Today we’d like to introduce you to Ta’Mara Rhodes.
Hi Ta’Mara, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Columbus, GA. I relocated to the Atlanta area in 2011 to have something better for my family. I was always a creative person and loved to decorate. I randomly started crafting in my early twenties. It started as just doing DIY crafts for my home. Then, slowly into customs for events and now I help with events, home items, and business branding. I stopped for a brief time in my marriage and just worked my regular 9-5 for years. I realize now that I was dealing with depression. I got back into it after a ton of encourage meant from family and friends…not to mention the fact that they wouldn’t stop hounding to make things for them(lol). Then became Sekori. Sekori is named after both of my sons. Their middle names are Semaj and Jakori. I wanted to start something that I loved to do and that my family could do with me. Build a successful company and leave to my children.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not. I had my first son at the age of 17 and my 2nd one at 21. Me and my kid’s dad started dating when I was 16. With us being so young and neither one of us being taught what love truly was, it caused a lot of dysfunction in our relationship. You don’t see that you are going through depression when it hits you for the 1st time. I gained so much weight after we got married in 2013. I was so unhappy and so was he. He didn’t support me doing crafting because he said I was spending more than I was making…which at the time could be true. Our divorce (2020) helped me to learn myself. I know that sounds negative, but it was honestly for the best. A 16/17 years old girl doesn’t know what she really wants in life or in a relationship. Being on my own forced me to sit back and discover who I was as an individual.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I started off making invitations, signs, party favors, jewelry and making things for my home back in 2005. Fast forward to 2022, and my best sellers are custom mugs, tumblers, clothing items, signs/canvases, mousepads, notepads, shower curtains and so many other things. I’m proud of myself for creating my own brand and putting myself out there to the world. I set myself apart from others because of my uniqueness and I try to think outside the box with my creativity. I don’t like to copy and do what I see others are doing. I make the things that I like and I don’t believe in providing mediocre products to my customers.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Family. They have always supported me in anything that I do and never let me quit. They are always promoting my work and they were some of my first customers when I opened my online store.
Contact Info:
- Email: tamararhodes@sekoriinc.com
- Website: www.sekoriinc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sekori_inc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sekoriinc
- Other: https://linktr.ee/sekori
