Today we’d like to introduce you to Litisha Fye.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Litisha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started Chickwares a little more than 16 years ago, it began as a hobby and morphed into a business. For me it was just shopping, and I love to shop, so it was fun! I started my business on eBay, and a few years later that business officially became Chickwares. In the beginning, I focused only on offering new and used handbags, I later moved on to clothing and accessories and did very well. As eBay grew and changed, a lot, it became, more of a pain and expense to sell. I wanted to have more control on what and how I offered my products so I slowly transitioned away from eBay and began planning how I might launch my own boutique.
During this “downtime” with my business, I spent more time in my “regular” corporate career as a product marketer, which required me to relocate to a different state, travel, etc. The learnings were in-valuable and the opportunities were amazing, however I wasn’t as happy as one might expect and I realized that I had lost focus on building my own business. Add two children to the mix and my unrest became even greater. I began to think more about how important the freedom and excitement of my own business was to me. I’m a creative with an entrepreneurial heart and I didn’t feel as if I was being true to myself. I was developing and marketing product for others every day and I knew I could do it for myself! I love the freedom and the excitement of being able to make my own decisions on any and everything from product assortment to boutique layout and designs.
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?
Absolutely not! There have been plenty of struggles. Most days, I feel like I am still struggling! I would say a major struggle has been finding consistent partners and manufacturers. I’ve always known what I wanted to offer in my boutique, but as a small business I don’t always have the funds or bandwidth to handle large purchase orders. If you are not placing big orders you don’t always get good service and definitely not the best pricing! I buy small from various sellers regularly to keep the boutique offering fresh even if my assortment isn’t as broad as I’d like. I also look for other women entrepreneurs and makers to partner with; either through product design collaborations or partnering with other female makers to offer their products in my boutique. I believe that women supporting other women and creating partnerships and positive connections is a factor in long-term success.
Finding personal balance as an entrepreneur is a major struggle at times. There are so many priorities and ideas to juggle; I am also a mom so a good part of the day is juggling what my family needs, taking care of our home, errands, etc. Lots of long nights, early mornings and weekends that include work to get it done!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chickwares story. Tell us more about the business.
Chickwares is an online boutique offering the most giftable accessories, bags, jewelry, stationery and home and office decor. Chickwares is a brand tailored to the gifting needs of the girl who loves to give the perfect gift to all the girlfriends, girl bosses and besties in her life! My brand echos the belief that women ROCK and deserve to be surrounded by pretty, fabulous things that deliver all the feels! You can find us at our online boutique and pop up shops around the city.
I am really proud of Chickwares, it feels great to know that others are enjoying something that I dreamed up or discovered. Every sale, no matter how big or small, makes me smile! A big part of my mission through Chickwares is partnering with other women-led brands and businesses as a path to success. I want to offer products and brands built by other women in my boutique. Women supporting women is key to growth and success, we have a lot of power together, not just buying power, but the power of influencing others to success. It is extremely difficult to start and run a business today, support from those who have done it or are doing it means so much. As a way to facilitate connecting with like-minded women I founded a women in business group called the girl boss collective. We hosted a pop-up shop featuring all women owned businesses and products. Through the group I also share relevant business articles and tips I think other women in business may find useful. The other business owners are encouraged to do the same. Unfortunately, Covid-19 halted any plans for pop up events earlier this year, but I am looking into opportunities for the 2nd half of 2020 and considering something virtually!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I can’t say that I really believe in “luck” and that luck has played a role in my life and business because to believe in luck, you have to believe that all things happen randomly or by chance and I don’t believe that to be true. I am certain that I’ve used the word luck here or there, but I don’t believe in the randomness that it truly implies. There are things that I did, decisions that I made in life and business that put me in a particular place or situation, good or bad. My faith teaches me that prayer, intentional thinking and living plays a role in what happens in life therefore, things don’t just occur randomly.
I have been blessed to have some amazing experiences and opportunities which didn’t happen simply because I was lucky. Like most people, I’ve also been disappointed and frustrated when things I tried have failed or if I didn’t fully achieve a desired outcome or reward, but it’s up to me to keep pushing through and praying for the things and the change that I want. That being said, lucky, not so much, but blessed and faithful, absolutely!
Pricing:
- Range $0-$75
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chickwares.com
- Email: sales@chickwares.com
- Instagram: www.chickwares.com/chickwares
- Facebook: www.facebook,com/chickwares
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/chickwares
- Other: www.pinterest.com/chickwares
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
