We were lucky to catch up with Shakira Carter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shakira, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Finding the perfect name for my business was definitely a challenge! I knew that I wanted a catchy name that tied in to the mission of my company and something that would allow me to grow into multiple industries. I started formulating the name around the base concept of wanting to be a one stop shop, meaning that my clients are conveniently able to get everything they need in the same place. After multiple lists of names, God lead me to the name Kira Katers. Kira is short for my name, Shakira. Katers is just caters with a K. This name ties into my mission because my goal is to cater to the needs of all people. Providing them with a safe space to be themselves and get pampered with quality services.

Shakira, 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?

Hey y’all! My name is Shakira. I’m a 25 year old entrepreneur working in the beauty industry. My love for the beauty industry developed when I was a little girl. My mom would buy me little acrylic kits from Walmart and I’d lay on the floor with my best friend just piling acrylic on top of our nails. My love for nails continued to grow over the years. I went to Florida Atlantic University to obtain my degree in business administration and management. While enrolled there, I took a leap of faith and also enrolled myself into Beauty Anatomy to become a licensed nail tech. I began to do nails out of my dorm room as a side hustle. I graduated with my degree December of 2019 and turned my love and side hustle into my career. I currently provide nail enhancement services including but not limited to, acrylic nails and toes, gel-x, custom press ons and more. I recently obtained my esthetics license and will soon be branching out to add more services for my clients. My goal is to create a space where my clients can get everything they need in one place, while being able to provide quality services at an affordable price. I am proud of how far I have come and that I have not given up! I have so much more to accomplish and I’m so excited to see where this journey continues to lead me. I thank God for all the opportunities I have been given and the ones that are to come.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Yes, I turned my side hustle into my main career but my transition was a little chaotic. While I was in college, I would be doing nails out of my dorm room and I was working as a full time employee at my university. About a month before graduation, the entire department that I was working in got laid off. I was searching for jobs and had no luck. This caused me to put my skills to work. I was absolutely terrified, but I believe it was a blessing in disguise! I returned back to my home town and I started working on my family and friends at the kitchen table. By word of mouth, I eventually got a little desk and placed it in the corner of the living room. After a while, I began to post my work on social media and the clients started rolling in. It went from friendly face and began to turn into faces I’ve never seen before. It has been a journey and there have been plenty of times that I have wanted to give up but the biggest key milestone for me is when I reached a point that I had to turn away clients because I was booked. I am extremely grateful for everything I have learned and I’m still excited for what is left to encounter.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with my clients through automated messaging and of course my girlies know they can text me anytime they need anything. I do offer loyalty cards that they get punched on every visit. Once they complete the card, they receive a discount on their services as an appreciation for supporting my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: Kirakaters.as.me
• Instagram: Kirakaters
• Facebook: Kirakaters