Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamika Price.
Tamika, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My love for all things fashion started in my mom’s walk-in closet when I was about 7 years old. Playing dress up morphed into becoming an award-winning wardrobe stylist, author and boutique owner that has been featured on The Rachael Ray Show, NBC 5 News, WGN News and much more. But I have not always lived the “stylish life”. Soon after playing dress up in my mom’s closet, we were evicted from that apartment and suddenly my mom, siblings and I were homelessness.
For years on and off, the evictions continued and we were living in roach motels, our car and looking for our next place to stay. I remember telling some classmates that we were “staying in a hotel until our place was ready” and everyone thought we were rich! I didn’t correct them as I didn’t want everyone to know we actually had nowhere to go. This was an unforgettable experience that I know molded me into the woman I am today. We eventually got settled and I vowed to never experience that life again.
I graduated from college bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to take over the world only to find that after one year, I would lose my contract job due to budget cuts. One month prior to getting the pink slip, I launched my first business, A-line Style Services, a wardrobe styling and personal shopping company. Fast-forward to today and I attribute so much of my entrepreneurial success to collaboration and working with my fellow female entrepreneurs.
This led me to launch Brown Boutiques in December 2018, a collaborative membership group for Chicagoland women of color to learn, grow and support each other. Our group has quickly grown to over 40 “Brown Baddies” aka members in fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries including boutique owners, caterers, fashion designers, hairstylists, makeup artists and more!
I am so proud of our tight-knit group that although is new, is a sisterhood and a place where we collaborate, get support and grow our business.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth? Ha! Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster ride that you have to mentally prepare yourself for. In one day, I have celebrated a win and cried from feeling like a failure. The obstacles are endless but are oftentimes made up in our own minds created by doubt and anxiety. I realized that having the right mindset and planning for these hurdles, that you can jump over them like Flo-Jo.
Brown Boutiques – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Brown Boutiques spawned from me always collaborating with my fellow women of color in business. I realized with some more structure and strategy behind it, Brown Boutiques would be huge.
Our membership group is all about giving our members the tools and resources that we need to flourish as a small business owner. We host monthly meetups where we learn about things to help grow like marketing, sales and bookkeeping. During these meetups, we also get to reconnect face to face and talk about our upcoming events and collaboration opportunities like our Brown Baddie Expo coming up on Sunday, May 20th. What I am most proud of, is that everyone is truly engaged!
A membership group is only as good as its members and we support each buys patronizing our baddies’ businesses, look to each other for guidance when we face challenges and even make it a point to hang out with each other–because it is important to have a social life while you are building your business. What sets us apart from other membership groups is our members and the energy in the room when the brown baddies get together—it’s magical!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success, for me, is peace and freedom. When you can go to sleep, rest well and wake up feeling good about who you are and what you are doing. When you have the freedom to choose whether you are going to take a day off or to take over the world.. that is success.
Pricing:
- Membership for Brown Boutiques is $15 a month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brownboutiques.com
- Email: brownboutiques@gmail.com
- Instagram: @brownboutiques
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brownboutiques
- Twitter: @brownboutiques
Image Credit:
Billy Montgomery Photography
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