Today we’d like to introduce you to Mika Requel Akins.
Hi Mika Requel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
This journey began in 2016 when I decided to take a leave of absence from my corporate job as an IT Consultant. I decided to tap into my passion for fashion by leveraging my craftiness and I started an Etsy shop. I’d always enjoyed decorating planning other’s baby showers and weddings and decided to put some of that energy into some form of monetary reward! 😍 I’ve always stood by the saying: When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you do good”. I started out by creating handmade hair accessories. After a while, I decided to add custom sneakers, birthday tees, tutus, and pretty much anything I thought I could customize😍.
As of today, I’ve taken a longer leave by deciding to explore entrepreneurship full-time. My last official working day was October 17th, 2020. In 2019, we started our Shopify site and have made the transition into an online boutique where we provide tastefully chic and sophisticatedly fun fashion for outgoing moms and minis through our carefully curated wardrobe pairings. Our mantra is FUN FRESH FASHION and our tag line is LIVE LIFE IN FLAVOR.
Within the coming months, we will have a small booth at The Painted Tree in Snellville, GA and we’re super excited about that.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Oh, not at all! Leaving corporate meant leaving safety, leaving comfort, and leaving a steady stream of income! Along with that comes fear, regret, constant doubt and pressure. My full-time job provided the health insurance for the family, as my husband is also an entrepreneur. We have two kids to provide for and health insurance is super important but the rates for private insurance are extremely high and government insurance is tricky when it comes to income and not knowing what your income will be. I’m not in a position to predict, as it fluctuates daily. However, we’ve found a plan and will see how it goes.
Outside of that, being a solopreneur opens a whole ‘nother can of worms when juggling expectations as a wife and mother. I’m being pulled in a thousand directions on any given Sunday through Monday and it’s tough to say the least. I’ve laid some ground rules and try to plan or schedule as much as I can so that I can carve out time for them.
When I become profitable enough to hire someone part-time, I most certainly will do that. But, for now I lean on them to help out as much as possible.
The other portion of this is being educated about business and the specific industry that you’re in. For me, it was something that I was passionate about but not educated. Therefore, I had to take courses and I firmly believe in investing in training, coaching, and researching, to become trusted by my customers. This also takes cash! Almost nothing is free these days. So grants are super helpful but also like the lottery, you win some, you lose some!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We help socially outgoing moms and daughters feel super stylish and tastefully chic without breaking the bank.
We provide quality clothing that moms and daughters can wear together for those special occasions where lasting memories are created and cherished for a lifetime!
Whether you’re headed to brunch, a recital, a celebratory dinner, Mommy and Me day out, a fun day of shopping, headed on vacation, or need a special outfit for her birthday, we got you!
We’re your one stop shop for sophisticated fun! We pride ourselves with female empowerment, honesty, integrity, and commitment.
All of our hair accessories, birthday customs, & t-shirt graphic designs are done by me until I can hire a helping hand that shares my vision!
We encourage and support creative imaginations that allow girls to feel empowered to be their authentic selves! One of our goals is to one day partner with Girls Who Code and/or similar STEM organizations to help close the gender gap in Tech and leverage fashion to improve girls’ confidence!
We give back to the community by donating to women’s shelters and other non-profit organizations such as Purses of Hope to advocate for women and children in need.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The fashion industry is forever changing, forever time traveling, and has a place for everyone’s taste. We encourage our moms and girls to be unique and true to themselves, so we don’t necessarily follow trends 100%. We do, however intertwine them but try to keep the flavors fresh.
Considering that we’re in the digital virtual age, we’d definitely like to explore NFTs and see how we can make our mark.
We’re also working on building our brand and designing 100% in house to completely set ourselves apart. Finding a manufacturer is our next big step!
Pricing:
- Jewelry – $5+
- Hair Accessories – $8+
- Boutique Clothing – $19.99+
- Custom Tees – $25+
- Custom Tutus – $65+
Contact Info:
- Email: hithere@primandsaucyboutique.com
- Website: www.primandsaucyboutique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primandsaucyboutique/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primandsaucyboutique/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/primandsaucyboutique/_shop/
Image Credits
Creative Focus Photography
