THE CREATOR
Let’s take a trip down memory lane
When I was 12 Years old I stepped foot into a Harrods store in downtown london. My mother and I were doing a tour of europe and we decided to window shop. She was thoroughly unimpressed but I was absolutely mesmerized. The store was immaculate with all white floors and a chandelier. There was hardly anyone in there. Just a bunch of mannequins dressed in fancy clothes I knew I couldn't afford.
Ya know those inspirational moments in life that lead you to your calling?. Yup well..... that was mine. I knew from that day forward I didn't want to be in any other world other than fashion.
Every christmas and birthday I asked for subscriptions to vogue, elle, WWD magazines so that I could curate my own mood boards. Anything I could get my hands on to make me feel like I was apart of the industry.
12
At
forward
fast
When I finally made it to college I declared Apparel Merchandising as my major and marketing for my minor. Added the marketing bit for my mother since she wasn’t quite convinced fashion degrees were a "real thing". I ditched the fashion institutions for a CSU school so that I could have the classic dorm and soro experience. Throughout college I juggled working three jobs -Two in retail so I could gain store experience and the third on campus so I could maintain my priority registration for classes. I joined a sorority and two other clubs so I could network and beef up my resume. I maxed out my classes at school and then when I reached capacity I took 2 more at a JC. By junior and senior year I was going to school year-round- 2 semesters, and pulling classes during summer and winter break.
30 year old me realizes that there is nothing cute about“team no sleep” but at the time, everyone I knew was living off of energy drinks and cheap pizza.
All throughout the fashion industry.
Everything from being the stereotypical intern getting bagels for her Hollywood fashionista boss, to grabbing coffee (my own this time) and waltzing into my lofty corporate job at a Fortune 500 company.
Things were going fine....Until 2020 happened. Professional and personally there were too many things that made me realize...now more than ever...I need to work for myself. The corporate dream was waning on me and I always felt one step behind where I wanted to be. I was in a constant state of having to show my value and make people “believe” I was worth it.
fast forward to 9yrs later I've worked
You add in the fact that I’m a black woman trying to climb the ladder and the cards become even more stacked against me. At times I felt like I had
“ You dont below belong here” stamped on my forehead.
Covid had its pitfalls,the WFH quarantine created space for me to re-envision what I wanted my life to look like.
And thus KLC THE STUDIO WAS BORN.
I started off like every other coach in the industry. Long term 1:1 coaching for either 4/8weeks, then I was going to create a course (obvi priced at $997), and then once I sold that I was going to create a digital product (because “#passive income”).
I felt like I went from a corporate cliche to a coach cliche and I wasn't happy with either.
In March I deleted my entire service list. Yup- every single service I ever sold….GONE. I transformed all of my knowledge and created my signature VIP day. I wanted to create a high touch intensive that covered brand strategy from start to finish. I also started making the transition from coach to strategist. We'll dive into more of what that means later!
I didn't stress about “oh how am I going to scale this for the future”, I didn't worry about “am I pivoting to soon”...I just went for it.
On a whim, with an unprepared pitch- I had signed a new client for my new service.
From that day on I owned doing it my way. Instead of complaining about my 9-5 I packaged that knowledge and sold it. Instead of hating my brand or hating my style I pivoted -hello black sweats- and made the aesthetic more me.
my vip day sold just 7 days after I made it
When I saw something in my brand that I didn't like I changed it - and I didnt ask for permission to do so. And now....
I can help you do the same.
I'm In
Life Mantra:
fast
facts
know your worth then charge tax
favorite person
tie! hubz and moms
favorite drink
coca cola> everything
forever mood
unbothered
celebrity crush
idris elba
the story behind
Not Your Average Brand
is the essence of my childhood and why I am the woman I am today.
Growing up I was never allowed to get C grades. My mother always told me I was better than that. Now before you rush to judge - read the story...
On the grading scale, C is average and as far as my mother was concerned there was nothing average about our life. She was a single mom working on a grocery store salary, and yet she owned her home, I was in private schooling for 12 years, we frequently traveled to Mexico, Europe, and other countries. She provided a life that most dual-income households couldn't afford and yet as a single black mother she was doing the dang thang.
She was not average, and therefore I didn't get to be either. She always told me if I wanted access to this privileged life that I had to do BETTER. Average kids didn't have what I had. She challenged me to be great and to strive for the best and I carry that same energy with me in all aspects of my life.
I followed in her footsteps by creating this business to give other entrepreneurs the tools they need to break barriers, write their own narrative, and BE EXTRAORDINARY.
