DreamChaser | NEKEYETA NEWKIRK
Photo by Still Shots Photography
Name: Nekeyeta Newkirk
Pronouns: She, Her, that Chick!
Age: 38
Job Title/Company: The Key to Style Blog, Denise and Friends Plus Size Thrift Boutique
Education Background: Bachelor in Business Management and Digital Marketing from UNC
In-depth Questions
Tell us a little about who you are.
I am healer. I am a conversation starter who loves to create spaces where we can connect and grow one another. I am a little bit of southern hospitality and island flavor all wrapped up in one. I was born in NC but raised all over the world, including Hawaii, during my teenage years. I currently reside in Washington DC. I am a multi-talented creative who loves thinking of different ways to help others be their best self, whether that is through fashion, business development, or storytelling. I am the second oldest and only girl out of six boys, so being a leader and nurturer has been in my DNA forever. I take this same mindset into business and here we are!
2. What sparked your interest in starting your business(es)?
My interest in business was sparked around 2013, when my best friend, Tierany( the flyest writer in the game) launched our first business, by KikiSol. by Kikisol was/is a empowerment-based event production company that focused on confidence building, body positivity, and introduced NC’s first plus-size swap event, The Curvy Exchange. by Kikisol was my college years or training grounds. It introduced me to many people and understanding the power of representation and influence. From there, I was introduced to blogging, creative directing, and marketing strategy for business owners.
3. If applicable, tell us about your full-time job and/or any side hustles you might have.
Did I mention that I do the most? So, I work full-time in the mortgage industry. My current position does overextend me, it funds the side hustle and dream though. I have the Key to Style blog and plus-size thrift boutique, Denise and Friends (namesake of my late mother, Denise Mangum) and I have launched my services as a creative director and marketing strategist for businesses. With such, I develop marketing campaigns for businesses that are launching new products/services, rebranding, or in need of a new look. I also provide customized marketing strategy bundles that include SWOT analysis, a 30-day content calendar, and photoshoot guidelines. With D& F, I specialize in curating quarterly collections of dope, vintage plus size fashion.
Photo by Still Shots Photography
“As women of color, we are all learning to live a life beyond survival, we want to thrive and the ladies I know are influencing me daily to do just that. ”
4. Who are you most influenced by?
I am most influenced by some of the amazing women in my circle, my late mother, Denise Harrington, my partner, Latoya Tyson and my best friend, Tierany Griffin-Purdie. These women, along with a few others, inspire me because of their focus and drive to build the life of their dreams by any means necessary. It truly has been inspiring to see them put their all in being a mother, an attorney and a writer. Coming from small country towns where the norm was to go to school then get a job for 30 years and retire, they decided to walk out and do their own thing, which can be quite scary when you have never seen it done. My mom wanted to see the world, and with her six children in tow, she did just that and took us along for the ride. That clearly has shaped who I am. As women of color, we are all learning to live a life beyond survival, we want to thrive and the ladies I know are influencing me daily to do just that.
5. What was your first job and how long did you hold that position?
My first job was at Hamrick’s as a shoe salesperson. It was a retail store that I worked at too dang long. I worked there for seven years and started my senior year of high school. I was a late bloomer and stayed stagnant for a very long time. While my friends were in college, I was working at a retail store with people with kids and real bills and at night, I was trying to be a singer. I learned a valuable lesson about how being content and stagnant can be your worst enemy and coupled with the fear of the unknown can be immobilizing.
6. Can you share one of your proudest achievements with us?
Proudest achievements? Man, it’s still so hard to celebrate the wins and acknowledge them. A few for me would be campaign development for the Duchess of Brows #Beautyinmyskin where I created a visual and video concept with women of different shapes, colors, and backgrounds shared when their beauty in their skin story for the Duchess new skin line she was launching. It was so beautiful seeing and hearing how these women have fought society's beauty standards, insecurities, and themselves to start to love the skin they are in. Seeing this campaign come to life showed me the importance of representation and using our platforms for healing conversations not just to sell a product. Another achievement for me has been really getting connected to myself, being self-aware, healed, and centered in what my dreams and needs are. That came from many years of being codependent in being a service to everyone else first and neglecting myself. I can see how my life, dreams, and confidence was non-existent or stagnant because I was neglecting to take care of myself. Once I started to focus on me, everything else began to line up and flourish. This is an achievement that makes me most proud.
Photo by Still Shots Photography
8. What were your initial goals with your work? How have they evolved?
My initial goals with my work are to provide others with the tools they need to succeed and how to be their best selves. Whether that comes from expanding their minds creatively with a different marketing strategy that will add value to their brand that will lead to success or being able to use fashion as a means of building confidence and saying who you are without saying a word, either method is valid. Because I am a multi-creative, it gets so hard just to do it “One way.” I literally think of new projects and goals daily, but I also have found that for me to be successful and accomplished, I have to keep on track and every idea can’t be pursued. That doesn’t mean evolution doesn’t occur. I started off hosting events for plus-size women and now I provide marketing strategies for brands, but I couldn’t have one without the other. So as I continue to evolve and grow, so do my goals.
9. What do you think is the most important life skill you learned through your work?
My most important life skill I have learned through my work is that change is necessary, and you will be surprised by what happens on the other side if you stop fighting and let it do what it is supposed to do. In the past 7 years that I have had a side hustle, I also met my partner, supported her through law school, disconnected from one another and broke up, and now getting to know the women we are now, started a business with my best friend, didn’t make no money but changed some lives, watched her branch off into a successful career as a writer and not try to have a green eye, started an amazing career at IBM in their litigation department, got laid off, relocated to DC, working in a call center and laid my mother to rest in 2019. All of that has brought me here and it seems like when I stopped fighting the changes and just centered in myself, in the past year, everything started to make sense and I started to make cents. Using these changes as lessons and not losses has been a game-changer for me that has definitely filtered into my work.
10. Where do you hope to be in five years?
In five years, I will be 43 years old. I will be happy and living! In my roles, I will be a mother, somebody’s wife (if she keeps playing her cards right lol), a multiple business owner with a marketing consulting firm, plus-size thrift store, and a home renovation service (developing as we speak). I will be on the track of building generational wealth for my family. I will be deeply in love and connected to my partner making love in the jungles of Africa, feeding giraffes. Nurturing these babies, I waited FOREVER to have and showing them a life filled with love and hope. Making time to spend with my friends and family because tomorrow is not promised, and we need to be more proactive about how we spend our time and with who. I will be a person who is a giver but has found the blessing in designated solitude to reconnect with myself and be aware that everything in my sights is of my own desire and not because I feel obligated or validated to pursue them. I am gonna be in my f*ck it forties so baby, it ain’t no telling what I will do or say!
Photo by Still Shots Photography
11. What is a typical day like for you?
A typical day starts for me at 6 am. I start with mediation and a little word with the Lord. I was going to lie to you good people and say I hit the gym next but naw lol. I do try to get in a walk around the block for at least 20-30 minutes. I do school work for 2 hours and then start working my 9-5. On my lunch and breaks, I work on scheduling social media for my side hustle business and do client work. After my 9-5, I take an hour break and eat dinner and maybe watch some tv. Then, I clock into the late shift and work on my side hustle until about midnight and then I lay it down!
12. What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing your goals?
My biggest obstacle in pursuing my goals has been my self-confidence as an entrepreneur and being able to take risks. Both pieces are essential in this life and for a long time, I slept on me and only resided where it was safe and secure. I treated my side hustle(s) like hobbies instead of valuable solutions that the world needed. If anything required me to put more skin in the game, I instantly would shy away from it because it was unknown and I was scared of losing, instead of playing to win. It took me getting to a point of being dissatisfied and unhappy with my stagnant business and lack of direction and seeing how I was missing out on the possibilities, that I actually started putting myself out there and realized if I wanted more, I needed to put something on the line for it. That meant, being more intentional in my why and how.
12. What is the best piece of advice you have received?
My biggest piece of advice is to do what you need to do FOR YOU. Don’t look outside for validation in your business or life. If you want to switch it up and evolve, then do it. Time is so short and precious for us to spend time doing things we think are expected from us or we think others will approve of and consider us worthy because of it. Take more moments to sit with yourself and decide what you want and why. Having a clear understanding of this will lead you in the way that is meant for you. For me, self-awareness is such a necessity in this journey and I know it was missing from my first 5 years in business and it is apparent.
13. When do you get your best ideas?
Hmmmmm…. I get my best ideas in my dreams or in bed before I drift off. I dream vividly and if I can remember it the next morning, it’s on and popping! I also get my best ideas when having a meeting of the minds with fellow creatives. It’s something about the energy and ideas being bounced off each other that magic happens. My best friend and I created going on Creative CEO retreats on a quarterly basis. Basically, we pick a destination, get our own hotel rooms, bring our laptops and agendas for our business and spend the weekend working and reflecting on brands. In between work sessions, we meet up, eat and talk out some ideas. Basically, it’s like the Dungeon circa 1993 with Missy, Timberland, Devonte, and Aaliyah. It has been something I look forward to and came out with some of my best ideas during these sessions.
14. Can you share with us one time that you failed and what you learned from that failure?
My first solo business, Denise and Friends thrift boutique has been a failure that has turned into a lesson. My motives for launching D & F were based on outside validation as opposed to it being in line with my purpose. I thought by launching, it would mean that I was capable of being an entrepreneur without being connected to someone else…Therefore, all motivation for my business came from what I thought others wanted or expected to see. And because that did not bring consistency or value to my brand, it didn’t go anywhere. It wasn’t until I started to connect with myself (you see the trend, right), that I was able to see why my business was not flourishing the way I thought it should have or how I perceived other people were.
From that experience, I learned that my motivation to be in business had to be self-driven and that seeking outside validation was the easiest way to fail. Also, it’s okay to change your mind and not want to do something anymore if it no longer serves you. For me, the thrift boutique was all I thought I had to offer. Once I discovered and started taking risks with my other services, then I didn’t feel the need to be only defined by this one thing. And we know where taking risks leads, to building your confidence and willingness to operate outside of the box.
15. How do you unwind?
I unwind by having a good time. Give me some good food, a strong drink, and some dope conversation and I am happy as a lamb. I like to explore new experiences and new restaurants. I also love to go hiking, preferably by a river or fall. When the world opens up, I am grabbing a flight and headed to somewhere tropical and sunny. I headed to where the water resides. Something about water that just cleanses and rejuvenates me. Sundays are dedicated to self-care, so I am indulging in a spiritual/goddess bath and some form of pampering. I try to keep Sunday work-free, to reset.
16. Can you share a sacrifice you have made in the pursuit of chasing your dreams?
Time. It has been the biggest sacrifice. Sometimes you’re going to have to decline invites because you have work to do. Sometimes you’re going to have to burn the midnight oil because a client needs something this instance. For me, juggling multiple operations right now means my time is very limited but it also makes you appreciate it too.
17. What would you tell someone else who is interested in entering your field?
If someone was entering my field of being a creative marketing strategy and boutique owner, I would tell them to be sure of why you want to do any of it. It can’t be for the likes or the social media fame. That is not going to sustain you to build and grow something worthy of your time. It will have you looking at someone one else and trying to copy what they are doing because you’re unsure of yourself. I also would say, continue to educate yourself on your industry. Things are always evolving, and you don’t want to stay stuck in doing something one way that you don’t open yourself up to evolving in your brand.
“Time is so short and precious for us to spend time doing things we think are expected from us or we think others will approve of and consider us worthy because of it. Take more moments to sit with yourself and decide what you want and why.”
18. What do you hope people take away from your story?
Man, you take away that YOU define your own story. It is not determined by where you come from, your age, what degrees you have (or don’t have), or any setbacks you may experience. They are all a part of our story but do not define us. Sometimes, we get so stuck on things that are a part of our story that we let it define the whole thing and that is not the case. So, if you want to be an entrepreneur, then do it. If you want to get the degree after forty, go ahead. If you want to go to counseling and heal from the issues that have plagued you for years, go ahead and set the appointment. Whatever it is you need for your story to be what you wanted it to be, do that.
19. What did you want to be as a kid?
I wanted to be a fashion designer, part-time lawyer, and cast member on the Real World. Big dreams.
20. Anything we missed that you would like to share?
This is an amazing experience and thank you for including me. It means so much. Thank you to my partner, Latoya, for believing in me and demanding that I take the risk and bet on myself. To my business wife and best friend, Tierany, there would be no Ki without the Sol, forever ever. And to my friends, family, business associates and clients, let’s keep growing and flourishing!
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