We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kendria Godair. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kendria below.
Kendria , appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
The biggest risk I have taken, was not just a business risk but a life risk. It was picking up my family from all we had ever known and moving across the country from North Carolina to Phoenix, Arizona. During covid my brick and mortar store in North Carolina was shut down for a few months and I had time to reassess where I was in my business, was I still in tune with the way it was going or was it ultimately time for a change. After a couple months I decided a change needed come for my business and my life. I had always had a soft spot for the desert and the Phoenix area and felt a calling on my life for settling in this area for years and was always too afraid to take that leap. To leave my family, my hometown, uproot my children and leave the only place we had ever lived. The way that covid shook all our lives up showed me how short life actually was and how I should go for the things I wanted and make the life I wanted happen, and not wait for life to happen to me. It was extremely hard at first starting over, it wasn’t immediate but after a a year and a half I was ready to begin to expand my business with a new found resolve. I entered the fashion community in the area and it ultimately has been one if the best risky decisions I have ever made, with rewards beyond what I expected. I am a huge advocate for taking risks.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I believe I always knew I would work for myself and would run business I just didn’t know the “HOW’. When I was 23 while visiting NYC I was wandering around the city seeing the sights and saw the cutest maxi skirt in a store window, I went in to buy it and was told my the store worker that unless I was buying wholesale I couldn’t buy the skirt. I was super disappointed and the rest of the day thought about that skirt. I’ll never forget the moment when my stubborn attitude got the best of me and I thought “well, why couldn’t I buy 10 of them? I bet I could sell the other 9!” and the hair stood ups on my arms and the idea was formed that not only could I have my own business, I could combine 2 of the things I wanted more than anything, tons of shopping and purpose. I was pretty young so a lot of mistakes were made, and I can’t say that everything has been perfect or the purpose has always been clear to me but I always find my way back to it, and grow in this vision that started so long ago. Now 10 years into it, the purpose is clearer, the vision is more focused, the possibilities are endless, and I still feel like I’m just getting started. The quality of the clothing I currently sell has gone up with my age and desire for a higher quality brand and a goal to my avatar customers needs. Its focus being a woman that not only desires stand out fashion, but demands comfort and great quality along with it. Recently we have been super excited to expand into the Nonprofit space and not only sell clothes but clothe those in need and give back through our charity A Human Mission. I realized that making money alone would never be enough to fulfill a life but the true gift lies in what you can do for others.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
As I mentioned before, I pivoted during 2020 from a brick and mortar store to completely online, and pivoted my idea of what my success would look like. I always speak of and use the word PIVOT because I think its of massive importance in life and definitely in business. If you don’t learn how to pivot in your business you will go out of business. I pivoted this year in clothing quality and price point, and from a younger client avatar to a slightly more mature age demographic. I know some people have a natural tendency to hate change and resist it but I encourage you to embrace it and let it make you more creative at your craft. I hope and plan to pivot a thousand more times in my life. Pivoting to cater to my constantly changing life, changes in society and an ever changing market excite me!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
It wasn’t a lesson as much as it was an expectation. I had an expectation that the people that loved me most would be the most excited and supportive in my endeavors. Im sure if you’ve been trying to build a business for long you may already have realized that this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, they may be the most negative voices in your head. They may be the very ones that don’t believe in you and would advise you to give this journey up. It doesn’t mean they don’t love you, or that they love you any less, they just don’t have the vision and you know what? They don’t have to, it’s your vision and yours alone. This should be used as motivation to do less talking and more action. Prove them wrong, make believers out of them. And yes, you may lose some friends along the way because they won’t know this side of you or understand it, you will make new ones that do. One of the changing factors for me has been joining groups of other dreamers, creatives and budding entrepreneurs. These type of people are now the people you need to surround yourself with now.
Contact Info:
- Website: driadair.com
- Instagram: @kendria_godair @_driadair_
- Facebook: Dria Dair Boutique
- Linkedin: Kendria Godair