Left, Krystal Miller , Center, Kizon Marshall, Right, Kameeka Burke.
1. How did the three of you know that you were meant to go into business together?
Kameeka: Well when I came up with the idea I thought why not go into this with my two best friends! They are awesome and I wouldn’t want to do something like this without them. It was something that I had brought to them before so I knew they would go for it. It also gives us a chance to put ourselves out there creatively.
Krystal: That's easy. We all have similar goals and can all bring something unique to the table that could keep the business running. And if we don't know, we could find the answer! Lol
Kizon: Personally I had reservations but I’ve been friends with Meeka and Krys for the longest and trust them enough to go into business with them. Trust and faith are big things.
2. When did you finally decide to start your business?
Kameeka: It was about getting the money together for it first. I did small pieces as gifts to start off with to see how manageable it would be for our budget. I began building our inventory before we gave ourselves a set date to start.
Krystal: Everything really kicked off last fall. We’ve been talking about it for a while but the fire really got us moving when people started liking some of Meeka’s pieces and requesting to buy them.
Kizon: Last year lol but financially we just weren’t ready.
3. How did you come up with your company name?
Kameeka: I wanted the business to be named Afro State of Mind but that name was already copyrighted, along with the ASOM acronym. To remedy that, I added the word Designs at the end.
Kizon: I was driving around with Meeka one day and we began to throw ideas at one another. We knew that ASOM was a rock band, and then there was Afro State of Mind to consider as well because it was a copyrighted YouTube series. Later on, my mother suggested we change the “Mind” to “Mine” and the rest is history, better yet HERstory.
Customized Couples Set
4. How did the three of you decide the role of each individual within your company?
Kameeka: I prefer hands on work. I like to paint and work with wood pieces. So that was my thing. I don’t usually have a set design in mind; it usually comes to me while I’m turning the wood in my hand. If someone can give me a set design for a custom order, that works great as well.
Krystal: We all have our different talents. I, for one, cannot paint or draw worth [at all] lol. However, I love fabrics so I started off with that and the fabric buttons/necklaces (still working on those necklaces). Eventually I’ll branch off to leather work and wires or maybe even some studs. It’s currently whatever my mind comes up with.
Kizon: I gave up drawing and painting once I graduated HS, I’m more of a digital art kind of person. My division is our upcoming Apparel line.
Fabric Button Set
5. Out of all of your pieces, what is the current customer favorite?
Kameeka: Right now, we’ve been getting a lot of orders for out Afro Pick piece.
Krystal: From the time I put them up on the website, I’ve gotten great feedback for the button earrings. But, I think most people like the Afro heads and the “beauty” Adinkra.
Kizon: I’ve received a lot of questions/inquiries about the “Nefertiti Heads”
6. What has been the best thing about owning your own business?
Krystal: I think the feedback is the best part. It’s nice when people appreciate your work. And, even though it isn’t really about the money right now, the pocket change is nice, lol.
Kameeka: I agree with Krystal, I love the feedback. The compliments are great and it really makes me feel accomplished when we hear great things from other jewelry designers. When people say they are coming back for more or recommending us to their friends, it really makes my day.
Kizon: Knowing we had an idea and bringing it to life. The positive feedback and the loyal costumers (“started from the bottom…”)
Nefertiti Heads
7. What has been the most difficult thing in owning your own business?
Krystal: Legal work!! Lol. Starting a business legally is a real issue. It is a long and tedious issue. But it’s what you have to do…
Kameeka: Oh My Gosh... Networking! Trying to put ourselves on the map for small business is not an easy task. We’re going by random events, word of mouth, and the random searches on Google at the moment. Being featured by friends on their blogs is a plus, but we’re not mainstream or well-known so we have to work on getting our name out there.
Kizon: All of the above and the waiting (haha), waiting for the big break when the orders start rolling in.
8. If you had one piece of advice to give to other small business owners like yourself, what would it be?
Kameeka: Try to set yourself apart from other designers as best as you can; be it by your pieces or your prices. I try to not get too pricey with our merchandise but we have to think about the fact that it’s all handmade, hand painted, and the supplies alone are not cheap. So I would advise someone to price accordingly and keep in mind whether or not they would willing to pay that much for the same item., If you’re not willing to pay that much, why would anyone else pay that much for your product?
Krystal: If you wouldn’t wear it, eat it, buy it in general, don’t invest in it. Every time we make pieces I always wonder “Would I wear it?” The thing that I love about our line is that it is a reflection of our personalities. Crazy, kooky, loud, cultural, everything. That’s us.
Kizon: At the end of the day if you’re truly passionate about it and want to share it and know that people will support it…. DO IT! But make sure all your ducks are in a row, financially, socially, and legally.
9. Is there a blog, webpage or social networking site where we can find you?
Instagram Facebook Etsy Pinterest
Kameeka: Well when I came up with the idea I thought why not go into this with my two best friends! They are awesome and I wouldn’t want to do something like this without them. It was something that I had brought to them before so I knew they would go for it. It also gives us a chance to put ourselves out there creatively.
Krystal: That's easy. We all have similar goals and can all bring something unique to the table that could keep the business running. And if we don't know, we could find the answer! Lol
Kizon: Personally I had reservations but I’ve been friends with Meeka and Krys for the longest and trust them enough to go into business with them. Trust and faith are big things.
2. When did you finally decide to start your business?
Kameeka: It was about getting the money together for it first. I did small pieces as gifts to start off with to see how manageable it would be for our budget. I began building our inventory before we gave ourselves a set date to start.
Krystal: Everything really kicked off last fall. We’ve been talking about it for a while but the fire really got us moving when people started liking some of Meeka’s pieces and requesting to buy them.
Kizon: Last year lol but financially we just weren’t ready.
3. How did you come up with your company name?
Kameeka: I wanted the business to be named Afro State of Mind but that name was already copyrighted, along with the ASOM acronym. To remedy that, I added the word Designs at the end.
Kizon: I was driving around with Meeka one day and we began to throw ideas at one another. We knew that ASOM was a rock band, and then there was Afro State of Mind to consider as well because it was a copyrighted YouTube series. Later on, my mother suggested we change the “Mind” to “Mine” and the rest is history, better yet HERstory.
Customized Couples Set4. How did the three of you decide the role of each individual within your company?
Kameeka: I prefer hands on work. I like to paint and work with wood pieces. So that was my thing. I don’t usually have a set design in mind; it usually comes to me while I’m turning the wood in my hand. If someone can give me a set design for a custom order, that works great as well.
Krystal: We all have our different talents. I, for one, cannot paint or draw worth [at all] lol. However, I love fabrics so I started off with that and the fabric buttons/necklaces (still working on those necklaces). Eventually I’ll branch off to leather work and wires or maybe even some studs. It’s currently whatever my mind comes up with.
Kizon: I gave up drawing and painting once I graduated HS, I’m more of a digital art kind of person. My division is our upcoming Apparel line.
Fabric Button Set5. Out of all of your pieces, what is the current customer favorite?
Kameeka: Right now, we’ve been getting a lot of orders for out Afro Pick piece.
Krystal: From the time I put them up on the website, I’ve gotten great feedback for the button earrings. But, I think most people like the Afro heads and the “beauty” Adinkra.
Kizon: I’ve received a lot of questions/inquiries about the “Nefertiti Heads”
6. What has been the best thing about owning your own business?
Krystal: I think the feedback is the best part. It’s nice when people appreciate your work. And, even though it isn’t really about the money right now, the pocket change is nice, lol.
Kameeka: I agree with Krystal, I love the feedback. The compliments are great and it really makes me feel accomplished when we hear great things from other jewelry designers. When people say they are coming back for more or recommending us to their friends, it really makes my day.
Kizon: Knowing we had an idea and bringing it to life. The positive feedback and the loyal costumers (“started from the bottom…”)
Nefertiti Heads7. What has been the most difficult thing in owning your own business?
Krystal: Legal work!! Lol. Starting a business legally is a real issue. It is a long and tedious issue. But it’s what you have to do…
Kameeka: Oh My Gosh... Networking! Trying to put ourselves on the map for small business is not an easy task. We’re going by random events, word of mouth, and the random searches on Google at the moment. Being featured by friends on their blogs is a plus, but we’re not mainstream or well-known so we have to work on getting our name out there.
Kizon: All of the above and the waiting (haha), waiting for the big break when the orders start rolling in.
8. If you had one piece of advice to give to other small business owners like yourself, what would it be?
Kameeka: Try to set yourself apart from other designers as best as you can; be it by your pieces or your prices. I try to not get too pricey with our merchandise but we have to think about the fact that it’s all handmade, hand painted, and the supplies alone are not cheap. So I would advise someone to price accordingly and keep in mind whether or not they would willing to pay that much for the same item., If you’re not willing to pay that much, why would anyone else pay that much for your product?
Krystal: If you wouldn’t wear it, eat it, buy it in general, don’t invest in it. Every time we make pieces I always wonder “Would I wear it?” The thing that I love about our line is that it is a reflection of our personalities. Crazy, kooky, loud, cultural, everything. That’s us.
Kizon: At the end of the day if you’re truly passionate about it and want to share it and know that people will support it…. DO IT! But make sure all your ducks are in a row, financially, socially, and legally.
9. Is there a blog, webpage or social networking site where we can find you?
Instagram Facebook Etsy Pinterest
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