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Caryce Porter: Nude Sole

Every fashionista will know that nude shoes are a wardrobe essential. Sadly, nude shoes typically come in one shade of beige which is not the right “nude” for every woman's skin tone. Although Christian Louboutin came out with nude shoes, his shoes are extremely unattainable for the average women since they cost over five-hundred dollars.  Thankfully, Caryce Porter founded Nude Sole. Nude Sole creates nude shoes in several colors and styles. In addition, Nude Sole is extremely affordable!  I urge all of you to visit Nude Sole’s website and place your pre-order ASAP!

 KAY KAY: How would you describe your style?

Porter: My style is fun, flirty, sexy, edgy and basic. I like bold bright colors and I love wearing dresses when the weather is warm. I also believe that dresses make it so simple to get ready and be stylish.

KAY KAY: How would you describe Nude Sole?

Porter: Nude Sole is not only a shoe company, but it is a movement. Nude Sole represents change and inclusiveness.

KAY KAY: What was your background before you opened Nude Sole?

Porter: I am a marketing professional. However, I have had so many different professions.  I feel like me having so many jobs is how I knew I was really an entrepreneur. I feel like every entrepreneur either had a hard time staying with one employer for an extended period of time for whatever reason. I would read the stories of Sophia Amoruso, Steve Harvey, and Tim Ferris and think that I was like them!

KAY KAY: What made you want to launch Nude Sole?

Porter:   I was so frustrated with not being able to purchase a nude shoe for me, essentially a brown shoe that matched my skin tone. I kept wishing that someone would make a nude shoe for me. My sister got married in March 2016 and I wanted a nude shoe to match my maid of honor dress. I remember being in the mall and feeling mad and hurt that not one designer was thinking of me. In that frustrating experience, while in the mall, I decided I would be the one to make nude shoes for all women at an affordable price.

KAY KAY: What was the hardest part about launching Nude Sole?

Porter: Every stage of the process is the most difficult because I was dealing with unchartered territory. I would think that the hardest part was behind me and then I would be faced with another challenge. However, I will say I am the most optimistic and happiest person I know so I deal with challenges very well. I do not get frustrated, I just find a way.

KAY KAY: Where do you see yourself and Nude Sole in the next five years?

Porter:  I see Nude Sole as an international company that offers necessary products for women of all shades. I would like to give more details than that, but I am so focused on the next few weeks of Nude Sole it is hard for me to think about the next five years!

KAY KAY: What do you love the most about Nude Sole?

Porter:   I love that I am creating a much-needed product for women of color. The idea that a gift was born out of my own frustration is rewarding. What I did not expect was to find a community of supportive women and men. I received so many emails and messages of people I know and strangers alike telling me that they are proud of me and that I inspire them. I am really getting so much in return.

KAY KAY: How did you get started launching Nude Sole?

Porter: I started with a Google search. As much information as there in on the internet, I still did not get the direct answers that I needed. I reached out to other entrepreneurs on LinkedIn for help but no one responded. When I started the business, I read a lot of books on various topics. I reached out to an author of one of the books I had read and he has been gracious enough to respond to my questions.

KAY KAY: What feedback have you gotten from your future customers?

Porter: My number one request was for wide sizes and to have a large size range. My future customers are so supportive and are so excited about Nude Sole. To hear strangers say they are proud of me and for them to say I have “black girl magic” is just humbling and amazing.

KAY KAY: What advice would you give to future entrepreneurs?

Porter: Just do it start! If you do not start then you will get nowhere. And once you start, keep going! Believe in yourself, and hold on to your dream. One tip I can give any entrepreneur is to see if their city has a small business development department. Most cities have them and they are a free or low-cost resource to budding businesses. I utilized the Women’s Business Development Center of Chicago to get many of my questions answered.

KAY KAY: How did you come up with the name Nude Sole?

Porter:  I used the word “Nude” because they are nude shoes and “Sole” was a double play on words (“Soul” as in spirit and “Sole” as in shoes). Nude Sole means bare your soul while also literally meaning nude shoes.

KAY KAY: Why do you think that the fashion industry has still not created an affordable “nude” shoe for women that have a darker skin tone?

Porter: This is a hard question so I do not really know the answer to this question. It was literally the question I asked myself all the time while I was in the mall and was searching for a nude shoe. I honestly think they just are not thinking about women of color and only see the world from their own perspective. However, many of these big brands have creative teams and production teams. Therefore, I would think there is at least one person of color on the team that would voice this need.

Photo of Porter: Photo taken by Jessica Jones, Photos of Shoes: Property of Nude Sole.

Asmau Ahmed: Plum Perfect

Let’s Be Plum Perfect Together

In today’s busy world, many women do not have the time to browse around a department store and try on a billion makeup products to find what will complement their skin tone. Thankfully, Asmau Ahmed created Plum Perfect to fix this problem. To use Plum Perfect, users simply take a selfie, get their color signature, and are then matched with plenty of products that match their color signature in under sixty seconds!  It was most certainly an honor to interview Ahmed and learn more about this brand.

KAY KAY: How would you describe Plum Perfect?

Ahmed: Plum Perfect is a visual search engine that uses consumer photos to drive commerce and advertising. It helps consumers find the best products to purchase and, in turn, helps advertisers find the right consumers for their products. Our first app is a personalized beauty assistant that actually knows what you look like and helps you find the best shades of makeup for your skin tone.

KAY KAY: What was your background before you started Plum Perfect?

Ahmed: I have a business and chemical engineering background. The intersection of these two areas allowed me to craft the patented technologies behind Plum Perfect and actually bring the brand to life. I got my MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS with Honors in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

KAY KAY: What was the hardest part about launching Plum Perfect?

Ahmed: The technology behind Plum Perfect can be utilized in so many ways! One of the biggest struggles, when Plum Perfect was launching, was deciding what area made the most sense to focus on. We eventually decided that the greatest need for technology is in the beauty space.

KAY KAY: Where do you see yourself and Plum Perfect in the next five years?

Ahmed: I see Plum Perfect being the “go-to” search, advertising, and data platform.

KAY KAY: What do you love the most about Plum Perfect?

Ahmed: I love that we dared to do something no one else has and we are successful.

KAY KAY: What made you want to launch Plum Perfect?

Ahmed: I love beauty and fashion but I hate shopping. I dreamed of being able to take a photo to instantly find my perfect lipstick or the perfect shoes to match my dress. I knew there was power in a photo.

KAY KAY: How did you get started launching Plum Perfect?

Ahmed: I just started. Wrote the business plan. Built the technology. Got partners and investors that believed in me and the rest is history.

KAY KAY: What feedback have you gotten from your customers?

Ahmed: Our customers are mostly millennial shoppers who love the level of personalization we provide. There is no other technology that truly knows what their shoppers look like and can take them from photo to make up matches in seconds.

KAY KAY: What advice would you give to future entrepreneurs?

Ahmed: Get started! Think through the exact execution of your idea and refine it. Then, stop second-guessing yourself and hire the right people to help you execute your idea. Make sure you continue to educate yourself and that you build a team around you that understands how to build your business.

KAY KAY: How did you come up with the name Plum Perfect?

Ahmed:  A friend crafted the name and I thought it was brilliant. It is a play on “plumb perfect” — a term used to imply precision. We took out the “b” to infuse the color component of plum, a color I think is universally appealing to most.

KAY KAY: Did you ever expect for Plum Perfect to become as big as it has?

Ahmed: Yes! I hope it gets even bigger!

Photo of Ahmed: Jonathan Heisler

Photo of Plum Perfect: Property of Plum Perfect

Being a Nigerian #Baddie at My Sister's Wedding

Kay Kay's World LLC

Hello! I have started my own company Kay Kay's World LLC!!!!! I have been working on my fashion brand Kay Kay's Fashion since October of last year! It was so hard keeping this a secret lol. Well, here are the photos of me modeling my dress.The website will be coming out shortly! ENJOY!

Photographer:  Jeff White of Jwhitephoto

Makeup: Tayler Casorio