We were lucky to catch up with Sicarra Black recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sicarra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today
Wow, where do I start? Whew! So many things, but honestly, what sticks out most is, following through no matter the outcome. I started my career in fashion almost 15 years ago as a designer. In the beginning, it was such a frustrating journey, having experienced all of the highs and lows. Keep in mind I didn’t know anyone personally that had been successful at that point, whose journey could have revealed to me, that’s what the process looks like when you are starting from scratch. Even the most successful businesses have to experience some degree of loss in order to separate what works from what doesn’t. I went in blind for YEARS with no plan, no guidance, no real strategy, all of which were key elements and I lacked all three. As a result of this, I allowed the burden of the losses, to outweigh my ambition. Even though I still had all of these ideas in my heart, I walked away from it all, came back, walked away again, you get the picture! I always come back because I know deep down I haven’t given the fashion industry all that God has placed inside of me. There is so much to be admired of a person that pushes past the adversities of entrepreneurship. On this long journey, I’ve watched so many people build their business from the ground up, some have been successful and others not so much, however it has truly been inspiring to see those that have continued to grow and be persistent over the years. Witnessing those around me elevate is a big part of what keeps me going. It’s also equally important to surround yourself with people that inspire you, because the hard and dark days do come. While test and trials of entrepreneurship continue to stretch me in areas I didn’t know existed, I know my big moment will come.
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.
I am a Detroit native, a wife, mother, and entrepreneur. I plunged into the fashion industry in 2009 as graduate of International Academy of Design and Technology with a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising. There I was trained in personal fashion styling and apparel design. This included fashion illustration, clothing construction, pattern development, and textile selection. In turn, this awakened a fascination for design as well as wardrobe styling. Due to the unique combination of all those elements, I am most proud of having earned a reputation of granting my clients a level of creative exclusivity that cannot be duplicated. I offer custom designs that can be purchased directly from my website. Additionally, wardrobe styling services are also an option which includes a consultation, talking through your do’s, dont’s, and getting to know you.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I’ve always known myself to be resilient, but experiencing the pandemic in 2020 truly revealed how much resiliency I truly possessed. A few months prior, I walked away from my job of being a corrections officer for almost 5 years. I had been discussing my vision with my husband and decided it was a good time to draft up my 2 week letter of resignation and invest in myself. I spent about 2 months learning about website building, getting branding in order, etc. My husband, daughter and I took a trip to Los Angeles building inventory, came back home and hit the ground running. I booked a photographer, got all of our product photos and plugged it all into the site, and launched. Things were actually going really great business wise, and about 3 months later the world had practically shut down. Mentally, I was at a stand still because of what was going on around me and the uncertainty of it, I couldn’t get myself to stay focused on the business. It was at this moment I truly felt defeated and unprepared because there was no back up plan. As things opened back up and we start moving towards a sense of normalcy about a year or so later, I decided to give it another shot. I must admit that I had been reluctant to go all in like that again due to being blindsided, and not having a backup plan. But life has a way of showing you that as much as one may think they can be prepared, things will happen outside of our control and we must find a way to navigate through to get the other side. As a result, I became a version of myself I didn’t know existed. I have much further to go but I’ve come so far.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
While I was working as a corrections officer, from day 1, I had money automatically coming out of every paycheck going straight into my 401k. In addition to that, outside of my work schedule, I had the opportunity to collaborate with owner Ebony of Swank A Posh Boutique, customizing clothing from her store. My days would consist of me working 12-16 hours at work and then I would come home and work 2-3 hours on the clothes. Money that I was making from the clothing I would put away into my savings account. I continued that until I separated from my job and used my earnings to invest in the business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sicarrablack.com
- Instagram: SicarraB
- Facebook: Sicarrablack
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@SicarraB
Image Credits
LaJuan Spears Imagery