We were lucky to catch up with Karysma Hicks recently and have shared our conversation below.

Karysma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Prior to embarking on a journey that is now The Gambino Brand, my brand as a creative was strictly in the realm of being a wardrobe stylist. Before being a wardrobe stylist, I was a stringent journalist–maybe with a pinch of taste in fashion, but definitely not having realized the effect that fashion would have on me, later down the road.

At the time of my first go-round at defining my alter-ego of a name, I had watched a documentary about the Gambino family. For complex reasons of my own, I found their mentality intriguing. I didn’t necessarily appreciate their criminal ways or agree with their actions; it was more so that I appreciated that they had their hands in many establishments across New York and other states, that really had no relation to each other (to the public eye, anyway.) I admired the confidence they had to run any kind of business they wanted to and however they wanted to, for a common goal. I liked that it was a stream of businesses under one umbrella. They weren’t just defined as a Mafia family. They also had to be recognized as laundromat owners, restaurant owners, and construction company owners.

This documentary was a turning point for me because it defined what I had been saying since childhood: that I basically didn’t want to be pigeonholed. Childhood Karysma would describe that as “I want to be the boss of this, and this, and this.”
So became The Stylish Gambino. I was going to ‘take over’, so to speak, in every realm of the fashion industry–Creative Direction, Styling, Photography, Writing, and beyond. I’ve always been a firm believer that I can do whatever I want, pretty much anything that I want, as long as I first convince my mind that I can, and second: put in the work to do it.

Fast forward seven years, I decided that my experience as a wardrobe stylist juxtaposed to my background working in marketing meant that I understood branding enough. I took what I already knew from experience, I did research, I analyzed different brands and influencers, I put myself in communities and positions to offer ideas and strategies to test run, as well as to have been able to have learned how an existing entity or establishment operates. At this point, I decided that I no longer had an interest in maintaining a focus on a career that was strictly in fashion. While I wanted to utilize every ounce of my creative brilliance, my original mission to rebel against having to stay in one lane remained the same. I removed ‘Stylish ‘from my name and added ‘Brand.’

I had a new appreciation for the documentary about the Gambino family. In order to keep their different businesses afloat and appear as something that it was not, they had to have a very clear understanding of both branding and marketing. They had to know exactly who to serve, and how to keep them interested in being served. This was another defining moment, for me. As many had recommended that I make a name change entirely to seem more professional, I knew that wasn’t the right move. The word Gambino defines me in a non-traditional way, yet in more of an emotional way. It is a representation that my mission is understood, just as much as it is a reminder that childhood Karysma is right. She can be the boss of ‘this, and this, and this’. I’m a writer, today. I’m a stylist tomorrow. I’m a branding strategist the next week, and a business consultant the following month.

Karysma, 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?

I own the most visionary brand consultancy that finds and engages an audience curated for your brand or business’ archetype through elevated strategies, communications, and wardrobe. I help both personal and product-based brands, as well as service providers, build a story, an image and a strategy that resonates with their ideal target. Myself and my brand partners not only find an implementation that will increase sales, but will also maintain or increase retention.

I specialize in the behind-the-scenes of a brand, so to speak. I understand the needs and availability of business owners while also understanding the needs and draws of not just an average consumer–but the consumer designed for and by your brand.

I built my business to be ‘tailor-made’ as I offer an extensive amount of services, and find that I have different types of people coming to me for different types of needs. However, the foundation of my brand is built off of services that help brands architect their core, function, and relations. Whether you need to start a brand or rebrand, pivot your brand’s positioning, deploy a variation of content, prepare for a speaking engagement or elevate your overall image, The Gambino Brand has a service tailored to meeting your needs specifically.

I’ve been a believer that God has put me on this earth to make other people feel good. I carry that belief with me in both my professional and personal life. I’m in this business because I want people to show up as their best selves in the world, and be seen the way they deserve to be seen. I think a lot of times we feel like we have to show up in certain ways just to be apart of something bigger. I don’t want people or brands having to show up in the world the way they think the industry wants them to show up. I want my clients to be able to create their own story and show up in a way that is authentic and attracts their ideal audience to them, and not the other way around.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Before I heavily got into styling, I had a side hustle business called Hicks Consulting & Media Management. I would do content strategy alongside content creation. I think I even had one or two social media accounts that I was managing as well. I did this during COVID as a means to make money in replacement of a job I had just lost.

This ‘business’ lasted me only a little over a year. To be honest, I had no idea about running a business, let alone building one. My focus went straight to the money aspect. My heart wasn’t in it, and I would take it too personally when the content I was creating wouldn’t get the response I wanted. I had more adulting and maturing to do, as well as more learning to do as a creative-professional.

Its funny because when I launched The Gambino Brand, I was cleaning out old files and stumbled upon content, logo designs, and contracts from when I was working on my first business. It brought a smile to my face because it was a realization that I was doing the same thing, just on a different scale. It felt like confirmation of purpose.

How did you build your audience on social media?

To be honest, I’m still learning trades of building my presence on social media. However, one thing I’ve noticed that I’ve got down with social media is that I don’t have much of a trend in fluctuation with my follower count. I could disappear for two months [and I have before] and come back to only three to five lost followers. If I’m active enough, my follower count stays pretty stagnant.

I attest this to my mission and prioritization to build relationships. I get to genuinely know the people in my community and keep up with their life. Not only do I do that, but I actually speak to them and engage with their content. I’m not just a watcher.

This is great for a couple of reasons:
1. I’m keeping the algorithm happy. Its going to cycle my account into the top accounts/content seen by my followers.
2. I’m building connection with my followers. It makes them less likely to not want to keep up with what I’m doing, where I’m doing it, and how I’m doing it.
3. It makes it less likely that your followers will want to unfollow you because they either feel a tie to you or they’ll just genuinely feel bad because who unfollows the girl that checks in about your dog, CoCo?
4.You are actively building a community. When you build these relationships, especially online, you are finding your networking for supporters–and that can go a long way.

One piece of advice for maintaining your social media presence is to reach out to new followers as soon as they follow you. Introduce yourself, let them know what you’re about and how you can serve them. You don’t need to sell them anything or direct them anywhere. That comes off as pushy and rude because although this interaction is virtual, you did just meet them for the first time. Trust me, they will see your offers, your sales, and any other announcement you have at a later date.

From the point of your introduction, engage with their content over a period of time. Don’t bumrush their page immediately, and like content piece after content piece. Keep it natural and up to date. Do what the app is meant for, and follow along their journey as they go [and don’t forget to react and respond!]

I think it is important to keep in mind that the purpose of your social media is to build and find community. Stop worrying about the numbers so much. If the community you build is worthwhile, then you will get the numbers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thegambinobrand.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegambinobrand/

Image Credits

Photo 1:
Photographer: Karysma Hicks
Wardrobe Stylist: Karysma Hicks
Model: Ty
Makeup: Dorota Misiak

Photo 2:
Photographer: Karysma Hicks
Wardrobe Stylist: Karysma Hicks
Model: Alicia Myers

Photo 3:
Photographer: Jennifer Lobo
Wardrobe Stylist: Karysma Hicks
Models: Alicia Myers and Samantha Joseph