Interview with Designer of Amali!

- Tell us about yourself? Where are you from? What made you start Amali?

My name is Ashley Rose born and raised out of Atlanta, Ga and currently residing in the Atlanta area. I am the creator and founder of Amali which was inspired by some of my cultural background and influences. I began this journey early 2008 when the line was initially called Accents. I started the line as a way to create income for myself while I was in college. Those who supported my business encourage me to take the line to the next level by attending trunk shows in the Washington DC area where I attended school. The inspirations came from my love of vintage and antiques. I began converting anything that I could get my hands to make trendy earrings that would accentuate each individuals uniqueness. I made earrings that were one of none and did not make duplicates.

 

- Do you do anything else besides design? What industry are you interested in?
- Where do you see Amali in the next five years?
- How has your life changed since you began Amali?
- Do you have the support of family and friends?

I also have a love for fashion not in the jewelry industry but as well as clothing shoes and any type of accessories. I would love to eventually expand Amali and branch out to all sectors of the fashion industry and eventually see Amali debut in NYC Fashion Week. In the next five years I see Amali in local boutiques as well as an up and running online boutique. My life has changed since I created the line back in 2008. New adventures have come about that I never thought I would see happen. Amali has been featured on the reality show 'The Fashlane' due to air late July, magazine articles, and photoshoots for up and coming musical artists. I have had so much support from friends and family especially, TQ Branding, who are the reason that I have been blessed to feature Amali to the rest of the world.

- Are you in a romantic relationship? If so, how in the world do you find the time for it?

I have been involved romantically since Amali has been created, and it is very hard to deal with the responsibility of being in a serious relationship while trying to follow your dream. With that being said, I have had a great partner who has supported me from the very beginning and decided that he would help Amali just as he would help me, Ashley Rose. You need that kind of understanding in a relationship while trying to grow your company and yourself.

 -What advice could you give to young women?

My advice to young ladies with a dream, would be to act on it now! if God has given you the vision, act on it as soon as possible because tomorrow is not promised and as you grow older we begin to settle in our everyday lives and stop dreaming, but there is nothing like youth. We can grind now and retire later! the harder that I work now the less I will have to do when I get older. That is why I say act on your dreams while you are youthful and have the energy!

- Who do you look up to?

I really admire the hustle and the grind of Tyra Banks. Her message to young women and how she has become a brand of her own. She created her brand and did not let the media or anyone else determine how she wanted to be portrayed and I respect and love how she has conveyed her ideas and perceptions of beauty and fashion.

- Is there anyone you would like to thank?

 

I would like to thanks all those who have supported me from the beginning. My friends and family have always inspired me and I want to take that inspiration to inspire others and make others feel good about themselves!

 

 

Interview with Cece Monai, a young intelligent woman embarking on the business world!

Ciara is a great friend of ours at TQ Branding and a true inspiration. We thought she would be someone great to interview to help the young students out there trying to start their career! She also will begin soon contributing to this blog. She truly is lovely determined young woman and we are so excited to add her to the TQ Branding Blog family! Look below for the interview!!

- Tell us about yourself!

Well, I am a 22 year old senior in college just living out my dreams in hopes of turning them into realities.

- What current university do you attend? Have you been educated at any other universities?
I attend Kent State University in Ohio. I actually went to Clark Atlanta University for my freshman and part of my sophomore year.- What is your major? Is this your first degree?

I am a Fashion Merchandising major with a minor in Human Resources and yes this is my first degree and I’m sure it won’t be my last ☺

- What are your current career goals?

I have two different career paths I could take since I have a major and a minor but one would be a stylist for athletes because there are tons of celebrity stylist out there now and since I love sports why not tie those two together. Another career goal would becoming the Vice President of Human Resources at a fashion company or brand so I can still fulfill my love for fashion.

 - What have you done to be proactive about your career?

My first step into finding a love for the business world was a Human Resource internship at a fortune
100 company, Johnson Controls, INC. located in Cleveland, Ohio. I was going into my senior year of high school working 8-5 in the summer. After transferring to Kent State I started to become really involved in the business world and I got offered to participate in a program at Case Western Reserve, The Weatherhead School of Management, This program helped me learn what it meant to earn a MBA and how much diversity is involved. Next, I did a program at The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business that was a 3-day intensive camp, sponsored by KeyBank Foundation. It was a leadership and creativity undergrad symposium that really helped me figure out where I belong as far as a leadership role. Recently, I’ve did a semester in New York City, where I took a full load and did an internship at G-Star RAW showroom with the Public Relations team (by far the BEST experience of my life…amazing!!) I’m constantly working on bettering myself within my career so I choose to go to Paris in 2 weeks. My personal goal is to learn how the International market works and how it’s different from the American market and our mindset. I actually have a blog that was required for one of my classes in NYC that documented our experience and to be honest I first thought “I won’t have time” but I fell in love with blogging and received really good feedback from my peers and my professors. (www.theprevailingeffect.blogspot.com). I haven’t updated much but this trip to France will cause me to start posting everyday!

- What has been the most challenging in your current career? Do you feel it is difficult for someone like yourself to enter the business world?

Honestly, It’s only as difficult as you make it! The only person stopping you from fulfilling your desires and dreams are YOU. The most challenging has to be the transition from the fashion world to the business world. A lot of people think, “Oh, you’re just a fashion major” like we don’t have the useful skills, aptitude, mindsets, and abilities to survive the business world. What most people don’t know is the Fashion Merchandising majors at Kent State ARE the business side of fashion. We are required to take accounting, business management, micro and macroeconomics, all the basic business courses.

- What advice could you give to others following your path?

Follow your heart, seriously! Listen to YOU; first you have to do some soul searching to really and truly figure out what makes YOU happy. I’ve had so many doors shut in my face and told what I could do and what I couldn’t do. Travel, explore, and go out of your comfort zone. Living in Cleveland, Atlanta, and New York has really allowed me to find my potential, expertise and discover the gifts God has given me. I can’t stress this enough NETWORK!! Talk, because a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. I actually keep a notebook of everyone I met and their phone numbers. Lastly, it’s OK to fail. The important thing is: what did you learn from that experience? Every experience or person has a lesson within it.

SHOP! Sydney Fashion Weekend

So if you do not know, half of TQ is currently living in Melbourne, Australia! That half is me Toni! A couple of weeks back I was able to experience Fashion Weekend Sydney! It was such a pleasure. The event is more about the shopping experience and not so much about displaying new designers. Which turned out to be amazing! Everything was priced at sample sale prices! I have never shopped so much in my life or seen so many women shopping at once! There were OVER 100 designer brands there! This event also displays a great platform for new designers to sell samples and gain more exposure! I had such a great time and so very happy I was able to experience it!

xoxo

Tip #7 : Marketing Research is Important!!

Marketing and branding is of course something very important for every business, but you can not create a great marketing strategy without proper research into the market. It is important for you to truly understand what your customer wants. The designer, the rapper, and the baker all have to answer the same question of their customer. " What can I do to please you and continue to keep you as a loyal customer". There are different ways to approaching this problem. A great example is to use surveys! A simple and quick way to see what your customer wants. Also an extra tip: put an open-ended question at the end of the survey to allow your customer to get personal and share their needs with you!

Official Apology From TQ Branding

TQ Branding is sorry.

Plain and simple. We are sorry for dropping the ball and not continuing to give you all the best. We are so sorry for everyone who believed in us and who were looking to see us grow more. We believed in you. You believed in us, but we did not believe in ourselves. TQ Branding will strive our hardest to never let you down again. There are many projects in the work and we are sure to please you all!

Be blessed! xoxo