Today we’d like to introduce you to Shiv’on Monique & Anneka Maquay.
Shiv’on and Anneka, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2009, after being laid off for the second time in two years; I decided it was time to do a career shift and go back to school and get my Masters in Business. I took one semester of classes and quickly realized I did not want a business degree anymore; I dropped out after a month and spent the next few months trying to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life. I was really depressed in a job I hated and it was just a dark time for me mentally and spiritually.
One of my really good friends and now business partner had recently moved to Atlanta, GA and looked to be enjoying much success in her new city. I set a date of April 5, 2009 and that morning, I packed up my Chevy Cavalier with $1800 dollars (which was two months rent) and drove 9 hours to relocated to Atlanta! I took several odd jobs (waitress at a strip club, email girl at Club Miami, etc) pretty much hustled because I could not find a job. I was now in school full time and struggling financially but somehow making it. I hit a bit of depression after about eight months in the city as it was not going how I had envisioned it. I purchased a one-way ticket back home to Kansas City, MO and quietly lived back home with my family for two months (no phone calls, social media, etc.). The new year started and I logged into my Twitter account and this guy followed me named Fourty. In his bio, it said he was an A&R for Def Jam, so I sent him a message and asked would he be needing an intern or assistant? He immediately replied and said, “Yep, call me soon as you touch down to Atlanta!” Finally excited about getting a potential job I booked my flight back to Atlanta and was eager to get started.
Fast forward, I end up not being Fourty’s intern but an took a offer as the unpaid receptionist/ intern at this studio called the Artist Factory. I literally did nothing but check guest in and out and book studio time and take messages for the people in the offices. It was not what I had planned but I faithfully got up every day and went in as if it was my job.
One day as I was doing some work, I was reminded of an idea I had to give back to Teen girls and I immediately started jotting down my plans. I came up with the name Show Me Shoes Foundation (I wanted to represent where I was from) and the focus to be helping young ladies feel confident, provide mentor-ship and be a resource of inspiration all-around shoes. I was so excited. I sat on the idea a few months and I ran into Fourty; he told me that I should go for it and he said that I should host a shoe drive! This is when the “Aha” moment was birthed. I immediately called up my friend Anneka and shared with her my vision and she was immediately excited. Show Me Shoes Foundation was birthed 10 years ago with a simple vision as a shoe drive but has now grown into a national organization with 9 chapters, helping over 2,000 teens and several programs that assist in helping young women “Build Confidence from the SOLE”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This journey has some highs and lows but the vision and passion keeps us going. I think many people forget that a non-profit organization is run as a business and there are so many misconceptions. When you have a business and still have a personal life, it’s really hard to keep going when things come at you. We have taken some L’s behind the scenes, people would have NO IDEA. We have had bad partnerships, been taken advantage of, lost money, run out of money and many no’s from grants, pitches and proposals but every single misstep grows you as a person. It’s a marathon and I love the pace that we are on.
Please tell us about Show Me Shoes Foundation.
Show Me Shoes Foundation is a non-profit organization created to help “Build Confidence from the Sole” our mission is to provide women and teen girls the opportunity to learn ways to create, build and find confidence from the S-O-L-E to the S-O-U-L. The mission is to plant seeds in future leaders by providing opportunities and most importantly being a source for our communities around the world.
I’m most proud of us for keeping this thing going. We have seen so many of our peers quit and understandably so; it is not easy running a non-for-profit business as many times you are the person paying out of pocket and expenses run high and support can run low. I am proud that we just keep going because we see the vision and know it’s bigger than us and we will be one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world.
I think what sets us apart is our unique approach to giving; we hate the word charity! We look at what we do as a tool to bring people together and give an opportunity. It is OUR organization meaning our families, the communities we reside in and the people we work with all end up feeling part and we really create a family where our volunteers come back each year. We put the fun in giving and we are creating something that is inspiring women around the world to start their own chapters and that is what it’s all about; mapping out a blueprint for others to follow and give.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, I think I wouldn’t change anything; even in the midst of mistakes we have made it has shaped us and we get better at business and wiser.
Contact Info:
- Address: Show Me Shoes Foundation
2451 Cumberland Pkwy
Ste. 3912
Atlanta, GA 30339 - Website: www.showmeshoes.org
- Phone: 816-866-SHOES
- Email: info@showmeshoes.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/showmeshoes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/showmeshoes
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/Show_MeShoes
Image Credit:
Kendon McClaine -MAC Images (Kansas City, KS)
Steven G. Photography @stevengphotography_
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