1. Tell us about your current position and your role there. 

I am the owner of WELTHE Lifestyle – a lifestyle services company. WELTHĒ Lifestyle delivers one-of-a-kind experiences tailored to make you look feel and be the best version of yourself. This transformation is carried out in three parts. The first step in your transformation is a thorough assessment of your wardrobe with our WELTHĒ Look Style Enhancement experience. This guarantees shopping for yourself a breeze. Step two in your journey is elevation. Your choice in suits and outwear reflects who you are. Our WELTHĒ Clothing experience boosts that reflection with tailor made clothing just for you. The final step in your journey is letting the world see your new image. Our WELTHĒ Images experience captures the new you with portraits that will become a part of your legacy.

2.What made you decide to start your own company and what motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

I became an entrepreneur almost by accident. Two years prior to starting my business, I was looking for a coat that was luxurious looking but reasonably priced. I had the vision of the coat in my head but I couldn’t find what I was looking for anywhere. One day I was walking on Fifth Avenue and went into a fur liquidation sale to see if they had the coat I had in mind and of course, they didn’t. The salesperson suggested I make it myself (a thought that never occurred to me). He gave me the information for a furrier and I started doing research and got the coat made myself and my business was born. I still didn’t realize it was a business until people started stopping me on the street asking about the coat. When I told them I designed it, people started placing orders. When that happened, I realized I had something great and it needed to be nurtured full-time so I quit my job and officially started my business.

3.What were some unique challenges you faced throughout your professional career and how did you solve them?

When I left Baruch, I started my career in Finance and as someone with a degree in History, it was a big learning curve. I had many number based roles and it really forced me to learn skills that I didn’t know. I struggled a lot at first, but eventually started to really understand numbers (I was always good at writing and communicating). When I did, I incorporated my strong skillset with the numbers and was able to excel in my career.

4. What was the most important part of your business journey?

The most important part of my business journey was starting something that I previously had no knowledge of (creating clothes myself) and growing it to what it is now. There was a lot of trial and error but it taught me a valuable lesson to not give up. Many companies we admire today were not built overnight and took a lot of failure to get to the success we now see.

5. What was your experience at Baruch like and How did Baruch impact your life and career?

I spent a lot of time at Baruch—I worked there full-time and was a full-time student. At Baruch, I took advantage of many opportunities that were offered to students. I studied abroad in Spain, I was active on campus, I became the President of The National Association of Black Accountants – Baruch Chapter (which is still crazy to me because I was a History major) and I did an internship in China. Baruch impacted my life and career through the friends I made, the opportunities offered to me and the vision that it gave me to really go after my dreams. I still keep in contact with so many people from Baruch and go back to visit when I can.

6. What is one of your favorite memories you have from your time at Baruch?

My favorite memory of Baruch is the diversity of the school. You meet people from so many different countries and backgrounds—it’s like experiencing the world in a 3-4 block radius. Every time I go back to visit Baruch, I am reminded of this. Although the faces are different, the place still remains the same and I get a nostalgic feeling of my time there.

7. Do you have any advice for current Baruch students and alumni who are interested in starting their own business?

Educate yourself on all subjects related to the type of business you want to start! I spend a good amount of time everyday educating myself so that I can improve my skill set, understand my audience and have a clear strategy on how to grow my business. 

8. How can people contact you? (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Email)

      
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://welthelifestyle.com/