Interview with Miss EmpowHER: Caitlyn Kumi
Caitlyn Kumi
Founder - Miss EmpowHER
Germantown, Maryland
What is Miss EmpowHer?
A women empowerment lifestyle brand. I didn't want Miss EmpowHer to just be another brand that sells products. I wanted Miss EmpowHer to have a meaningful impact on the lives of others. I am the woman I am today because of the women that have empowered me and I wanted to use Miss EmpowHer to pay it forward by empowering and supporting other women.
I am also really connected to my Ghanaian roots and wanted to find a merger between my culture and my passions all while supporting Ghanaian women business owners.
Product expansion is definitely in the works but we are talking to our customer base to see what it is that they want so that we can expand in answering the needs of our customers.
How did you go about getting the name?
I knew I wanted to use the word empowerment and I wanted something that was also long term and sustainable. I talked to my best friend and sister and they suggested a play on words and the Miss EmpowHer stuck.
What is your goal for the brand? Where do you see it in 5 months? 5 years?
I think the most interesting part of brands and businesses is that things don't always go the way you expected. I certainly always want it to be a women's empowerment brand where people come to us because they connect with our mission. As we expand, we want to focus on building customer loyalty and bring on as many women creatives to our team as possible.
As the founder, it is important to always have a game-plan but sometimes plans change -- I want to always stay open-minded and be able to learn from mistakes and pivot to ensure success.
What has been the most rewarding aspect?
Being able to hear the stories of the women we have impacted -- most notably through the spotlights. I have loved hearing the stories of people that have purchased the beads. It has been really amazing to see women from different cultures and all over the world embrace African culture -- this is something that we don't see too often.
Juneteenth was the best day for our sales and most customers have been complete strangers and being able to get that support was really amazing.
How can people support you?
Support comes in different forms. Surely, there is purchasing the products. But also supporting on social media and reposting an Instagram story, giving a shoutout on twitter, sharing our website with a friend, etc -- word of mouth is so powerful and we appreciate all methods of support.