We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kenya Sade a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kenya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
What I would change about the education system is allowing more inclusivity (specifically regarding high school). What I mean by that is allowing children to grow up being exactly what they want to be regardless of the stigma around it. Growing up we were always taught to become lawyers, doctors, police officers. What about painters, electricians, fashion stylist and more “unconventional” careers? We’re taught that if you aren’t trying to become a doctor or lawyer then you’re wasting your time, but who are we to decide what anyone should be doing with their time? I wish I embedded that in my head more as a teenager because we were taught that you can’t be successful trying to be a makeup artist, designer, musician etc. I believe if teachers and superiors allowed student’s dreams to come into fruition then a lot more people would be happy and fulfilled. There should be more elective classes besides art and music. There should be fashion design classes because everyone should know how to at least sew back on a button. There should be home economics classes because in order to survive you need to learn how to cook. There’s so many other aspects of life we aren’t taught in school that once you really enter the real world, it would drive any sane person crazy. I personally think it’s insane to engrave in our heads y=mx+b, but not how to complete taxes or even fill out a check. I feel like now instead of pursuing conventional education a lot of people are pursuing their passions/hobbies and I think that comes from lack of inclusivity in the educational system. I wish there was someone back in high school that told me not to believe in what everyone thinks when it comes to a career because I would’ve pursued a fashion major, but instead I pursued Criminal Justice. I loved my undergrad major, but I just wish I didn’t believe I could only fulfill one instead of both. My business is my second chance at fulfilling my dream and so far so good because I’m making a name for myself and I couldn’t be any happier. So the advice I would give to the upcoming generation is forget everything people have to say and go with your gut. If your gut is telling you you’re going in the right direction then don’t even pay attention to the naysayers. At the end of the day they will still be stagnant in that same position…as a pessimist.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For anyone who doesn’t know me, my name is Kenya. I am the sole owner of BBgirllooks by Kenya Sade where style isn’t linear. I’ve been obsessed with fashion since I was a little girl. I love all the possibilities that come with outfits. You can show a variety of personality traits just by what you wear and I find that fascinating. Growing up I changed my look so many times and still until this day I do the same thing. I hate looking like other people; I don’t even like conforming to trends. I came up with BBgirllooks because I wanted to display my love for looks and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Sometimes I put outfits together off a whim and think “maybe it’s too much”, but the feedback always gets me because they’re always incredibly positive. Growing up I used to hear that my outfits were too much, but why would I ever want to be too less? That’s how I always looked at it was nobody’s me and I’m not them so I shouldn’t care what anyone has to say and I never have and never will. Fashion is your thoughts literally coming to life whether you’re designing it or putting a fit together. The endless possibilities make me want to put in more to my business and that’s what I do. I aim to be inclusive so I don’t only promote one look, I promote all looks. Something I do on the side of my business is assisting with styling. If a client can’t choose an outfit to wear I will put together an entire outfit including accessories (off my site) to better assist with their vision. I think that’s one of the main aspects that set me apart is I’m not in this business for a quick dollar I’m in it because I love it. Getting dressed and helping others get dressed is therapeutic to me because I get to put together a look I’ve never done before. I mentioned before I don’t repeat outfits. I repeat pieces from outfits, but never the entire outfit so I love the fact I can choose those same items and create an entirely new look. I also like doing that for my clients because let’s be serious no one wants to go into a venue seeing someone wearing exactly what they are wearing head to toe. What I’m most proud of is my endurance. Sometimes I feel like I’m not making the massive strides I want for my business, but then I realize this is only the beginning and greatness doesn’t happen overnight. What I want you to know about BBgirllooks is we are always here for you day and night and there’s literally no such thing as a dumb question. If you need help don’t ever hesitate to reach out! Also we’re having a 40% off end of the summer sale so come check it out!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Building my social media audience from the ground up was a hassle and still is. I’m not going to give a sugar coat lie for you all because it’s definitely one of the most difficult tasks. Some people buy followers, but personally I would rather know I have 400 real potential clients than 3k robots following me for “the look”. I built my audience on social media by being genuine and authentic. I didn’t choose to display the body sizes the industry solely wants to see. Instead I showed the natural shapes and sizes to prove everyone is beautiful no matter what size they wear. I’ve always been tech savvy so marketing is my go to because I make sure I make it fun and relatable. What I recommend is finding what people want to see when it comes to your business. For example, if you’re a food industry business and you notice your dessert pictures get the most interaction. You may want to expand on those dessert pictures until your audience builds up more, then show what else you have to offer! Not only did you display your popular items from your business, but now you organically raise your followers so that you can keep increasing popularity through word of mouth.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I wholeheartedly believe my BBgirl’s definitely paved the way for my reputation. Almost all of my customers shared their positive reviews without me asking! In addition, I love walking places and someone asks how my business is going or how they’re rooting for me. I think as an owner that is one of the most fulfilling feelings to know you’re appreciated. I’ve even had random strangers sending me the sweetest messages about my techniques or how they believe I will make it. It’s truly a blessing following my dream and I’m glad other people notice it as well. I hand write my thank you letters still until this day and I believe that makes my customers feel more noticed because it’s not a typed up generic response. Also definitely my ability to be proactive with marketing all the time! One of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship is being the best content creator for your business because you have to constantly come up with new material. It’s both fun and challenging because on one hand you get to find what works, but on the other hand you have to grasp the fact not everything will work. It’s a gamble, but it’s a gamble I’m willing to risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bbgirllooksbykenyasade.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbgirllooks
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/bbgirllooksbykenyasade
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbgirllooks
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@BBgirllooks
Image Credits
Kenya Sade