We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kirsty Whitaker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kirsty below.
Kirsty , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
At 18, I stood behind the counter of my first retail store, a small space I had leased with just $1,000 in savings. I had no business degree, no investors—just instinct, determination, and an unwavering belief that if I could solve problems faster than they came at me, I’d make it. And I did.
What started as a tiny retail shop grew into something far bigger. I built a brand, expanded into international manufacturing where I owned my own factory by 23. I learned early that obstacles weren’t stop signs—they were just problems waiting for a solution.
But nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.
One day, I woke up to find that my identity had been stolen. Not my credit card details or social security number, but my business, my reputation, my name. Almost overnight, my world collapsed.
The financial damage was catastrophic—nearly a million dollars lost. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The legal battle stretched over three exhausting years, entangling me in a bureaucratic nightmare across multiple countries. Contracts disappeared. Licensing agreements were revoked. My ability to operate freely as an entrepreneur was crippled.
This wasn’t just a random case of identity theft—it was premeditated, calculated, and relentless. The person behind it was always three steps ahead, executing each move with precision before I even knew what was happening. At first, I was blindsided when government agencies started reaching out, informing me that a complaint had been filed against me for trading on a de-registered business. I had to prove my innocence—but how do you prove you’re not behind something when all the details match your own?
The platform they were using to impersonate me had no email exchanges, no direct traces back to another party. Every document, every registration, every transaction had my name, my credentials, my business details—but none of it was me.
While I was caught up trying to untangle that mess, the person behind it was already moving on to their next attack. Every time I put out one fire, another was already raging somewhere else. By the time I truly understood the scale of what was happening and was ready to fight the real battle, the damage was already deep. We were in the thick of it, and I was playing catch-up in a war I never signed up for.
My name, my reputation, my empire—everything I had built. I was facing filing bankrupt and facing civil charges for fraud. I thought what else do I have to loose? I was not going to be prosecuted for something I was innocent for. I sat there and decided it’s on, I was going to take it all back. And I did.
It took time, but I won. I rebuilt stronger, wiser, and with an even deeper understanding of how to protect what’s mine.
Most people would have folded under the weight of it all. I almost did. But resilience isn’t something you find when things go wrong—it’s something you build long before you ever need it.
People ask me where my resilience comes from. The answer is simple: It comes from knowing that nothing—no setback, no theft, no legal battle—will ever define me. Only I get to do that.
My identity was stolen. My power never was.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
From a young age, I always knew I wanted one of two things: to be a lawyer or to own a clothing store. I went to a private school, but I wasn’t one of the popular kids. One day, I had a brainwave idea—if I got expelled, I could skip straight to running my own business. So, I built a website selling the mean girls at my school. unsurprisingly, I got expelled. But I hadn’t thought it through—I soon realized I had to be 18 to legally own a business, and my parents refused to sign the paperwork to register it for me.
They tried to force me back into school, but I struck a deal: if I could find a job they approved of by the end of the day, I could work instead of going back to school—and I’d use that time to save for my future store.
I found a job as a trainee dental nurse. There was just one problem—I hated the sight of blood. But I wasn’t about to give up. Over the next three years, I worked three jobs simultaneously, saving every cent to fund my first retail store.
That decision set everything in motion. By 18, I had enough money to lease a shop, and that small store was the first step toward building an international business. I didn’t wait for permission. I made it happen.
I quickly saw an opportunity in women’s high-heel shoes and pivoted to specialize in them, learning everything I could about what my customers wanted.
By 23, I took my business global, living in a factory in Vietnam to learn shoe production firsthand. I later expanded into China, attending the Canton Fair to learn how to deal with factories. It was at that show I realized I didn’t just want a shop I wanted to own a factory. During this time I realized I needed more money. Banks wouldn’t lend me money and I wasn’t rich. So I built another career one that required just as much strategy and resilience. One that fed my other passion – Law. For over 22 years, I have consulted governments on international trade policies, legal frameworks, and business regulations. I used the money that I made through consulting to reinvest into my factory. I would fly out of Australia on a Friday after work arrive at my factory Saturday morning, work in the factory non-stop, often sleeping on the floor and then leave Asia Sunday night to shower at work and start work on the Monday.
In 2014, I came to the U.S., and by 2015, I showcased my brand at my first trade show at FFANY. It was a huge success, and I instantly fell in love with New York—the energy, the opportunities, the market. It became apparent my next goal: to expand my business and establish myself in the U.S. Determined to make it happen, I incorporated my LLC in Delaware in 2016 and began transferring my assets to the U.S. Everything was falling into place. I launched a pop-up store alongside other business colleagues, excited about this new chapter.
Then, out of nowhere, my identity was stolen.
While I am rebuilding my brand Miss Mafia, I run Support My Empire, a consultancy dedicated to helping businesses in retail, fashion, and international trade grow strategically. I help startups, fashion designers, and retailers structure their businesses, refine their strategy, and protect what they’ve built. What makes my work unique is that I don’t just teach theory—I’ve lived every part of it. I’ve built and scaled businesses, fought legal battles, navigated manufacturing challenges, and recovered from massive setbacks. Now, I take all of that experience and help others succeed.
Most recently, I launched the Retail Gym—a structured, hands-on coaching program designed specifically for brick-and-mortar and e-commerce retailers. Its a structured, interactive coaching program designed like a fitness gym, but for retail success. It features daily interactive classes, on-demand resources, replays for flexibility, and personalized 1-on-1 coaching sessions. Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar store owner or an e-commerce retailer, this program provides the tools, strategies, and support needed to optimize, grow, and thrive in today’s competitive market.
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?
1. Resilience – The Ability to Keep Going No Matter What
From being expelled as a teenager to working multiple jobs to fund my first store, to later fighting for my identity and business after it was stolen, resilience has been at the core of everything I’ve built.
2. Strategic Problem-Solving – Thinking Three Steps Ahead
I loved playing chess growing up and I always say that business is the same as a game of chess. I’ve had to think like a chess player in every part of my journey, whether it was learning international manufacturing, expanding into the U.S., or navigating the legal nightmare of my stolen identity.
3. Legal Knowledge – Understanding Business Protection from Day One
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by law and politics. While other kids were watching cartoons, I was watching legal cases and political debates on TV. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this early interest would become one of my biggest advantages. The moment I started my business, I instinctively knew the importance of protecting myself legally. I made sure to Register my trademark, Set up contracts properly and Understand liability.
My Advice:
Success isn’t about luck—it’s about how well you handle challenges, solve problems, and protect what you’ve built. If you can master those three things, you’ll be unstoppable.
If you’re early in your journey, expect obstacles. Your ability to push through setbacks will determine your success more than any single decision you make. New entrepreneurs need to train their brains to think in solutions, not problems. When something goes wrong, don’t freeze—step back, analyze, and create a plan. And If you’re starting a business, learn the legal basics early. You don’t need to be a lawyer, but you do need to know how to protect your assets, set up contracts properly, and ensure your business foundation is solid. Ignoring the legal side of things can cost you everything later.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Feeling overwhelmed in business isn’t an if—it’s a when. It happens often, and it’s completely normal. Whether it’s launching a new project, dealing with unexpected setbacks, or juggling a million responsibilities at once, that feeling of “too much at once” can hit hard.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I follow a simple process:
1. Step Back & Breathe – The first thing I do is pause for a moment. When everything feels like it’s crashing down, taking a step back and breathing is crucial. You can’t solve problems effectively when you’re panicked.
2. Write Everything Down – Overwhelm often comes from feeling like you don’t know where to start. Get it all out of your head and onto paper. I list everything I need to do—no order, no filtering—just a full brain dump. Seeing it written down helps me feel more in control.
3. Prioritize & Tackle One Thing at a Time – Once I have my list, I break it into manageable pieces. I ask myself: What is urgent? What moves the needle the most? What can wait? Then, I start tackling tasks one by one, instead of trying to do everything at once.
4. Keep Moving Forward – The key is momentum. Even if you don’t get everything done in one day, progress is what matters. One step at a time, and suddenly, that overwhelming pile starts getting smaller.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed in business, don’t let it paralyze you. Instead of sitting in the stress, take a breath, write it all down, and start working through it piece by piece. The only way out is through, and the more you practice managing overwhelm, the better you get at it.
Business will always have overwhelming moments—but if you have a system to handle them, they won’t control you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.missmafia.com and www.supportmyempire.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugar_tease/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-whitaker-professional/
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