Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikeisah Newton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nikeisah , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Recipe on how to take a frightening, yet necessary leap from employee to employer!

Step 1. Rack up 12+ years of weaving in and out of professional kitchens
**Professional kitchens include: fine dining, food trucks, traveling chef, farm to table catering & bar cook

Step 2. Take above culinary skills & prepare nourishing veggie friendly meals.
**Chefs note: Use whatever you have in your kitchen and be inspired by where you have lived & travelled to in the world! Variety is the spice of life!

Step 3. Pack up wholesome vittles & transport to friends & those who work in the sex oriented industry & late night establishments.

**Chefs note: I originally delivered my meals to a then companion who went to school full-time, interned part-time & danced exotically to pay for school. This busy schedule made preparing a meal before work not an option, nor was making a meal at 3am after work.

Step 4. After several deliveries & peaked interest, you realize that creating a way to provide healthy & appetizing meals to the Sex Worker (Swers) without judgment, could actually work!

Step 5. Do the research! Investigate why Portland is called “the strip club capital”. Dig into how many adult oriented businesses are in the metro area. MOST importantly go to the source, that means spending time asking questions, gathering feedback and getting the word out to your new found clientele.
**This will not be an easy task, but it is crucial to bring this recipe together!

Step 6. Think of a crisp yet brief name for this new venture. If the name doesn’t come to you, let it simmer on the back burner. Proceed to contact your local agencies that provide free to low cost resources for 1st time entrepreneurs and small business owners. Don’t be afraid to take a taste and see which organization works best for you.
**Chefs note: Meals 4 Heels was originally Meals 4 Six Inch Heels. Though I still love the original name, the condensed name gives space to those who do not wear heels ;)

Step 7. Get your hands dirty, remember your BEST tool in the kitchen are your hands! MESO (Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon) was a balanced and full flavored taste that provided me with the resources to start my business, Meals 4 Heels. MESO provided me with a mentor to help guide me on the necessary and legal steps to officially get M4H on paper! MESO also had a 6 week business 101 class I took, I also took a credit builder series specifically tailored to African American business owners. Once you have completed MESO’s business series classes they can also provide micro loans, IDA’s & high capital loans all with low interest rates!
**Chefs note: MESO also has its own network of current and former clients who can assist with accounting, marketing, photographers, graphic designers, basically other business owners that have gone through the same experience of starting a business, aka NETWORKING. Which is not just a verb it’s a skill.

Step 8. Slow and low….After several months of classes, filing my business with the state of OR, opening a business bank account, recipe testing, paying insurance, permits and licensing I thought I was ready. But I wasn’t, I was terrified & I wanted EVERYTHING to be perfect before I opened my doors. Luckily fate did what it did, I was fired from a job I loathed. So I had no choice but to start serving folks!
**Chefs note: IT WILL NEVER BE 100% before you open your doors. Honestly it may never be perfect even with business steadily rolling in. Pushing that fear of failure aside and taking that leap from employee to employer was the best decision I made for me. I still have self doubt and fears, but we are doing it. I’m growing and becoming more business minded everyday! You can not put a price on that. I still work with MESO and other similar services to this very day, almost 4 years later!

created by Nikeisah Newton, a Black formerly incarcerated lesbian. This recipe has been made to combat white supremacy, give visibility to marginalized groups and is an example of food activism in action!

Nikeisah , 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?

Trendsetter Nikeisah is a black queer woman, who has quickly stepped into a leadership role through food activism in her local Black and Queer community creating cohesion between the two typically
segmented groups. Food has always played a major role in her life, she had exposure from an early age to
cuisine and cooking methods all around the world due to her military upbringing.

Meals 4 Heels, the world’s only late-night meal delivery service that caters to sex workers and sex positive
clientele, was founded by the ingenious Portland, Oregon chef Nikeisah Newton in 2019. They have proudly
stepped in to answer the call for nutritious, punctual, and professional food delivery service in the “strip club
capital of America”. Their team has been in the front lines at trans marches, pride events, Black Lives Matter
protests, food initiatives for the homeless, and have partnered previously with local social justice groups like Don’t Shoot PDX, Forward Together, The Partnership for Safety & Justice,Ecotrust, Meyers Memorial Trust & Black & Beyond Binary!
For the time being, Meals 4 Heels will remain focused on using their food services to create a difference for the marginalized in the Pacific Northwest.

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

1. Learning to say “NO ” is one of the best lessons I’ve learned. No matter how tempting an idea or how much exposure it can bring to my business, if it’s not in my deck, I’m not dealing. This was truly hard to unlearn, about 2 solid years of running myself ragged, because I thought I had to say yes. I didn’t want to disappoint those who wanted to work with Meals 4 Heels. Taking a step back, communicating that I need to check back before I can give a final answer or gathering the logistics of the inquiry. This all also ties into lesson #2, time management. For me, working with a veteran restaurateur & friend has helped me sit down and create a visual schedule with time blocks dedicated to administrative tasks, my “days off” and my kitchen time. I also use a technique to manage my tasks like a “kanban” board. I’m a visual person and both these steps have allowed me more freedom and less chaos as a new biz owner.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

This is how getting fired from a job was just that, a job, really was one of the few catalysts to get my mind set to open Meals 4 Heels. A close friend who was in the process of starting their biz, informed me of a program through Oregon Unemployment that will allow you to collect unemployment while you pursue entrepreneurship. Of course with any government agency there is paperwork to fill out, and paperwork that gets denied. I was able to receive unemployment compensation, but not be enrolled in the entrepreneur program. So that program was no help to me, but it may work for you! I had a small amount of money saved and had my tax return checks coming in. I used those funds to pay my permits, file my business with the state of OR. After all the checks were sent and supplies were purchased, I was able to get Meals 4 Heels going with about $3,000. PS I paid about $1,100 in permits, licenses, insurance. Also keep applying for grants while your business is up and running.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meals4heels.com
• Instagram: @meals4heels
• Facebook: @meals4heels
• Linkedin: n/a
• Twitter: @meals4heels
• Yelp: Meals 4 Heels
• Other: TikTok @meals4heelspdx

Image Credits
Thomas Teal Caitlin Callahan Jaimie Thrower Jess Vanterpool Yeong-Ung Yang