Today we’d like to introduce you to Kennedy Dumas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kennedy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my entrepreneurial career when I was 16 years old. My first business was selling candy apples to my classmates, soon after, I started another business as a candle maker, but my passion was always for stationery and school supplies. During my senior year of high school, I founded Stationery Black LLC on April 1st of 2018. I would always walk through staples or office depot looking for notebooks that had characters that looked like me on them. I soon noticed that I could not find any images, depictions, or characters of black people on any school supplies, so I decided to make my own. I wanted my company to offer beautifully illustrated depictions of black people on school supplies, starting off with notebooks. To date, I have sold over 400 notebooks nationwide.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road, but overall it has been much more rewarding and satisfying than I could ever imagine. During my first few months in business, the “no’s” were very constant. I would go to malls to try to sell and network, but it was so challenging. I encountered a plethora of rude people. People who did not believe in me or my vision, but I quickly realized, my vision is not for others to see, as long as I see it and believe in it, it will come into fruition. Since that shift in my mindset, I don’t see “no’s” as a bad thing, I see them as “not right now”, and as necessary steps to make it to a yes. Overcoming and dealing with negative people and ideas, have in turn made my skin thicker, and now I’m unstoppable. I’m very grateful for the hardships.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Stationery Black was founded when I was 17 and a senior in high school. Stationery Black, is a notebook company that specializes in illustrative depictions of people of color, and customized notebooks. We are most known for our customized notebooks because people can send in any image, logo, or drawing, and it could be turned into a notebook. Stationery Black’s customized notebooks make the perfect gift for any occasion (birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, etc.). I am most proud of selling 400 notebooks in a 14 month time period, while matriculating in college. My notebooks are special because people are able to see themselves in them, literally.
What were you like growing up?
I had a very fun, loving, and peaceful time growing up in Stone Mountain, GA. I always lived around influential and successful black people, so I never had a doubt in my mind on whether I could be successful too. I was a very determined kid, and was a Dekalb county board scholar. From kindergarten to my senior year, I have never received anything lower than a “B”. I was raised by two amazing parents. My father is very compassionate, kind, and hardworking, and my mother is very determined, hardworking, and assertive. I believe I have the best attributes of both parents, which makes me humble yet self-assured. Which in turn, makes me a great businesswoman.
Pricing:
- Customized Notebooks – $10.00
- Illustrative Notebooks- $7-$8
Contact Info:
- Website: Stationeryblack.com
- Phone: 6783018976
- Email: kennedydumas@stationeryblack.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stationeryblack/
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