We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kenessa Surratt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kenessa , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. 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.
I came up with the idea of Unique Sole Styling Firm during my Freshman year of college. I remember moving into my small college dorm room and having limited space. I have always had a love for shoes since I was a child so I knew I would be purchasing more during the year but, quickly noticed I would not have enough room for them. As I walked the campus people would stop me and complement my shoes, or ask me where I got them. I would happily tell them and say “if we are the same size, you can have them” I have never had a problem with giving someone the shirt off of my back or in this case the shoes off of my feet. Seeing that others gravitated towards my style always made me feel happy and empowered.
One particular night, I was going through my closet to make room for new shoes and I called up a few of my friends and asked them did they want to purchase any of my unworn shoes. They agreed and came over and did just that! And that’s when I knew I wanted to have my own shoe store. It dawned on me that with this idea I would be able to combine two things I enjoy, helping others and shoes.
I felt this idea would become a successful endeavor because I provided a solution be college students who wanted to look great but did not have a lot of money. I would buy the shoes from discount stores or even on sale and the resell them for more. This was a a hit. People would reach out to me from all over campus to style their shoes for their up coming events or just a night on the town. I became the go to girl for shoes on my college campus.
Kenessa , 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 got into the industry by starting local. I received a ton of support from my network of family, friends, and colleagues. They have always been extremely supportive, encouraging, and quick to purchase shoes or book style sessions with me. To establish my brand I attended The Shoe Market of The Americas Trade Show in Miami and The Magic Trade Show in Las Vegas. Through these two trade shows I was able to establish and build relationships with some of the top shoe vendors. Once I was able to secure vendors, I was ready to work on providing a solution.
I come from a family full of women and I have always seen how long it take us to find the perfect shoe to accompany our attire. I would often ask myself, what if we had a personal shoe stylist on call to handle the daunting task of shoe shopping for us? So I became just that, a personal shoe concierge.
I connect with my clients via the website and social media. They reach out to me in need of the perfect shoe and I provide a curated selection for them to choose from. Something that sets my business apart from others is that my clients feel at ease because they know they are talking to an actual person. Someone who provides an exceptional customer experience.
Unique Sole Styling Firm provides an affordable luxury shoe shopping experience to our clients. We also host shoe parties, and style brides and their entire bridal parties.
I am most proud of the fact that as a one woman show, I have still managed to remain resilient and keep Unique Sole Styling Firm around for almost 6 years with completely boot strapping the business myself. I want my potential clients to know that my brand is honest, and empowers women to live their best lives through their footwear.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I started my business with just $300.00. I used this money to obtain my LLC and business license and run a few ads on social media.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty by making follow up phone calls and sending follow up emails to see if they are satisfied with their purchases. I also invite my clients to special events and send out promo codes to clients who are frequent shoppers. My clients are provided with my personal phone number so that they can reach out to me day or night.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.uniquesolestyling.com
- Instagram: unique.sole_shoes
- Facebook: Unique.Sole Styling Firm
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=f9jPmbu0hu8
- Other: https://nashvillevoyager.com/interview/meet-kenessa-surratt-of-unique-sole-styling-firm/
Image Credits
Photographer: Moise Nicolas Photographer: Blake Major