Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherika Nicole.
Sherika, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
So, I started selling accessories in the year of 2004. Naming the business “Babygirl Accessories.” I would sell accessories from the trunk of my car. At that time, I would sell accessories wherever I went to birthday parties, beauty salons, school, etc. I was a single parent and a full-time student who needed extra money. I always had a love for fashion as well as helping others express themselves through style. However, things took a turn for the worst in the year of 2007 and I stopped selling accessories. Just trying to maintain everything was hard. I needed to focus on school and my children. However, in the year of 2009, I started my business back up because things were running a little better for me financially. At that time, I also started selling women’s shirts and dresses. They were the easiest to manage at that time. I continued to sell items out of the trunk of my car. Eventually in the ending of 2010, I started an online store and changed the name of my business. I had two other names before deciding on Hung Up. I thought that it was catchy and would grab the attention of potential clients. Hung Up Boutique is creatively named as a nod to my own fashion sense. I also started my own clothing line Fancy Fresh in the year of 2010. I came up with the name in 2008 but decided to really take it to the next level in 2010. Fancy Fresh is a brand where fresh meet fancy. Now back to Hùng Up, I started my online store, then I created social media pages and started promoting my business. I did a lot of research and planning which helped a lot with execution. In the year of 2011, I was working a 9-5 and this truck came to our job selling vintage jackets out of a truck. Instantly an idea clicked in my head of having a mobile boutique on wheels. I started researching mobile boutiques and I could not find one in the Los Angeles area. So, I started looking for a truck but finances got in the way yet again. However, I did not let that stop me at all it was a dream of mines to own and operate a mobile boutique and I knew it would happen. I continued to do business online which grow my clientele. Fast forward to the year of 2013, things were going great and I was in the process of purchasing my step van. I had just graduated from UCLA graduate certificate program earning my Paralegal Studies Certificate. I was promoted at my job, which was great, but a month later after being promoted I was laid off. Yes, you heard me correctly another financial hit.
However, I did not let this stop me! I was laid off with $6,000 to my name, a single parent with two boys and no steady income coming in. Therefore, I decided it was time to totally step out on faith and trust God. I was laid off in May of 2013 and a month later, I purchased my first truck to start operating my mobile boutique, which left me with nothing. I paid my rent for two months, my car note, and everything else I relied on total faith. After I purchased my truck for the business, I started to get it remodeled and in the process of getting it worked on, I found out that the truck was damaged. I was devastated as this was another setback. However, I kept the faith. By this time, I was called back to work at the company that I was laid off from and getting that call back happened right on time. I ended up selling the truck and purchased another one. I immediately started to get it remodeled and ready for business. I had my grand opening for my mobile boutique in the year of 2014 and since then, I have been operating the business online and mobile. Deciding to step out on faith and start my business is one of the best decisions that I ever made.
Now, after I launched my clothing brand Fancy Fresh. I didn’t fully give it my all. I promoted it to a certain point through social media and word of mouth but I didn’t give it a hundred percent. So over the years, I learned that I first needed to fully believe in my brand more than anyone in order for it to reach its full potential. So years later and after some rebranding Fancy Fresh is doing great and it is evolving to a brand that young girls and women are truly embracing it. It’s a brand that allows young girls and women to be authentically be them by being dope, different, and determined.
I got to this point in my life by being persistent, consistent, and with a whole lot of FAITH. A process that I went through that has taught me so much. I am now able to motivate others by encouraging them to step out faith and accomplish their dreams. By deciding not to give up on my dream this business led me to other business opportunities such as speaking, consulting and operating another business called Define – Plan – Execute Your Vision, which is a Vision Board event company. Through this business, I am able to help others turn their visions into reality. I am also able to influence others by utilizing social media platforms to provide different strategies to help in everyday life, entrepreneurship, business, and fashion. I have also created a planner called “Define Plan Execute Your Vision Planner”, which help others be accountable for their goals. It’s a dateless planner like no other and it really causes the user to dig deep within to help them maximize their goals and/or vision. Also, I through DPE Your Vision I have created a brand called “Trust Your Process” which is a brand that encourages others to embrace their journey in life. Lastly, I will finally be launching my podcast “Real, Raw, and Relevant” where I will be discussing real, raw, and relevant topics as well as having special guests with individuals who aren’t afraid to sit in the hot seat. I’m excited to finally take that leap of faith in this area of broadcast because this is something that I have always wanted to do. I have attained two Master Degrees of Science in Management & Leadership, Pepperdine University and Psychology, University of Phoenix. Who would have thought a young girl from Compton, CA that believed in herself by faith would make it this far and it is only the beginning.
“Remember the Dream is dead Without You” – Sherika Nicole
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 is never easy when operating a business. Being in business is a challenge in itself because not everyone is going to support you. Therefore, you have to learn to be okay with not receiving the support from the people that you believe should be supporting you. I had to learn to focus on my product, marketing, and the way I presented myself to clients for both Hùng Up and Fancy Fresh. Trusting that the support will come based on how I ran my businesses. When you are in business, you have to be willing to work hard, have thick skin, and be up to the challenge of facing new obstacles. I had many challenges besides financial struggles. Being that my business Hùng Up is ran on wheels by operating a vehicle. I have had issues with obtaining permits for different cities that I want to park in, I have to pay vending fees if I want to participate in an event, and some challenges are parking and storage for my mobile boutique. For my brand Fancy Fresh finding manufacturers and different style of clothing gets hard sometimes but I’m determined to make it work for the better of my brand. In addition, making sure that marketing, promoting, and driving business is consistent. I definitely had to come up with creative ways to attract new clients to my businesses.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Hung Up Boutique – Fancy Fresh story. Tell us more about the business.
My business is an online and mobile boutique full of fashion inspiration and accessory ideas. We are a boutique that caters to young women where they will be able to find a fancy, fresh, and fabulous fashionable selection of clothing and accessories for every taste and budget. I also have my own clothing brand Fancy Fresh®️ currently selling T-Shirts, Jackets, Sweatshirts, and Sweatsuits which will eventually expand to more pieces and products. For my brand Define Pan Execute Your Vision, I sell planners, mugs, T-Shirts, and Sweatsuits for Trust Your Process ™️. I am the owner/operator. I specialize in making sure that my businesses run successful and I maintain the day-to-day operations of the business. I am known for my faith and determination. I am proud of not giving up and staying in the fire even though it has not always been easy. This has allowed me to grow in so many areas knowing that nothing is impossible as long as you believe in yourself. What sets me apart from others my name along is different. I’m authentic, I’m confident in who I am as a woman and My Faith. My businesses are set apart because they are all unique in their own way. I am most proud of my drive and determination to never give up on myself or my businesses.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I wouldn’t say that I have good or bad luck but I have faith and I believe that my faith has played a major part in my life and my businesses. I trust and believe that my life will continue to evolve which will cause my businesses to reach its full potential and evolve as well. Born and raised in Compton, CA. Raised by my parents and grandmother things were not always easy. I am the oldest of four, which caused me to take on leadership responsibilities at an early age. Throughout my early childhood through high school, I have always been the type to take the lead when different opportunities presented itself to me. I was always a leader who was creative with a fashion sense. I always was the type of person that figured out ways to make money. I used to make baskets, do hair and nails, sell cd’s and teach dance classes. The list could go on. Let us just say, I was always a hustler at heart as it runs in the family.
Pricing:
- Hung Up Pricing: $2.00 – $100.00
- Fancy Fresh Pricing: $25.00 – $100.00
- DPE Your Vision Pricing: $12.00 – $50.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gethungup.com
- Phone: 323-538-5896
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hungupboutique/?hl=en
https://instagram.com/fancyfresh_clothing?igshid=twiwmafyw8cp - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hung-Up-Boutique-209563085812230/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/imsherikanicole?lang=en
- Other: www.dpeyourvision.com
Image Credit:
Credit: Cover Photo JD Sterling https://www.pacifichillstudio.com/
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