the past dents and bruises, sand off the rust, and wrap it all with clear messaging and love. As life would have it, I was doing all the same work on myself: relying on the unseen to have faith that God would dust me off and see me through, having the patience to do the hard and tedious work of wholistic change and, from start to finish, leaning on a village of friends and family. In fact, I can’t say enough about how important that village is for any entrepreneur because my testimony includes a list of key family members who graciously gave their own limited time and money to propel me forward. If there is a lesson to be shared at this early stage in the life of my business and brands, it’s that building a mobile boutique is no different than building character for life. The process will surely teach you to discover, repair and fuel yourself to drive past life’s challenges and hopefully enjoy the ride along the way. The best advice in it all is to embrace the journey, fall in love with the struggle of being uncomfortable, and stay passionate about what you’re doing. I look forward to literally bringing my dream to an area near you in the future!
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
When I first purchased my shuttle bus i was so excited and full of gratitude. In many ways launching a boutique on a bus was emblematic of the challenges that continue to shape my own growth as a person and an entrepreneur. As I initially looked out over that vast bus yard littered with both good and bad buses, I had to discover the assurance of value and have the conviction to see untapped potential. I also had to dig deep when I turned the keys on the bus that I picked to be my instant golden ticket, only to find out that it didn’t start. Instead of turning back on my dream, I allowed the challenge to teach me everything the bus needed to become what it was destined to be. I had to re-tool everything under the hood, identify and shore up its core power sources, make sure the inside could stay cool when it’s hot outside, carefully smooth out the past dents and bruises, sand off the rust, and wrap it all with clear messaging and love . My resilience came from my family ,they are big support system. They were always there when I needed them the most. As a entrepreneur it really takes a village . Expanding my business has taught me , patience,discipline,consistency ,and most importantly to have faith. The best advice in it all is to embrace the journey, fall in love with the struggle of being uncomfortable, and stay passionate about what you’re doing.
I look forward to literally bringing my dream to an area near you in the future!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.outkassfashion.com
- Instagram: Outkass_fashion_boutique
- Facebook: OutkassFashionboutique LLC
- Twitter: Outkass_fashion