We recently connected with Kyra Clemons and have shared our conversation below.

Kyra , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Vacations, I need breaks
As a creative
My body and mind can’t take
The day to day
I need breaks
Let’s book a flight
Where are we going?
Unknowing…self-care
The world is so big
I would do myself a
Dersevice by just staying…
stagnation
not growing
I deserve to live
I need breaks
Grab my passport, my bathing suit or my rain boots
Can I get a window seat?
so I can see some world and the clouds
A good book in hand, not really having a master plan
But I need breaks
Breaks help me to recalibrate
to place what really matters into perspective
Without neglecting
Myself or my creative thinking
I need breaks
When I travel, I gain a greater appreciation for God’s earth
I return back to Brooklyn with a more
Magnified sense of purpose and being
I cherish these breaks because I return
More keen
Less mean
I need breaks
Take the breaks
Your business, job, art…
Even the people around you will benefit
Energize your being through traveling, taking that nap, sit outside
Be one with nature, try a new restaurant or visit an old one
Truth be told, we all need breaks
I need breaks

Kyra , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Born and raised in the Southwest of Atlanta
a woman of wisdom,
breed from women and men of wisdom
The South has something to say
So God picked me to pave the way
Yes, I live in Brooklyn right now
Bed-Stuy to be exact
Sometimes you have to move away to make away
Google it…that’s facts
I am a educator by day, a creative in life…I’m building my dream
Because that 9 to 5, was not cutting it…much strife
I looked around my apartment during COVID
And told myself this cannot be life
I already created a name
Shouts out to my Blood Sister in Wisdom
Now I just needed to create a business plan
Decided what products, I’ll be selling and using
As I started creating in my one bedroom apartment…musing
While teaching on Zoom, in between my breaks
I started manufacturing then boom, “let’s make something shake”
I started with t-shirts and hoodies
And yes, I paid for this out of my pocket
Since I was not vacationing as much
because of the lockdown
Those extra funds were about to make a profit
I LLCed my business during this time
Everything is process
Remember I am the everything to my business the CEO and the accountant
The social media runner, and customer service representative
As I am wearing all these hats,  the “Jackie out all trades”
So I needed to add to my business model and not just limit myself to hoodies and t’s
I am still breaking into the “business” because I don’t fit into one box
I’m a Black Woman that is multifaceted, I cannot just choose one spot
Yes,  problems have arrived, I am learning how to handle them through grace and time
I always remind myself, you are one of a kind
While continuing to move forward in integrity and love
I appreciate loyal customers, clients, other creatives, and business owners
Truly sent from above
I am most proud of everything I have stated
With that being said…
the support and non- support
Allows me to be the greatest…
Whether it’s a repost or DM
An email or me simply walking down the street
Seeing someone wearing my brand
This means so much to me
Because even when I am deceased
Like Basquiat the profits will continue to increase
And something I have created will live longer than me
“to Sisters in Wisdom”

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Lesson in business, Lessons in life
One of the biggest lessons I have learned
Is that owning a business can be freedom but can cut like a sharp knife
Having something outside of
that 9 to 5; means so much more to me
A blessing in the disguise
I had to unlearn this idea of chasing someone’s dream
I went to college, but that’s not all it seems
Got the degrees, to work someone else’s dream
while barely making the “C.R.E.A.M”, do you know what I mean?
So I decided to learn, then unlearn that school thing
Use my creative, wisdom, passion, and love
To create my OWN team
Putting my faith and efforts into non-machines
Placed my faith in humans
Expecting them to understand my vision
Cleaning my “rose- colored” glasses
I was faced with much resistance
Keep going anyway
Remain true to why you started
Consistency is more than the key, it’s a weapon…stay guarded
Protect your dreams, your heart, and your art
That can’t never be destroyed
I will continue to chase my passions on everything I love
Continue to believe in yourself more than people
They will disappoint you every time
“to Sisters in Wisdom” is more than a busy or a brand
it’s a lifestyle
a state of mind

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I am my business
I manufacture, clothes, words, collages, videos, pictures
the brand and
business keeps growing
No, I did not know how to manufacture product
but I learned…knowing
I created a name “to Sisters in Wisdom”
Then LLCed
Then built a website with much speed
During the COVID lockdown, I started to create
I wanted to start with items I liked
Hoodies and T-shits…sounds great
I went on Youtube watched a lot of videos
To forward my dreams
Used my own money
To buy machines, shipping things
Let the race begin…streams
I found peace in creating something I thought I would never figure out
I started creating hoodies and t’s
for the peace not the clout
Once the pandemic settled a little bit
I had to go back to work
So I did not have as much time to create and build my merch
After looking at domestic and international companies
I found an international company
I could outsource my art to
In return they created my visions…review
The quality is great
BUT…let’s talk about those shipping rates
Because my products are coming from overseas
It takes a little while longer
I don’t mind the wait…
Outside of my merch,
I create the rest…
website, photos, videos, collages, spoken word artist, motivational speaker, educator
I’m up for the test…
Just know that manufacturing will take time, money, and sometimes stress
But understand the time you’re taking is helping you
To be a success
I took a step back this season and did not produce any merch
I’m taking a step back
With plans to propel forward
Placing my focus in other parts of myself and my business
While continuously moving forward

Contact Info:

• Website: tosistersinwisdom@gmail.com
• Instagram: @tosistersinwisdom
• Linkedin: Kyra C.
• Twitter: @2sistersnwisdom