We were lucky to catch up with Kay Dowdell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kay , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Honestly, I give all credit to my upbringing for developing my confidence and self-esteem. I do not have a memory of not feeling like the “it girl” and my family, friends and neighborhood reassured me of this. I have always been such a positive and welcoming person so it was easy to make friends, was a straight-A student and every teacher’s favorite, very pretty, very fashionable and popular so my self-esteem was always high. At a young age, I knew I could do anything and the sky was the limit so my confidence level has always been above average. Fortunately for me, as a teen, I didn’t have social media forcing me to question how I feel about myself, which I think today plays a huge role in people’s ability to feel and believe in their amazingness. These affirming feelings followed me from middle school to high school to college and adulthood without wavering. Of course, life experiences places layer of doubt here & there as you climb to reach goals and imposter syndrome likes to show up to ruffle my feathers but pushing through that is a beatable fight because of my foundation. I am truly grateful for that.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a designer and owner of the menswear brand, GROOMHER. I find joy in making products for men because I have such a love and appreciation for the men in my life. From family members to friends who became family, black men are amazing and I want to help shower them with love, support and admiration. I think what makes GROOMHER special is me. It isn’t very often you come across a male-targeted business owned by a woman. The tag line “designed for boys by a girl who loves them” that can be seen on a few of our pieces and all hangtags is truly real. I want guys to feel special when wearing GROOMHER and know that they were in mind at conception of every piece. Being an online store has its benefits but we will be spreading our wings this year and participating in more pop-up shops to connect with supporters in person.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
A quality, skill and area of knowledge that was most impactful during my journey include my optimism, ability to manage and knowledge of and appreciation for my niche. There will be times of stress and overwhelm and tons of signs that “this” isn’t working but having pure confidence about the successful outcome is a quality that kept me on track. I am crazy optimistic and always try my best to find the silver lining in the rough patches of entrepreneurship. Managing people, managing time and doing both well is a skill that I know helped my business survive. Honing in on this and developing that skill overtime is will be the difference in your small business becoming big business. Last, knowing the industry I’m in and actually having appreciation for it is extremely impactful on this journey. My love for menswear is what keeps me in this business when things aren’t going the way I’d like, it is what gives me ideas, it is what keeps me up at night. The best advice I could give to people who are early in their journey is…if you can’t get something out of your head, you owe it to yourself to follow that passion. This alone impacted me the most in my journey to building GROOMHER.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I cry. Ironically, I have the words “don’t cry” as a tattoo and this is now something I do more often. My thoughts about crying have evolved and it actually is a good way to find relief. Feeling overwhelmed is sometimes a combination of stress, frustration, anxiety and maybe a little pinned up anger and it all needs to be released. I allow my emotions to drain so I can think clearly. Give yourself a moment to cry, breathe but then go straight into solution mode. Simply ask yourself, “Ok, now what am I going to do about it?”. I’m very adamant about not sitting in feelings of defeat or just not-so-good feelings because there is always at least one thing that can be done immediately to help move towards the preferred outcome. I like to-do lists, they help me organize thoughts, prioritize tasks and the satisfaction of crossing something off that list is unmatched. Cry, relax, make a plan…this strategy has help me most.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.groomher.co
- Instagram: @_groomher
Image Credits:
Ty’rel Jones, Adam Holmgren
