We recently connected with Kendra K and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kendra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Kendra’s Collections was originally named K Pretty Blinks. K Pretty Blinks by Kendra K only offered women false lash extensions. Due to my love for expansion I decide to rebrand. Most importantly I wanted to display my name. Having Kendra in the name of my brand opens a room for true ownership. On the other hand, Collections has a meaning behind it as well. A collection is an act of having a group of a single item or items. Collection didn’t sound right hence this, I added an s. Kendra’s Collections disrupts all boundaries offering women luxury extensions, cosmetics, and beauty items.

Kendra, 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?

Sure! I am Kendra K Beauty Influencer, Serial Entrepreneur, and YouTuber. My beauty business journey began in 2019. I’ve always been a go-getter from what I can remember. Owning a beauty brand was suitable for me. My love for beauty came from the want to pamper myself at the age of 18. At a very young age I explored YouTube for makeup tutorials, fashion try on hauls, how-to apply press-on nails, and more. It’s like the beauty world was destined for me. Growing up, dressing up trying different looks brought a load of joy out of me.

My mother, Janet plays a big part in my femininity. I like to call Janet my true role model and superhero. All my drive comes from seeing my mother be a go-getter herself. Nonetheless, the endless love I received instilled countless drive into me and my strong willed mind today.

Entrepreneurship is destined for me particularly in the beauty world. I love to inspire women to discover the importance going after what they truly want out of life. What sets Kendra K apart is the multidisciplinary talent as a beauty content creator. She’s driven, goal-oriented, and is a true epitome of a lovely woman in business empowering other women. For daily motivation feel free to follow my mentor page: @dollybosses on Instagram.

Being in a world full of talented people, I’m blessed to have God guide me. I’m most proud of my relationship with God due to him ordering my every step. I pray, script, do the work, and it happens. It just does! I love him for that. I was able to pitch major brand deals such as Skims and Savage X Fenty. A dream it was! Who would’ve thought little only 22 year old can do that. Nonetheless, online magazines features opened great opportunities for leveraging Kendra’s Collections. I am so proud of the woman God is molding me to be. Balancing all 3 occupations is not difficult with his presence. It doesn’t feel confusing. I feel at peace, I have warmth, and guidance.

YouTube is a platform I use to showcase my personality. For my supporters to see my true identity behind the curtains. On YouTube my world consist of try on hauls, girl talks, hair tutorials, beauty business tips, cooking tutorials, and so much more.

Busy Body is another one of my business ventures. Busy Body is a sel help podcast of mine. I started it about a month ago. Episodes are released every Sunday at 6 p.m EST. Busy Body is about being a centennial woman finding balance in life. “Busy Body” clings to the notion of constantly learning and taking on day to day tasks in life. I provide listeners with girl talks, advice, tips, and more in hopes of serving as a light for women worldwide.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

In 2019, K Pretty Blinks (Lash Extensions) was funded by my gorgeous mother. She has always supported me. The financial support for inventory allowed me to order about 30 lash extensions. From there, the profit I gained went back into my business. I made sure to give myself a cut of course. Alumna of the Illustrious Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, aid from the government assisted me. I attended college for 4 years beginning in 2018. I was fresh out of high school in the Summer of 2018. With financial aid, I ordered hair inventory. The inventory consisted of everything I branded my hair extensions with. For instance, hair tags, business cards, thank you cards, and the list goes on. Remember when I briefly touched on rebranding K Pretty Blinks to Kendra’s Collections? I dabbled in the fashion world. I launched a separate brand “Shop Pretty Parlor.” I took an executive decision to offer the latest fashion to women. I offered apparel and accessories. Finding wholesale and manufacturers was not a mission for me. If any woman would like to get her LLC, find trust worthy vendors, and apply for grants. I have a digital book available for purchase on my website kendrascollections.com. With years of being in the fashion and beauty world these vendors are ones I personally used.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Yes! It did! I love Kendra’s Collections, thriving as a Beauty Influencer, and YouTube so much I decided to go full time. Paid promotions helped me a lot. This is when brands pay you to promote items shipped to you. KC, my online woman’s boutique plays another part in my source of income as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kendrascollections.com
• Instagram: @dollykenk
• Facebook: Kendra Kayliana
• Linkedin: Kendra K
• Twitter: @dollykenk
• Youtube: Kendra K
• Other: Pinterest: @Kendra K

Image Credits
@ttsenre