Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kiana “Vi” Ware. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kiana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea?
As an artist I’d always had several services I offered my clients, quite a few related to clothing customization. When the Black Lives Matter movement began to pick up momentum, I found a large percentage of my orders were centered around those messages and my brand became intertwined with my personal activism. I became inspired by the snowball effect “saying yes” was having on my art and everything was pushing me towards establishing my own designs and elevating my awareness of how my work was building my brand.
There wasn’t one moment, more a combination of signs, affirmations and opportunities that said to my spirit, “Trust yourself, you have something to say.” I had already done the research on the tools I needed to begin selling vinyl transfer designs, so the only thing left was to see if my clientele would follow through and support the sales.
Over the course of several months I quit my day job and threw myself into my business full time. I registered my clothing line as an entity, started a marketing campaign using my on-hand inventory and photographed my products with my family as the models. I kept my profit margin consistent with my main business model and took feedback as I learned the ins and outs of scaling a clothing line. The journey was not for the weary. It took about three months before I started making the same amount in net income as I made in my day job I left to launch the clothing line. But the truth of it is some people give up before they ever reach that point. I have no regrets with the risks I took, and I’d do it all again if given the chance. Almost two years later and I’m still thinking of ways to improve and expand my brand. There’s nothing more rewarding than investing in yourself and watching those ideas come to life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Born in Lithonia, GA, (Kiana) Violeta Ware Davis-Reyes is a graphic artist with over a decade of experience serving the Southeast region, the owner of BeWare Designs, and the creator of Mixed Melanin clothing line. Like the name suggests the company is rooted in her Black and Filipino culture, paying homage to her grandmother’s name (Brenda Ware) in the capitalization of the “B” and “W” in BeWare Designs. A full service graphic design company, BeWare Designs delivers all things custom from logo & marketing services, to custom paintings, illustrations, decor, clothing, and shoe ware.
What I believe sets me apart from most small business owners is that I refuse to be limited to one thing. I use my day job to compliment my business model, and continue to grow elements of my business as my brand. My work ethic and passion for art shines through in all of my successes as much as my failures. And it’s that very mindset that allows me to view every dissatisfaction as an opportunity for growth as an artist, business owner, and woman.
I think what makes my customer base so authentic is the direct reflection of authenticity you’re getting from me as an artist. People identify with the journey, and I truly believe that I am a vessel for the environment in which I surround myself in. For me, my family, my peace, my passion, and my art all work together to ground me as a being. And as long as those things are in tact I feel my followers and customers can resonate with that as individuals no matter where they are in their journey, by recognizing my art as a window into my own life journey. To know my art is to know me, and I aim to leave that legacy wherever I go.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
In the Winter of 2020 I was in my darkest hour personally. Trusting my vision for my business had left me in a bind financially but I knew that I just needed to get my products out there. Using some passive income from renting my car out on Turo, and borrowing a heat press from a friend of mine, I bought a plotter to jumpstart my clothing line. That was when everything changed for me. I never bought supplies that I couldn’t pay off in profit, so I began with face masks, which was one of my biggest requests I would pass off to other business owners. I made some quick renderings and put my products up on Etsy. Within the first week, I had over twenty orders. The profit margin was consistent with my business model so I always ensured I was bringing in more than I was putting out, and slowly I added more to my packaging, print quality, designs, and then marketing. Before I knew it I was churning out more orders than I had the time to handle.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Shortly after the launch of my clothing line, a failed relationship threw a monkey wrench in my stability and I found myself pivoting in my living situation. I had never been in a predicament where I had no place to call home. And with my main source of income being self employment, for the first time in over ten years, I was forced to make do relying on my family’s hospitality.
I laid my head in one city, and worked on my business in another. The days were twice as long as they were when I worked for someone else. But in those long hours and sleepless nights I felt more alive than I’d ever been. I was in complete charge of my life schedule. When I wanted to travel, meet with friends or clients, donate my time, or look for places, I could do those things without asking permission. When I needed extra money, I’d just take more orders. When I wanted to work late, it was because I had an idea that I wanted to see to end. There was nothing more freeing than pivoting daily as a result of pivoting my “big plans”.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bewaredesigns.com
- Instagram: @officialbewaredesigns
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/therealbewaredesigns/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beware-designs/
- Twitter: @BeWareReal
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/beware-designs-washington-2
Image Credits
Teresa Johnson