Episode 112: Designing the New Model of Entrepreneurship with Alicia Appleton
Alicia Appleton left a corporate fashion career to build Amber Poitier, a leather accessories brand inspired by art, architecture, and the women who wear them. Her work blends bold design with timeless craftsmanship, and her journey is about more than style. It is about the courage to leave the safe path, trust your instincts, and create a life on your own terms. Alicia shares how her Jamaican heritage and early creative influences shaped her aesthetic, why she believes boundaries are essential for sustainable success, and how she navigates the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. We talk about the leap from corporate life to small business ownership, finding confidence in your vision, and building a community that fuels you. Her story is a blueprint for anyone ready to turn a personal passion into a thriving, values-driven brand.
“When women get together, something is going to change. So, what are we going to change?”
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Follow along using the Transcript
Chapters:
00:00 Meet Alicia Appleton, Founder of Amber Poitier
03:15 Growing Up Creative and Inspired by Jamaican Roots
07:20 Lessons Learned from Corporate Fashion
10:40 Deciding to Leave the Corporate World for Entrepreneurship
14:00 Building Amber Poitier from the Ground Up
18:10 Finding Inspiration in Art, Architecture, and Culture
21:45 The Role of Boundaries in Creative Success
25:00 Navigating the Highs and Lows of Running a Brand
29:20 Balancing Creative Work with Business Demands
33:10 How Heritage Shapes Her Design Philosophy
37:00 Building Confidence and Owning Your Vision
41:30 Creating a Supportive Network of Women Entrepreneurs
45:00 Advice for Taking the Leap into Entrepreneurship
48:20 Defining Success Beyond the Bottom Line
The space of selfishness. I think that that, again, is connected to an old societal thing that you are asking for something just for yourself. That that is a new concept. That's a modern day woman concept. That's
Alicia Appleton, and this is The Powerful Ladies Podcast.
Hey guys, I'm your host, Kara Duffy, and in this episode I'm excited to introduce to you Alicia Appleton, founder of Amber Poitier, a leather accessories brand based in New York City. Her work is beautiful, practical, and inspiring. Very much like her. We discuss the power of choosing yourself, how to design your life and how those room for everyone to thrive and follow their heart.
Before we jump into this episode, I want to remind you to come and join my Powerful Ladies Thrive membership. Each month we tackle a new business skill and topic, and this month we're deep diving into sales. So many people are afraid of selling. We love making things, but we feel terrified or feel pushy if we start selling.
If that's you, go get my free ebook. Stop selling, start sharing at either the powerful ladies.com or kara duffy.com right now. Then immediately after, come and join my Powerful Ladies Thrive membership. The difference between a business and a hobby is that a business makes you money, and the only way to do that is to master the art of sharing.
Yes, sharing, which is way more powerful than selling. Come and learn how as a Thrive member@thepowerfulladies.com.
Well, welcome to the Powerful Ladies Podcast. Thank you so much. My pleasure. Of course. Well, I would love to begin. Please tell everybody who you are and what you're up to in the world. So
my name is Alicia Appleton and I am the founder and proud designer of Amber Poitier, which are leather accessories and sculptor, uh, beautiful pieces that you can wear.
Uh, and I'm based here in New York and I just like making abstract and fun things,
and I love that everything that's on you and around you fits exactly into all of it. Like your shirt has the same detailing that I see in the leather bag and your earrings. It's all amazing. So well styled for your, um, para podcast.
Um, how did you get into being a maker of amazing things?
Hmm. I guess the story starts when I was about eight years old and I was a bit of a handful. Uh, uh, and so my mom put me in an afterschool program and I learned how to crochet from a woman named Ms. Bostic. Uh, and I, that's how, I guess that's how I learned how to sit still.
Mm-hmm. Uh, and I started to crochet, uh, and make dolls and then that graduated to just craft things and I didn't know that I could really, um, do that as a career. Uh, and I went to, uh, undergrad school, I did fashion, uh, but I went to a school that had accounting and fashion so I didn't have to fully confess to my parents.
And then, uh, when I had enough, uh, you know. Courage. I went to my dad and said, sorry, dad, I can't continue your company. I'm gonna into fashion. So that, that's the how I started to make things. I've always been handy, uh mm-hmm. Breaking apart things, taking apart my VCR, putting it back together. So that's what I love to do.
I mean, that's a, that's a big conversation to have with a parent, right? If they have their own business and say, I know you want me to follow in your footsteps, I'm not gonna do it. Um, what, what gave you the courage to have that conversation and how did it go? So, Hmm.
So first I wanna give a little bit of a backstory, which is that my parents are West Indian and so West Indian parents, and I'm the first generation born here, right?
So, uh, this was a very, very, very difficult conversation to. Um, and there were certain levels of expectations, but I, what I really landed on was the love of my grandmother, um, my maternal grandmother, and the fact that my parents fought so hard to come here and, you know, generations and generations that I can have an opportunity.
And the point of the opportunity is for happiness, right? Mm-hmm. The point of, of the opportunity is for growth. And so that's at what is at the core of, of their fight. Um, so that's what I had to land on and that's what I had to redeliver to my father and remind him of. Um, and I had to get my mom on my side first.
That was the first thing in my, on my side.
So you were working family sales Basically from the beginning? From the beginning. And anything in my family is always about a presentation, maybe not a PowerPoint presentation, but you've gotta come with your arguments. Um, you've gotta come, uh, ready for objections. Ever since I was like eight or nine years old, this is the same presentation I would use if I wanted a toy, if I wanted a new electronic, uh, device.
Um, this has always been the, the thing, and so my, my father's mother always thought I'd be a lawyer because I was always good at, uh, placing my argument on the table, uh, and persuading people towards, uh, a clear understanding and a mutual understanding, I should say.
Well, I, I love that you bring that up because, um, in April we're diving all into sales and while how sales is not.
Selling the way we think it is, it's usually sharing. But to me, the fastest way to hack the sales process is exactly that. Like go exactly to whatever formula you use to convince your parents to say yes. 'cause we always had to come prepared with all the answers to the objections. We had to have an answer for everything they could say.
'cause we knew if we didn't, it would be an automatic no. And I want more people to think about when they're selling their products or services to think about it in that capacity because it becomes a little bit more of a game. And you realize, like when we would pitch to our parents, we went in being like, we're gonna be a yes.
We just gotta get them to see that they're gonna be a yes. And if you do that with like actual sales of things, it transforms the entire experience. Like, I love blah blah, that you brought that up. Um, ab absolutely. It's, it's really about
what is there. What is their objective? Mm-hmm. And sometimes some people will forget what their objective is.
Right. So to remind them, Hey, this is your objective and then these are the perks and how this is a great fit. Just sign up.
You've always wanted this whole time and you didn't know.
So when you were in design school, did you know that you would go into the type of work you're doing today? Or did you think you would be like, I think most people go into design school and they're like, oh, I'm gonna be a couture designer. Right? Like, that's the only type of designer you're told about really, as you know, outside of the design space.
Um, so did you know what kind you wanted to be, or how did you get into the specific handy work that you do today?
So I wish that I could say that it was this beautiful story and, uh, there were birds chirping along the path to this place and it was not. Uh, so when I went to this, I went to FIT and um, I actually was involved in a three one program.
So I went to Sun for three years, FIT for one year, and it was a very, very strenuous program At FIT take like 25 credits or something like that. Wow. Mm-hmm. All at the same time. Um, and I went in as a knitwear designer. So when I came out, I, I knew that I went to work in the corporate world. Um, and I did that for about 15, about 15 years.
Just a really bad experience. Um, I think that that design school does not set you up to working corporate design at all. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, I think that, uh, a lot of the teachers are quite, the, their methods I should say, are quite h ancient. Um, and you really have to have a network around you. Mm-hmm.
Because if I relied on that, my teachers would've told me that I was not talented enough to like do anything and. My network around me, uh, reminded me that I was, uh, and all the things that they were teaching me were none of the things that I actually used at all. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm fine to not be talented in the antiquated ways of their world, uh, but talented in what I do and what it actually works.
So what happened was that I went from being a designer to a, uh, I also was a technical designer, uh, and I went into being a merchant. And, uh, that was not by choice. I was actually let go. Uh, and some of the best things that has happened to me were when I was let go for, for whatever reason. Uh, and they actually rehired me and said, listen, we love having you on the staff, but the position, you know, was downsized.
And so, uh, there's a merchant assistant merchant position available. Would you like it? And I had an attitude and I was like, no, I didn't go to school for that. Get outta here. And, uh, I actually went and did another job for three months and I hated that job. Mm-hmm. Uh, I called them back and said, Hey, can I come back?
They said yes. So in that position, I learned how I learned a lot about, um, the setup of a company, right? Mm-hmm. So, um, operations, um, how to have, um, big money, uh, conversations I was in charge of. I went from being in charge of $12 million to $20 million. Um, prior to that, I had no idea of, you know, how much money I was in charge of.
I was just designing, you know? Yeah. Uh, so it was nice to, to, to marry the two. Through that experience though, um, I had a supervisor who was not, um, not kind to me. Mm-hmm. I don't think it was a. I, I won't say for, for what reason. I, I, I'm not her. Mm-hmm. Uh, but she was not kind to me. And so it created a lot of pressure, uh, to the point that I had the Sunday blues, is what I would call it at about three o'clock mm-hmm.
In the afternoon. On a Sunday, my stomach would turn hating to think about going to work, um, work. And so I had to make a decision. I really had to make a decision about what I was gonna do because it was affecting my health. It was affecting so many things. And so, um, at the time, thank God for Obama, the fmla, um, uh, uh, uh, plan was put in order, or, or, uh, administrative plan was put in order.
And so I took that because it was really affecting my health. And through, uh, taking three months off and trying to figure out what I was gonna do, I started to make, I had to go back to the thing that I loved to do because I felt like I got lost along the path. And I was, that was another hard conversation I had to have with my family because I was now a manager.
My family fought, fought so hard for me to have opportunity. I fight to get into this career that no one knows anything about. Great. I get here, I move up the ranks. I'm now a manager. I have people reporting to me and I turn around and say thanks, but no thanks.
Mm-hmm.
So I, I think what really gave me the courage at that moment was a conversation with my dad in which he, um.
I said, I said to him, Hey Dad, I don't think I can go back. I'm not sure I'm, I'm done with my three months. I've gotta make a decision. And he said, you know what? I finally have seen my daughter again. Your personality has come back. You know, you, you look happier. Um, and, and this is the daughter that I remember.
And so whatever it is that we have to figure out, that's what we're gonna figure out, but you're not gonna go back. And that gave me the courage to have that conversation. And then I started making what you know now
is my leather accessories. There's so many things I would love to, to expand on of what you shared.
The first being, having the insight and the knowledge that it was okay to take that break. I, I literally had to seek
out a therapist and actually I didn't seek out a therapist. My mother saw how bad things were and sought like, sought. Out a therapist that, that she recommended. And so that was really how it started.
And I was so connected to my work that I didn't
see that there was a problem. Yeah. So many people don't feel like they're doing what they should be doing. They're not in their purpose, they're not aligned, like things aren't working. And we just accept that that's what we've been handed versus we're the creators.
We can change things. And I love that you were given the opportunity to pause and I love that your story started when you were eight. 'cause that's one of the questions I always ask everybody is, there's something magical about that age, whether you had a hard time or you had a great time at eight.
There's something about that age that to me, aligns with the core of who we are and the the light that we have to share with people. And, uh, there's just a, there's just a magic at that place. And I love that you knew you had to get back to creating things when you took that pause. Like just doing what you, uh, I guess I'm sure in working with the therapist, like, when have I been happy?
What's made me happy? What am I not doing now? Right. With those, am I psychic about the questions you were getting asked yet? So, you know, coming back to that and what was that healing process like for you to start being you again and to start creating again?
I, I can honestly say, Kara, that I'm still in the healing process of it all, um, because it has been such a big part of my identity.
Um, and so the, a big part of that process has really been about exploring my identity, um, mm-hmm. And my, and my value. You know? Um, I think that oftentimes in, in many different careers, but particularly in fashion, that, you know, your contribution happens, especially as an assistant, and no one notices what you do.
You never, you get used to not getting, um, praise for it or acknowledged for it. Um, and it, it just becomes something that you do and so you don't understand your value. And I've really come to a place to understand that. And all of my relationships after that have changed, um, in which I'm like, you know what?
That's too much time. That's no. You know, I do really value that and I wanna be able to pour into that. And it's really about designing your life, you know? Mm-hmm. Does, and, and understanding that you have the power to do so. And that has really been a really great healing place for me as well as, um, it sounds really cliche, but just taking some time to breathe.
You know, I really took up yoga. Um, and, and that has really helped me to slow down my mind and, and marry movement with, um, with peace. And, and that has been really great for me. Um, I know I have friends who, who hate yoga, whatever. The thing is to, to help you slow down is really important. And going back to the basics.
So sometimes I'll just sit and sketch and draw. For an afternoon, and I know that I need to do laundry and I need to do all these things, but if I'm not at my best, then I'm only gonna be pouring in toxicity to the other things I pour into. So how about that? Take some time to be better. Maybe not my best today, but better.
Yeah. And, and we get so attached to these everyday tasks that we think we're supposed to do, but the truth is, somebody else can always do your laundry. Somebody else can always cook for you. Nobody else can do the thing that's you and nobody else can take care of you. And we, like, I I, I am also been like really evaluating this in my own life of how have we put so many things in the wrong order and we're not doing it intentionally.
It, it almost feels like it's happening to us. And you wake up, you're like, wait, wait, wait. I didn't pick this order. Like who put that on my to do list? Um, and really, um. Coming back to that intentionality and choosing and remembering, as you said, like we get to design our own lives. What do we wanna design?
Um, which I think for perhaps for people like you and I that have a, have a design background where you just create things from nothing. 'cause that's what you do with a blank piece of paper. Like we're maybe closer to realizing like, oh, if I can draw this on paper, I can draw this into my life. And I just want everybody to like hear that everybody listening.
If you get nothing else from this episode, know that you can make your own life. Like, that's, that's where the powerful and powerful ladies comes from for me. Um, how much more powerful do you feel today than you did before?
Oh my gosh. Well, my line is really about reminding women about the power that they have.
Because when you think about. Women and valued. Right. I go back to this whole idea of, um, you know, in the past as women were really valued by their looks, not by what they did or anything of that sort, but by, by, by their looks. And that really creates this like, competitive, uh, arena between women. Mm-hmm.
And when we look at what we do now, or the expectations of today, uh, it's very, it hasn't changed that much in the sense that we're expected to do all these things and there is this competitive nature and society is telling us, you know, how we're not pretty enough. We're not, we're not slim enough or we're not, you know, how many critiques there are of women, but there aren't of men.
And so any woman who's able to get through her to-do schedule, because I'm sure that it's extremely long. Mm-hmm. Uh, and show up for work and, you know, if she is a mother, be a mother and show up for her girlfriends and show up for herself, most importantly, um, that is a superpower. Yes. It's a superpower.
It's mind blowing to me. And so, you know, we oftentimes are sitting in this place of, oh my gosh, I did not accomplish this on my to-do list, but maybe your to-do list was way too long. And if you keep up with that to-do list, unfortunately, you probably will end up in a place of illness of some sort.
Mm-hmm. And you'll never get to that to-do list. So then what? Yeah. Yeah. So was it really that important? I don't think so.
As, as women rights have been shifting and what women are allowed to do by society has been shifting, it's just been an add-on, as you said. It hasn't been, um, nothing's come off our plates at all.
So, um, you know, we talk a lot about that. We have to first drop things off our to-do list, then automate them, then delegate them, and that's the only way we can survive with your business. Like how, how have, what have you done to delete things from your to-do list and then like be able to prioritize everything that you want to do and your business.
Like what are you proactively doing or what have you done?
Uh, again, still a work in progress in, in that arena for my life. Uh, but, uh, thinking about, certainly one of the things I think about is production, right? Because I'm a very vertical business, and so, um, I love the idea of painting by hand and crocheting by hand in this artisanal, you know, space.
And I really realized that. Mm-hmm. Even thinking about having to wear all these different hats that I can be so enthralled in my artistic space that I will put aside my CEO space. So I've had to call in someone else, you know, and, and present to them and have them kind of say to me, okay, I see where you're going, or no, you need to put that aside.
Right? And, and those things have helped to prioritize what it is that I have going on. Because then I have to think about, I have to explain this to someone else. If I just have to explain to myself it'll be a mess. I, I wish I could say, I'm so well put together and I, I could just do this. Mm-hmm. But no, I, I like to start at the reality of things, right?
Because on, on every map that you look at, you really have to start with, I am here. And then to get to the next place. You know, what's the path? What are the tools? Um, and I have really, I've really understood, lemme say this again. I really understand now that I have to prioritize my mental health, uh mm-hmm.
And my physical health above everything else. So I won't get every workout that I have on schedule, but I do need to start with planning it out to make the space for it. The tasks in my lives are definitely not hard. It's really about creating the space for it. And that's what we talk a lot about in yoga as well, right?
Creating the space for, for something. And when it's difficult, your first reaction is to come outta it. But what it, what it really requires is for you to breathe through it. Mm-hmm. Right. And understand the boundaries. Uh, and then thirdly is having a community around me that understands and respects boundaries.
Uh, and that's one of the first things anyone joining my community has to understand and respect boundaries. We can negotiate some things, um, but there's certainly boundaries. And if that is an issue for you, that has made the process easy for me to say thank you, has been great to know you, and this won't work out.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I just hear so much of you stepping into. You like honoring yourself, which to me is the biggest boss move. Right. The biggest boss move is that I have to honor myself, put myself first, and know that it's not selfish. It's what I have to do to create space for everybody else that I want to serve.
And I love that. I also want to give, oh, go ahead, please. Mm-hmm.
I was gonna say the, the space of selfishness, I think that that again is connected to, um, an old, uh, societal thing, right? That you are asking for something just for yourself. That that is a new concept, that's a modern day woman concept that I, that, that I don't think is explored enough or celebrated enough.
Mm-hmm. Or talked about enough. And I think that, um, how society has tried to get get that out of us is, is through a place of shame.
Yes, it's, I, I agree with you. The, are you being selfish comes from a, a, a patriarchal way of looking at the world. Um, and I like, just like yoga, like there's so many ancient philosophies and traditions that when we look at them, they make so much more sense now because they're just part of how things really work.
Like, it's like we want to abandon the, like, abandon what is just so from nature sometimes. And, um, honoring yourself and taking that time to pause and be connected and know that that's the most important thing. 'cause it gives you a source and access to so much else. Um, I'm glad that that's like coming back to Western modern culture and I am, it's unfortunate that we've forgotten it over time and that cultures have forgotten it.
Um. There's so much, and right now I am just so excited that I trusted my own instincts that when I saw Mikel share about you and saw your posts and softy things, I'm like, I wanna talk to her. She looks awesome because you are, this is such a great conversation, right? Like it's, I love that this show gives me access to invite people on who I don't know, who I think look fascinating.
And then we start having a conversation. I'm like, I'm pretty sure we've known each other forever. This is awesome. Yeah.
Well, it has been my pleasure. Um, Mikel is, oh my gosh, Mikel is such a great woman, uh, in what she does, and she is the person who I run so many of my ideas through. She is the person who talks me down, talks me over the ledge, off the off of the ledge, um, and is so supportive, uh, through the entire process of it all.
Um, and that's really what you need. Like that coach that's in there that will coach you to the end and say, why not? You know? Yes. And just throw caution to the win, but will also, um, I, I lie to you, not every time I make a plan and I'm like, I'm gonna create this thing and do this thing, and I'm so excited.
She always brings me back to, so is this going to make your life easier? Yep. Is this. Going to be the best for you as a person and someone who is a cheerleader for you as just as a person, minus what you do is always what you need on your team. And that is the strength of women.
Yes. And, and you, you mentioned so many great points, right?
Of like who, who you need on your, on your team. Um, all in March, we, we talked about like why we need teams. And my favorite statistic is that you can literally 10 x your sales with a team, right? Which I, you and I get to talk about briefly, and it's the team isn't, isn't always people we pay, right? Like Mikel was in one of our group calls and Thrive and she's like, I'm asking people like, what kind of team, what teams do you have?
And she's like, is this the team? I'm like, yes, powerful ladies is the team. Like that's where it comes from, right? And there's that, that amazing skill of. You want people on your team who are going to bring you back to the core things that matter to you, and ask those big questions, but also like, keep pushing you when you're like, okay, now you're asking too many questions that are illuminating you.
You didn't ask the big ones that are gonna give you the freedom and the joy and all the stuff that you, you really want.
Oftentimes as a solopreneur, you're kind of, that's where I am. And your, your workshop was awesome, um, and giving permission to, uh, understand what you need and, um, how to find your teammate and, you know, what is it that, that are, what are your best skills?
Um, so that was a really, really great, uh, session and I took down some really great notes and I'm hoping to implement them really soon. Uh, but I will say that as a solopreneur, I think that we oftentimes, uh, have that thing where we're like, only I can do this thing, and mm-hmm. Not focus too many times being the janitor and not focusing on how to get to be the CEO.
Mm-hmm.
The floors need to be mopped. The things need to be done. Got it. But there does need to be a bridge to get you to the CEO space. So, uh, I, it helped to alleviate some guilt and clarify some things in taking that first stop. So that was really great. Thank you.
Well, especially for you with, with the, the level of creative detailed work that you do.
Like you're creating art every day, right. And we want the art by you. Um, I don't care who swept the floor, right. I don't, I don't care who's doing your accounting. I don't, you know, like I don't even care who is, you know, like shipping the order to me. But I care that your heart and soul went into the piece that's coming in some capacity as a creative director, as an oversight, as literally your hands.
Sometimes, um, there's, you know, the power of the artisan like to lean in on that. Right? And if, if you also being an accountant, you wanna do your own books or think you should, that's okay. Right? We're all left and right-brained. That's okay. But so often people give up the things that they know how to teach somebody, which can also be the things they love instead of giving up the things that are like, I don't even know, I don't even need to know what I don't know about that.
Like, just figure it out for me.
Yeah. I think that oftentimes we as women are. Left with a problem, someone drops it on our lap. Just life in general, what have you. And so we assume that we, and I'm certainly guilty of this, assume that we've gotta know the ins and outs of something in order to get it done.
And the reality is, is that we don't, and uh, whenever I'm kind of unsure about things like that, when I'm in a, in an, in an arena like that, I think of mm-hmm men who do things, uh, and they don't, they don't know how to do it. They don't ask them any, you know, any questions about the particular subject? Um, the level of confidence that they're able to show up in a room with knowing that they know nothing about the particular subject.
Um, I actually, I think I actually learned it from an ex-boyfriend. He.
Honestly, he was full of shit, and I just took it. I did. And, and honestly, you know, I, in the past I would look back and feel so shameful, like why would I, you know, allow myself to be with such a man that would, would constantly ask me, what are you cooking for dinner? And, you know, I'm coming by. But never did he show up with dinner, right?
Mm-hmm. Never did he ask, did you have lunch? Right. And so, and show up with such level of, of confidence and, and ego. And I never thought, this is out of place. This is crazy. Yeah. Until I had enough, and I lie to you not when I go into meetings and I'm unsure and I, and I don't know if I know all the details or whatever the case is.
I just think about him and I put on my v cloak is what I'll, I'll call it. And go in with level of confidence, because if he can pull it off and not know anything, if I know a little bit, I definitely can pull it off.
Yeah. And I'm gonna give you like 100 points more of what he's ever known. And yeah, like it's, it's, that's the, um, I, I spent 20 years working in sport fashion and watching people have roles where I'm like, I don't, you don't even know what an FOB is.
Like, how are you allowed to be making executive decisions? And the like, just seeing people take over a room and everyone go like, oh, they must know what they're talking about. Meanwhile, I'm like, I know. They have no idea what they're talking about. And now I'm gonna have to fix it all after like, whatever you guys agreed to.
'cause he's dazzling you. I'm gonna have to go fix it. And it, this is such a waste of everybody's time, right? Like just seeing that over and over and over again. And this is, this was rare cases. Most people do know what they're talking about. I have worked with amazing men and amazing women and lots of smart people.
But to see it happen repeatedly at different companies and different organizations, and I know it happens everywhere in every industry, that, that the swagger and the, the lip service that people can give to move people through a space where I think so many women are like thinking about how to make it all happen in the backup, and they're gonna ask questions and dah, dah, dah.
Like, all these things run through our heads to be like, oh, we're not ready. Where it takes one percentage of knowledge of someone else to be like, I'm ready. And I agree with you. Like what and what if all of us who had the more percentages of knowing we're like, I got this. We can figure it out. 'cause we always do anyway.
Exactly. When that person hasn't figured it out, when that person who was hired, who doesn't know what's happening or whatever, and it does what you expect it to do, you, you wish it well, but you know what it's going to do. It lands on your lap and you figure it out and you don't know the answers to everything, but what you do know are your wins.
What you do know is that you've done it before and a lot of times we don't remember those. We, hold on, I forgot what the statistic said. We hold on things that happen in a situation, but we forget the positives. And when you're counting your, your wins one by one and you go through your track record, that is what gives me the confidence, uh, to step up to a new, uh, a new platform, a new arena, uh, and figure that out because every other one I've had to do it whether I wanted to or not.
Whether I try to avoid it with all of my might or not, here I am. And so I either get to choose to be in this space and take control of it, or I get to let it con take control of me. Mm-hmm. And so, mm-hmm. I've seen it when I've given the reins to other people, when it comes to my life. I know that I can do a way better job, so let's do it.
And then once you build your confidence, it becomes like a game. You start to have like a a a s swish in your steps, like is a rhythm, and it becomes a beautiful thing.
Yep. I am pretty sure you're my new best friend. This is all exactly what I would, I would, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Um, which also leads me to, you know, when you hear the words powerful and ladies separately, what do they make?
What do they mean to you? What do they make you feel? And when you hear the words together, do they make you think or feel anything different?
Powerful. And ladies, powerful. Ladies, I think of, they don't make me think of something different, powerful. Everyone, anything, all things.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and ladies I think of powerful and, um,
how do I say, like builders and, um, givers of life and like powerful and soft. Mm-hmm. Although very different, although, uh, separate spaces beautifully sit in that definition of a woman. And then when I think of them together, I literally think of women coming together and mo like I just see movement moving of mountains moving of things.
Just, just movement. When women get together, whether good or bad something's going to change. Mm-hmm. And that is what I think of. It's just about what are we going to change?
You mentioned Macl. Uh, and what an influence she's been on your life and being part of your, you know, confidence boosting go-to like your powerful lady squad.
Who are other women that you know or know from afar that have influenced and inspired you along the way? Absolutely. So, um, I have a
cousin, I'm so glad that she's my family member, uh, Judith. And she actually works for a, well, I won't say what she works for, but she works in the medical field. Uh, and from the beginning she has been a cheerleader.
Um, and she's so stingy with money and
I knew, I knew that I was doing something when she said, I wanna invest, you know, um. And family does not, uh, persuade her to, to do that. It's just on, on merit. And so, uh, my mom, uh, she is probably why I wanted into fashion to begin with. Uh, and she has, mm-hmm. I'm such a rules person, you know, what are the rules that stick by the rules and do the thing, you know, whatever.
She's not, she's not. And she gives me the courage to, uh, step outside the rules sometimes when that, that needs to happen. Um, another person who's on my team, it's, it's not a woman, but, uh, my, my youngest brother, believe it or not, we're eight years apart and he actually helped me to get into sales. To sell my products.
I would my, the first time I was making things and I sold, uh, he went to, uh, the shows with me and he, um, helped me to, to speak to people and to understand I need to protect my voice and I need to do all these different things. And he is the artist that always knows, um, how to coach me along and, and get me from that deepest place of, of doubt to this place of, um,
mm-hmm.
Joy. Uh, I think that joy is one of the things that, that I embody, I try to embody. Um, and who doesn't wanna be around joy? So, yeah.
Um, how, so with, how long has your business been around and where are you selling it today? Is it, is it a, a mix of wholesale, retail e-com? Tell us, tell us more about the actual business itself.
Sure.
So, um, my business started in 2015 and, uh, right now it's online only and it's in one other location, but it's closed due to COVID. Uh, so it's actually at the African American, uh, museum of Heritage and Culture in DC in the gift store. So, very cool. I was so excited. Thank you. I was so excited about that.
But that happened March. I mailed out the order of March 3rd, 2020, and as we all know, that was the beginning of COVID, so I have not been able to go and just bask in that glory or, you know, talk about that much. Mm-hmm. Um, and at the beginning of 2020, I started to go to, uh, trade shows so that I could, uh, increase wholesale museum, uh, accounts and mm-hmm.
That was not a smart idea either. Because COVID happened. Uh, so right now it's just on my site and mm-hmm. At the museum.
Well, I mean, I, I'm gonna take the just out of your site, right. Because it's there and everybody can have it. Right? Absolutely. Our, our own platforms are always the most powerful, right?
Because it's, it's where you get to tell the whole story. Um, I was just recording another podcast and we talked about how people aren't telling the long format of their story and that they're not telling the long format of, you know, why we do the things we do and how you pick the leather, and, and that's what people love to know about, right?
And you know, I have a lot of, um, clients who ask about, should I go wholesale? And obviously going wholesale is great because if you can sell things in bulk, you're gonna hit your sales goals faster. So that part's good. Sometimes selling wholesale isn't good if it's cutting off our ability to let people fall in love with our brand the way that we can when it's our own platforms.
And I don't think people think about their business that way of courting your customers the way you would a relationship and getting to just be fully you because that's what people are excited about. And I think it's hard too when we're like, oh man, we have to be our, the face of our brand too, because sometimes it's so much safer to hide behind it.
It really is. Um, again, Mikel, she's so great. Uh, her husband is a videographer, producer of many things, and I promise you that if it was up to me, you guys would never see this face. It was just about. The product. And every single time that I talk to them, uh, it, it's probably weekly that I, you know mm-hmm.
That we chit chat and her husband in the background. Did you shoot that video yet? Have you done that thing yet? Um, and so video, and it's so great that you said that because that is what I'm, uh, focusing on right now mm-hmm. Are creating videos, um, to talk about why I use vegetable tan leather as opposed to a softer leather.
Um, because vegetable tan leather is really that harder, uh, thicker leather. And we're used to bags being more supple and soft as women generally are. But growing up I was a tomboy and so mm-hmm. I was kind of rough and hard and rugged, um, and utilitarian and, and all that kind of thing, but age beautifully as vegetable tan leather does and can be timeless.
And so that's really what I gravitated towards and, and, um, and in telling that story and, uh, I, I say it to Michael all the time and she's like, but where is it on your site? But where is the video Uhhuh? People wanna know.
So it is important. Um, it's, it's the things that, that I fall in love with, with other brands, so mm-hmm. I just wanna give opportunity to people to, to understand and learn as well why I do what I do.
Yeah. And, and who, like, because I saw your face and your beautiful smile. I was like, her business sounds awesome and I wanna know her.
Like that's, it was because of that, that we got here. Right. And, and there's so many other people that want to know all the things. Right. And, and as people who own brands and businesses, it, we, there's so much that we know that we've known for so long that we. We're bored by it, but no one has heard it yet, or they haven't heard it enough or it hasn't gotten to them.
And we forget to tell those like really small, simple details that to us are like, yeah, of course this is what we do. Of course, that's why I've made that choice. And those are the, those are the foundational pieces that I wish more brands would talk about. Like that's the human connection, the real story, the part that lets you go like, oh yeah, and, and there's some connection and relatability.
Um, so I'm really glad that Mikel and her husband are pushing you into those spaces because it's good and it should be. And your story's fascinating, right? Like powerful. It exists. 'cause I know how incredible women's stories are, no matter what they're doing. And then I get to talk to people who are doing cool things from my perspective.
So it's, um, it's even more fun, but. You and everybody else lean in, lean in on telling your story. Mm-hmm.
I'll, and, and what I will say too is another thing that's been, um, a great reminder to me and empowering me in that space are talking with my customers when, you know, when I did see them in person and, and I get to learn about what they did and who they were and why they gravitated towards things and the gifts that they want to give people.
And I was helping them choose the thing and I could see how much they cared about the person and, you know, that kind of thing. Mm-hmm. And uh, it gotta a point that people would say, Hey, uh, here's a picture of my friend. I need to get something for her. You know, tell me what you would choose. And, um, and then I would meet the friend and then the friend of the friend, and it was a whole community, um, when I was doing a street fair or you know, something on a beautiful, uh, spring day like this.
And so the power of that love. I even, I could be exhausted the night before and I was creating things or whatever. Um, that is what would get me through, uh, the day. And I wouldn't even realize what time it's until it's time to pack up and then my feet start pounding, like flood from stone, but, you know.
Yeah. Well, and that's also such a great pro tip for, you know, your customers will tell you what they want. Right. We spend so much time making up what we think they want when all we have to go is go talk to 'em and they'll tell us. They just tell you. It's so much easier to respond based on a conversation than to stress and make it, and then Oh, they don't want it.
And why isn't it working? Yeah. Because we're not talking to people.
Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Um, they wanna tell you. Um, but I think it really works when it's a genuine conversation. Um, and it's like, you know. Before COVID, you know, go out for some coffee, you know, it's an excuse to kind of get together and just, you know, chit chat and talk and catch up with, with people.
Uh, and that was one of the things that was the hardest because people would be in my tent, would be talking and, you know, then I had to get to the next customer and I'm like, oh my gosh, okay, I'm coming. Hold on one second. And people were so sweet, they would come by. Mm-hmm. Uh, see that I was busy. And then, and then they would come back with like some water or like, you know, some corn or something, or you know, a hot dog, Hey, I saw that you were busy.
I figured you didn't get something to eat. You know, um, I brought this over for you. How touching, right. I just, what, how could you be upset? How could I wanna go back to a corporate job when I get to have these, these, uh, experiences and interactions? Yeah.
And, and I love that you shared that, that story because I spent the morning.
Like building up rage inside of my body with, um, reading posts that Asian American friends of mine were sharing about their personal experience. And the whole year we've gone through of talking about how much hate there is in the world. And I did a post in my story where I was like, how can humans be so magnificent and so horrible at the same time?
And it's so easy to get caught up in these stories that make it sound like things are hopeless. And then you share stories like that of, you know, you, you probably would've felt it was more hopeless staying at that corporate job. But now that you've chosen yourself and chosen what lights you up, you get to see the better parts of humanity as well.
And to have customers, or maybe not even maybe potential customers, they haven't bought anything yet coming to make sure that you are taking care of. Because they see what you're offering for the world in that community. And they're like, no, I'm, I'm here to support you. And they don't even know you. Like, that to me is the magic that keeps things going.
Absolutely.
Um, and also just seeing how they care to bring their friends, their family, their mother, their children mm-hmm. Uh, to meet, to meet them. And then the story that they'll have in saying, you know, I bought these pair of earrings and my mother took them, and so now I need to get another pair. And you go ahead and pick your pair because I wanna make sure that I have mine and they're safe.
Don't even ask me. I love that. Uh, so it's, it's, um. It's such a pleasure and it's such a, an honor to, to be brought into their world and to their lives. Mm-hmm. Um, and to, to be able to provide something that brings some joy to them, um, and that they can then talk about the experience that they had to, to anyone else, um, and the joy that they have from that.
So it's, it's such a joyous place. It's such a privilege. Um, especially coming from the corporate place that I came from and understanding that I no longer have the Sunday blues. You know, at the times that I would be having Sunday blues, I'd probably now be, uh, doing festivals and having Sunday joy. So, yeah, it's a great full circle,
which is a perfect segue to asking you where you are on the Powerful Lady scale, if zero is average, everyday human and how they feel, and 10 is how the most powerful lady on the universe can feel.
Um, where would you put yourself on that scale today, and where do you think you would put yourself on an average day?
Hmm. So today I'm feeling quite powerful. Um, so I'd probably go in a six or seven. I'd probably say on an average day, I probably would rate myself at about three or four, but Mikel would probably say six or seven.
Uh,
what, what, what makes you rate yourself lower on a regular day? You know what,
because the day to day of seeing what I, you know, what my ideas are and just not being able to, to let my hands catch up with my, with my mind. Mm-hmm. Um, and then trying to still kind of battle with, hey, but you need to take care of self, you know?
Um. And I'm such a goals oriented person, so because I haven't figured out this wholesale space in this COVID now COVID world, um, that that's probably what is weighing down most of it.
Mm-hmm. But
like you said, uh, not only here, but in the workshop before, it's kind of this space of does, does wholesale really, uh, work for you?
Is that really what needs to happen and is it that I just need to figure out the, the right channel to get to, to increase sales, right?
Mm-hmm.
Um, so I think that, that, that's why I would say that,
yeah. Where, where our, our own worst, um, enemies when it comes to judging the things we haven't achieved yet.
Right. Coming full circle to your comment earlier about. The power of acknowledging our wins. Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
But I mean, I feel so much better when I look at the pieces behind me. When I look at, you know, what I've created. I actually went to a Neiman Marcus, funny story. I went to Neiman Marcus yesterday to just kind of look around and see, you know, what are the higher level luxury levels, uh, looking like.
And I went to the jewelry, jewelry section. And, uh, I asked her, where is her fashion jewelry? And well, while I was asking the question, I saw that she could not stop looking at my earrings. And so when I went to fashion area, I didn't see any leather jewelry at all. Not even a leather bracelet. And I thought, okay, well that's just not, you know, what they do in this particular store.
But I left, uh, so excited because I thought, but she, she's the jewelry, uh, you know, uh, associate and she's fascinated by my earrings. And that says, that says a
lot, says a lot. And instantly my coaching brain is going down a whole list of how we get you and Neiman Marcus and how we pitch that. So we'll have to have a side conversation.
'cause I'm like, oh yeah, you, your instincts are correct. That is an opportunity. Let's go fill it. Um, but yeah, it's, it's, it's um, another example of going out into the space and seeing competitors and seeing what happened. And, you know, there's, there's, there's so many valuable things you learn in that merchant PLM product management space that really apply to every business.
One of them being talking to customers and the other being like, go and see what's out there. Because if you're, if you know what you bring to the table, you see the holes right away. Absolutely. And those holes are so much access. Right. Like every hole, I'm like, we could fill it. I'm so excited. Right.
Absolutely. When I went in, I saw that all the bags were all soft bags. Everything that I offer, there is nothing here that's like, listen, this bag is one of my favorites. It's beautiful. Yeah. Thank you. It's made of wood and then it's the leather wraparound.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and has pockets on the inside. So, and a handle.
When I went into Neiman Marcus, I expected to see something artistic and artisanal. This is the best. Mm-hmm. I saw nothing.
No. And, and, and in all honesty, my, the merchant, salesperson and me is like, Neiman Marcus is not good enough for you. I wanna talk to Dover Street Market. I wanna talk to, like, I'm already putting you up higher.
Right. Because there's been such a collapse in what people are offering in a retail space, like. I thought for a while I was just losing my interest in fashion because I just didn't wanna buy things. I didn't see anything that made me excited or feel like I was buying something. I'd wanna keep, like I was watching a, a French designer do like a vogue at home interview.
'cause I was, you know, going down a rabbit hole of Parisian apartments, which is one of my favorite things. So like, search as European apartments on YouTube. But, um, and she was talking about I only wanna buy something that brings me joy right now and I would love to pass on as a vintage piece to my children.
And I love that approach to buying things. Now, of course, sometimes you just buy something frivolously and that's okay. Um, but there was, there's just been such a phase of fashion where everything is so homogenized and everything is so sorry. That's my dog waking up from her nap. Um, where fashion's been so homogenized and things have been so.
Almost dumbed down. It feels where it's actually really hard to find those creative pieces that allow you to support an artist and be self-expressed. We're going through a phase right now where I think it's so hard to access great, interesting interiors, apparel, footwear, and you really have to find these unique niche places and you have to go and find these designers.
Like I'm overwhelmed at how much research I feel I have to do to find the things that I'm craving, that I'm not finding somewhere else.
Yeah. It's about this multiculture, whether it's the store, whether it's streaming on television. We used to have, you know, seven channels. Now we have, uh, I don't know, a hundred streaming, um, uh, networks. And so it's, the beauty of that is that you're able to create your own culture. The hard thing about that is being able to find your culture right.
To be able to find the tribe. I thing that we wholesale is really, uh, what that is, is to create the, the channel to, to get to that artist. However, everyone has been telling the same story, like you said. Um, yes. And everyone's been merching the same way, trying to, to out do the same store, doing the same thing.
And we really walked away from fashion as art.
Mm-hmm. And
it bringing us joy. And so that, that is the exciting thing about, um. Post, uh, post COVID world, you know, is that we get to reinvent what happens. We get to, uh, think about how to, uh, create a better, like I'm thinking about this cross body bag that I'm, I'm designing and thinking about, Hey, we need a space for your mask.
Now we need a space for hand sanitizers and gloves, things of that sort, you know, wa water bottle. It's now a utility thing, but it still needs to be pretty, where does that get sold? You know? Mm-hmm. Um, so we get to create that world and I think that the communities will then, again, find their own tribes and companies are getting smaller in their, uh, company structure.
Mm-hmm. So they're trying to get directly to the customer. You know, uh, and creating their, their lines and speaking directly to the customer as opposed to going through a wholesale space like a Neimans or Nordstrom or what have you. And so the great thing is that small designers like myself, we've already been doing that.
Yes. And that's what put us, puts us at a win. So whether it be David or Goliath, it's really about finding your space and where you can win and focusing on that and doing the best, uh, that you can at that space. And I'm sure that we'll all win.
I love that. Yes. We're all gonna win. It's, that's why we need everybody.
And that's also why there's always room for everybody to do what they love. Because there's, there's always a customer for you. There's always a community and Yeah. Like we, the competition thing is not the thing. Do do what you love. There's always room. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That competition thing again,
is that old space.
We are not only participating in a new world, but are drivers of this new world. And so we get to do it the way we wanna do it.
Well, for everyone who is enchanted with you as I am, where can they find you, buy your bags, like reach out to you, where all the places that they can connect with you? Sure.
So all of that can really happen, uh, on, you can go to abro poitier com.
Uh, you can go to Instagram, uh, Amer, uh, I really don't do Facebook. If you wanna reach there, you can. Um, but Instagram automatically just Amber Poer. If there are any questions, they can email me at info at Amber aet, ie. And I'm, I'm happy to have a conversation and, um, talking with a couple people with some collaborations and, uh, just really enjoying this time and space that we're in to create and, and do more.
Well, thank you so much to being a Yes to me and yes to the powerful ladies. I love this conversation and I'm sure we'll be collaborating sometime soon.
Sounds good. It was my pleasure. Kara, thank you so, so much for what you do, for being a representation of an empowered woman, uh, and, and, uh, spearheading this community forward into changing the world.
And I thank you for the knowledge that you've given to us in many of the classes and for having me as a guest on your podcast.
My pleasure. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for listening to today's episode. All the links to connect with Alicia are in our show notes@thepowerfulladies.com slash podcast. There you can also leave comments and ask questions about this episode. Want more powerful ladies, come join us on Instagram at Powerful Ladies, where you can also find some free downloads to start being powerful today.
Subscribe to this podcast and help us connect with even more listeners like you by leaving us a five star rating and review. If you're looking to connect directly with me, please visit kara duffy.com. I'd like to thank our producer, composer, and audio engineer Jordan Duffy. Without her, this wouldn't be possible.
You can follow her on Instagram at Jordan K. Duffy. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Until then, I hope we're taking on being powerful in your life. Go and be awesome and up to something you love.
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Instagram: @AmberPoitier
Website: amberpoitier.com
Created and hosted by Kara Duffy
Audio Engineering & Editing by Jordan Duffy
Production by Amanda Kass
Graphic design by Anna Olinova
Music by Joakim Karud
