Did you ever once have that crazy idea in your head that maybe in possibly the slightest way imaginable could become an incredible venture that takes your life to the place you finally wish it to be?
Maybe you’re just bored sitting in class daydreaming, wondering if the idea in your head has been invented yet. Why let these dreams fade away when the bell rings? Why not make these ideas into realities? Well, that’s what I did.
I decided it was time for some change in my life. I was tired of being bored to death in class disregarding why x should equal z in this equation. Why does it matter that x equals z? Why does anything matter other than the fact that I want to get out of this cliche world and go on an adventure? Make a change. Do something different. Finally follow the path my mind so blatantly paves day after day.
A company with my very own idea. My very own mission. My very own goal. With me as my own boss and no one telling me to make sure x equals z or you fail.
It didn’t start out all as fairytales. The reality is, to follow an idea, you have to believe in it. You have to want your dream to succeed more than anything in the world. If you believe that, you will succeed.
What is the idea you ask? … A clothing line. But not just any clothing line. Something unique that no one else has. Something that gives back to the community to help create social change in our world. Something like Ekkos.
Founded in summer of 2015, Ekkos is now a legitimate clothing line that provides secondary education for orphans in Africa. With unique patterns and professional seamstresses that hand craft each product one by one, Ekkos has gone from an idea in my brain in the middle of calc class to a dream that has been more successful than I could have ever imagined.
I made a change in my life that so many young people are afraid to make. But I encourage you. All of you, to roll with the ideas in your head that you so often think of and make something of yourself that the 20 year old you would be proud of.
It doesn’t matter if x equals z. What matters is that your’re living the life you always dreamed of. Whether it be an adventurous one, or a cautious one. Do what makes you happy.
If you enjoyed this article, please take the time to visit Ekkos at ekkos.org and see how we are changing the world through a dream imagined in the middle of calc class.
Webiste: ekkos.org
Intsagram: @ekkosapparel
Twitter: @ekkosapparel
Facebook: Ekkos
Hi! We are Mackenzie and Isabelle and together we make MoonaLuna, a fashion blog that encourages others to express themselves through personal style.
We have been friends since middle school, forming an instant bond with our mutual love for fashion.
Kenzie’s lifetime adventure of being a fashion-addict sparked at a very young age with creating fashion shows for her parents in their living room. While her living room fashion shows slowly came to an end, her infatuation with personal style has continuously grown throughout the years.
She enjoys incorporating many different styles into each outfit she designs and wears. She is inspired daily by artists (her sis Britt Bass, Andy Warhol, & Frida Kahlo), films/directors (Almost Famous, Wes Anderson, & Annie Hall), and people (Stevie Nicks, 90’s Drew Barrymore, & Jemima Kirke).
Isabelle’s obsession with fashion started at an early age due to an aversion to any physical activity (besides shopping). She was born and raised in Atlanta, GA and part-time in Brooklyn, NY. Her diverse family encouraged and inspired her unique sense of style and passion for expressing herself through fashion.
She draws inspiration from people (MiMi Elashiry is a current fave), places (anywhere from Paris to a coffee shop in Williamsburg) and the past (think 70’s).
MoonaLuna is the perfect combination of the two of us. We created this blog in order to have a creative outlet for ourselves in the fashion realm. Isabelle was about to move to New York and Kenzie was taking on Atlanta. We wanted to have a medium that would allow our shared love of fashion to eclipse distance while being able to showcase different perspectives of style in each city.
We also wanted to use MoonaLuna to inspire others to be creative, unique, bold, and confident through fashion. We want to encourage passion for all that you do whether it be fashion, singing, writing, etc.
We hope you follow along with us on this journey and feel inspired to be bold and fearless in all of your fashion choices. You can follow MoonaLuna on Instagram @_moonaluna and MoonaLuna.org.
If you asked me what I wanted to do after graduating from the University of Georgia just four years ago, I would have told you I wanted to be a physical therapist. Two years ago I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. As of six months ago, I wanted to have a fabulous job in the fashion industry. Today, I am not doing any of those things.
I always grew up thinking that if I didn’t have a plan for my life then it meant I didn’t have my life in order. I had so many friends that knew exactly what they wanted to do when they came to college. I thought I was one of them until I realized physical therapy wasn’t for me. This threw me for a loop. I was back at square one with no plan.
I’ve always had a love for children so I thought I would give teaching a shot. After multiple classes and volunteer hours in a precious kindergarten class, I decided that even though I love kids, I didn’t want to be a teacher. That revelation threw me into crisis mode. I was half way through college and still had no idea what I wanted to do.
That Christmas break, I had many heart to hearts with my mom. She knows me better than anyone else in this world. At times, I think she knows me better than I know myself. After countless tears and talks, we both came to the conclusion that I truly loved fashion. So that day, I changed my entire schedule of classes and officially became a Fashion Merchandising major.
When it came to fashion, everything just came so easy to me. I became more involved in class conversations and actually started envisioning my future in fashion even beyond college. I really thought this was it and that I finally found my path in life.
As graduation neared, I struggled to find a job. This was partially my fault as I decided that I wanted to stay in the Atlanta area. Anyone that knows anything about fashion will tell you that you need to be in New York or California to really make it. I just wasn’t ready to take that leap of faith and move so far from home. This greatly decreased the job opportunities available to me.
I couldn’t turn back now. Graduation came and went and I still didn’t have a job. This was hard on me especially since I had lots of friends starting great new jobs, moving to Atlanta together, and living life as an adult.
The weeks went by and so did many interviews. I found an opportunity in Roswell with and IT staffing firm. I fell in love with the company and prayed they would fall in love with me. A couple weeks later I finally got the call that I had been longing for. I GOT THE JOB! I felt like all my hard work finally paid off and I had made it!
Two weeks into the job and I absolutely hated my life. The technologies were not coming easy to me and I really didn’t have any interest in learning about them. I was basically cold calling individuals with great paying jobs close to home and trying to convince them why they should take a pay cut and make a longer commute to a new job.
The recruiting industry doesn’t get much respect. I spoke to many voicemails and got hung up on a number of times. Even though this was a good paying job, I decided I couldn’t live like this the rest of my life.
At the start of the third week, I decided to quit my 7am-7pm. I was living at home with no job and no prospects. I didn’t know where I wanted to go next. I went through another few rounds of tears and talks with my parents. After throwing around many ideas, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to own my own business.
In no way was this decision a cop out for not wanting to look for a new job. I grew up surrounded by family that owned very successful businesses. My parents were always calling their own shots, making critical decisions, and working hard to build a business that would allow for a comfortable lifestyle. I think it is only natural that I caught the entrepreneurial bug that they had.
One day my stepdad, Bob, ran the idea of teeth whitening by me. I really never thought about it before but was open to the idea. I had gotten my teeth whitened back in February and remembered how great I felt after I got it done. It’s crazy how a simple white smile can boost someone’s confidence.
To my surprise, the teeth whitening industry brings in about $25 billion a year. This number definitely shocked me and sparked my interest. I then came across SmileLabs based out of Arizona. With over 400 vendors in the United States and hundreds of reviews, I took the next step of having multiple phone calls and webinars on owning my own SmileLabs franchise.
After much deliberation, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me. I would be able to own my own franchise and it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. Over the next few days I picked a name (SmileLabs of Georgia), made a website, and created all my social media accounts.
Before I knew it, I actually owned a real business. I started introducing myself as Megan, the owner of SmileLabs of Georgia, to other business owners. It truly felt surreal. Little did I know that this was only the beginning of a very hard, expensive journey.
Although I decided to start out mobile, after two months I took the plunge and signed a year lease for a storefront in Roswell, Georgia. This was the biggest financial decision I have made in my life. It was definitely scary putting my name on a one-year lease commitment, but it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.
Now that I have my store, I am focusing on getting my name out there and letting people know that I am open. This has definitely been the hardest part of starting my business. For a while, I tried to create my own cards and fliers to hand out for “free” advertising.
That is not as easy as it sounds. For this reason, I decided to try out paid advertising on Yelp.com. Doing that gives me the opportunity to reach the crowd that is interested in getting their teeth whitened.
I’m sure that there will continue to be lots of trial and error, but eventually I will get the equation right. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for giving me this amazing opportunity. I am grateful for my wonderful family that has supported me emotionally, physically, and financially.
So at the end of all of this, the moral of the story is that it’s okay to not have a plan. Sometimes you have to just go with the flow and see what God has in store for you. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do, coming from an obsessive planner like myself, but it is possible.
Chances are, you will end up in a situation ten times better than you could have planner for yourself. After all, how many 22 year olds can say that they own their own business and have a storefront?
When I first was asked to explain why I am a “Bene Boss,” and began writing this article, I thought it would be an easy assignment to complete. I was wrong.
As I started to type out my story I found myself deleting the words on my screen. Every time I deleted a word it was because I filled my head with thoughts of inadequacy and started asking myself, “What makes my story unique? There are tons of women out there who have gone through more than I have and have overcome bigger hurdles than I ever have.
That’s when I realized that regardless of how big or how small you believe your impact is, the important thing to note is that you made an impact. We each have our own story and we must own it. We also create our story and have the freedom to tell a new one at any point.
My story is about a girl who grew up in Iowa and had a dream to one day make it in the big city of Chicago.
Since I was young, whether it was setting up Kool-Aid stands in the summer (along with my brother and a neighborhood friend) or it was playing shop in my parents basement where my friends and I would use monopoly money to buy and sell things, I always had a desire to ‘play business’
My parents played a massive role in my success. Growing up my siblings and I were expected to work and pay for the things we wanted whether it was for a cell phone, car, gas for the car, car insurance in order to drive the car, college, you name it.
Being young and immature at the time, I held slight bit of resentment toward my parents for this. As I’ve gotten older I am utterly thankful for what I learned by being independent. It has allowed me to prove to myself that I can make it, I can stand on my own two feet and be fearless when it comes to stepping outside my comfort zone.
I finished in fours years and left with a degree in finance and a certificate in entrepreneurial management. I picked up and moved two hours west of Iowa City to start my career at Target in their stores as an Executive Team Leader (a fancy term for manager).
I describe my experience at Target as “boot camp” for recent college graduates. There were dark days but there were also great days. I worked with amazing peers, some of whom, to this day, I still consider best friends, and my capacity for understanding people and ability to lead a team grew exponentially.
About six months in I started realizing that the job wasn’t for me and I needed to get out. My co-workers and friends thought I was crazy to leave because of high compensation, competitive benefits, and a development plan that would lead to a six-figure salary by the age of 26. After all that I still couldn’t deny that I was unhappy, felt trapped, and craved more out of life.
I was back and forth on actually wanting to leave Target four months prior to me officially leaving which was in June of 2012. One day I would be completely certain about leaving and the next I would think “This isn’t THAT bad, I can do this.”
I would try to convince myself that what I was going through was normal and would happen anywhere I’d go. I would also get nervous at the thought of leaving my comfort zone and freak myself out.
I sat at my kitchen table, ate dinner in the dark and cried. It was that moment that I made the DECISION to leave Target, for good. No wavering, my mind was made up. I felt it. I believed it and there was no doubt that it was time to move on. I started applying for jobs the next day and had an interview with a third party agency that was hiring recruiters to work for Wells Fargo.
I applied and was given an offer within a week. I put my two weeks in and say goodbye to my life at Target.
Working at Wells Fargo gave me at least 20 hours of my life back each week. I took a significant pay cut and had no benefits but it was well worth it. I was able to workout on a regular basis, have my weekends off and, more importantly, it gave me the space and time to network and really figure out what it was that I wanted from life.
During the transition from Target to Wells Fargo I attended a conference called Succeed Faster, a conference intended for college students and recent graduates. It was there that I met Chad Carden who is the owner of The Carden Group. His company works with clients from ATT to Kansas University Medical Center, Weight Watchers and more to help improve culture through changing behaviors and shifting mindset.
After he spoke I approached him and told him “I want to do what you do,” and I wasn’t backing down. I continued to network with Chad and his team for the next 9 months; making phone calls, learning the business and attending trainings. In April 2012 I got a call from Chad and he gave me an opportunity to be a freelance consultant on his team to work with ATT.
I’ve spent the past three and a half years networking with consulting groups similar to The Carden Group staffing projects and have had the opportunity to travel the world and experience different cultures all because I stepped outside my comfort zone.
This past January myself and two other lovely women launched a podcast called She Did It Her Way. She Did It Her Way began as an outlet for curiosity and turned into a fascinating medium to learn from women who hustle hard, inspire through their personal stories, and are beautifully authentic in every aspect of their life and business. Every week we reach and inspire over thousands of listeners with the show.
I am a Bene Boss because I am fearless, I am tenacious, and I am determined.
Just one month before my high school graduation and 18th birthday, in April 2005, I walked into Planned Parenthood because I wanted to start taking birth control pills. Per their protocol, they gave me a pregnancy test and I was terrified to learn that I was pregnant.
Furthermore, as class president, Homecoming Queen and Varsity Cheer Captain. I felt like I wanted to die right there in the clinic.
I had already been accepted into Florida State University and after sitting down and telling my parents, they asked if I would still pursue my college plans, I replied “Yes!” They both embraced me and my high school sweetheart, Anthony Wilcox, Sr. and said “life goes on.”
I was wowed by their response and although it wasn’t the best news, they were confident that I would further my education and set out to fulfill my dreams.
I did just that. I went to Florida State University in June 2005 and Anthony, deferred his football scholarship to stay in Tallahassee with me and witness the birth of our son, due in December.
As I completed the first 2 semesters, waddling across campus, on December 20, 2005, I gave birth to the most precious gift I have yet to receive, Anthony Wilcox, Jr. Fortunately, it was during the Christmas Holiday break and when he was 3 weeks old, I started my 3rd semester of classes.
At the time, I knew that the odds were against me: a young, black mother, but I was determined to graduate within 4 years and lead a life for my son that he would be proud of, and one that he can truly understand the true essence of “never giving up.”
When Anthony Jr. was 6 months, his dad had to report to his Junior College in California, so I was left to take care of our son, balance a full load of college courses and I worked on campus and at CVS as a pharmacy technician.
Though he helped financially, and spent time with him on his breaks, I was carrying quite a load, doing it all myself. With my sister, Applemania, attending Florida A&M University and my oldest sister, Alfreda, relocating to Tallahassee during my college years, I was so blessed to have them a part of my support system!
But they too, had a life of their own. I had to develop networking and trusting relationships with others (college friends) to help me.
There were so many moments where I felt overwhelmed; with relationship issues, because me and Anthony Sr. had broken up, balancing motherhood, classes and work, times were I faced financial hardship and so many reasons why I could have given up…but I did NOT!
I kept going.
I was so interested in continuing my involvement at FSU as I did in high school so I became involved with the Black Student Union, Student Government and pledged in the Zeta Omicron chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. I was also a member of the Garnet and Gold Guides where we guided families and official football / basketball recruits during their visits at FSU.
Yes! All of this with a baby! Soon enough, on campus, I was no longer Altrichia Cook, but I became the “girl with the cute baby” It was all love and support. I would be a resource to other girls on campus that became pregnant and they would seek counsel from me about resources, grants they may have been eligible for, and other necessities to help them be successful as they saw me as a successful college mom.
I furthered my education by pursuing my Master’s degree at Florida A&M University. I graduated from there in April 2011.
I relocated to Lakeland FL and worked as a probation officer. I have always loved fashion and upon relocating, I started thrift shopping frequently. Between thrift shopping and ASOS.com for me, and RalphaLauren.com for my son, I was definitely a border-line shop-a-holic.
As I would purchase these vintage finds, I would create and re-create looks of the vintage finds and worked with a tailor to make these creations come to life. It wasn’t until March 2013, when I was planning to vacation to Puerto Rico, that I aimlessly searched for a high-waist swimsuit to mask my abdominal imperfections. Frustrated and unsuccessful, I took matters into my own hands and created my own high-waist design and had the tailor to materialize my idea.
Upon relocating back to my hometown which was NEVER my plan, and working as “misses officer,” I knew that I would not work as a PO forever. I had spent some time brainstorming about creating a business to create revenue for myself. I knew I wanted to (and still aspire to) establish a non-profit center/residential program for teen moms who are in need of direction, but I figured that would be more in my later years when I would be financially concrete.
So, I spent time thinking about establishing ideas to start a trucking company.
My father had been in that business since I was little and he made a great deal of money…then, I thought about starting a childcare facility. For whatever reason, those ideas went onto some paper and stayed there. I was not motivate because neither was my passion.
They were simply ideas of how I could make money and become rich. So when I saw the inquiries about my highwaist piece! Instantly, I felt an unction and I heard a voice from Heaven whisper “that’s it! this is your business!” I will never forget, I was sitting in my office on a Tuesday afternoon preparing to head to court and I heard I created a pic-stitch that said “Allusions by A.Lekay Highwaist Swimwear Coming Soon.”
What was an idea for me to mask my abdominal imperfections from childbearing, afforded me the opportunity to launch my very own business, Allusions by A.Lekay Swimwear. Utilizing social media, though I had an unplanned business, I was motivated and decided to move forward by researching, sourcing fabrics, drafting a contract with me and my tailor to get the ball rolling.
That platform to share and inspire was truly my passion. I decided that I wanted my brand to differentiate in a way that we would only offer highwaist style swimwear and be a lifestyle brand to empower women to be confident and to live life fierce and fearlessly just as I had done!
Becoming an international brand within a short span; having clients in England, Spain, and Ireland to name a few, I continued to wow myself by seeing how social media catapulted my brand, by learning to invest in myself, serving others and being fearless in reaching out and connecting with others. In addition, the good ole two words “thank you” have also been the moving force of the elevation of my brand.
These qualities have taken me far. Being a GIRL BOSS and servant is who I am, and who I have been since I can remember. This past July, Nicki Minaj graced the cover of the July issue of Cosmopolitan Mag wearing an Allusions by A.Lekay design.
All from my fearlessness to connect with some amazing people at Cosmo. So here I am, this 2 year brand, landing a major collaboration with an international medium and the Queen of Rap! This within itself reinforces my life’s mantra “there are infinite possibilities to those who are determined.”
As a result of my ability to create opportunity, my drive and willingness to serve others, I have been humbled and grateful to receive numerous awards and media mentions.
A Girl Boss indeed, however, I am still a servant mentor and community leader. In February 2014, I launched the Sweetheart Seminar, an empowerment seminar hosted on Valentine’s Day to empower teen moms to promote self-love and confidence.
I have a platform through my swimwear company and I will continue to utilize it to empower women and spread the notion that as woman, we must collaborate and NOT compete! I disagree with the colloquial saying that “it’s lonely at the top” because I believe that we can create opportunities for those that are willing to work hard and take them with you!
If I could leave readers with a piece of advice, I would simply encourage you to NEVER GIVE UP! In life, we are often times faced with ginormous issues and things that mean are designed to be road blocks in our lives, but it is up to us, to turn those roadblocks into stepping stones! To connect with others that can empower and encourage us to reach out highest potential!
I am Bene because I am fearless, I am a servant, I am professional and I NEVER GIVE UP!