We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kesha Denise a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kesha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
What it means to be successful – well, that’s a loaded response, so here goes:
To be successful you have to put in the work! You must be dedicated, resilient, and have a willingness to learn and adapt to the challenges which means you need to be able to be flexible. Also, you must have a positive and growth mindset which will allow you to set your goals.
And the last thing, be consistent!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Who is Kesha Denise?
Kesha Denise was born and raised in Inglewood, California and from the tender age of 2, fell in love with fashion the moment her mother put her in a big poofy dress with white lace ankle socks and a pair of black patent leather Mary Jane shoes, and the rest is history.
Kesha has worked several positions in the fashion industry- from sales associate, to visual merchandiser, to fashion buyer, to boutique owner – she is a truly a “Serial Entrepreneur” and has learned every aspect of the retail industry, and opened a brick and mortar in Marietta, Georgia for 12 years. Her love for fashion and business continued further, that in June 2017, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with a concentration in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
It’s so ironic that you’re asking me to share a moment in regards to a pivot in my business – the most recent is closing my brick and mortar of 12 years.
To pivot means to shift or change direction, which means adjusting plans or approaches to adapt to changing environments or goals, and I did just that – my last day of the brick and mortar was on November 9, 2024.
Was I sad? No. Will I miss my in-store customers? Yes!
Most people think when you close a business, you’re going to be sad or feel a way.
The only feeling that I had was PROUD! Proud of being the only Black-Owned boutique in Marietta. Proud of winning the title of Best Boutique of Cobb County in 2023. Proud that I actually lived out my dream of owning my very own women’s boutique and having the longevity that I had.
So, the pivot for me is realizing that I had to let the Marietta storefront go in order for me to grow professionally and personally.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Listen!
I bankrolled my dream with my own dough, no loans or handouts- just grit, hard work and hustle.
From 2007 to 2012, I worked a full-time job at a skincare company, a part-time job at a department store, and also worked at hair salon. When I say I was in grind mode – I was. I stacked and saved and took that money and opened up the storefront of Funky Flair Boutique in November 2012, and the rest is history.
No loans. No credit cards. No investors. Just me investing in myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.funkyflairboutique.com
- Instagram: @funkyflairboutique
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Maria Thurman