K|LA Boutique is a women’s clothing and accessories franchise company looking to empower women to own and operate their own clothing boutique. We do this by empowering women to be the best version of themselves through fashion. Because when you look good, you feel good; and when you feel good, you can conquer the world. We have a fabulous selection of thoughtfully chosen, high quality (yet affordable), fashionable styles. We strive to create an inclusive welcoming space where every customer feels valued and confident.
Through a lifelong love of fashion, I always felt passionate about styling outfits and helping people put items together in a way that made them feel beautiful and confident. It was a childhood dream to have my own store, but as an immigrant it felt a little out of reach for me. However, after managing the K|LA stores in Charlotte for 7 years, I was given the opportunity to purchase the business. The previous owners believed in me so much that despite their attorney’s advice, they offered to finance me for the first 3 years. This was a huge opportunity for me and helped launch the brand into what it is today. I’ve since paid them back, but it left me with a need to pay it forward.
I’m now reaching my fifth year as a profitable business owner and I have learned so many lessons, both good and bad. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had many great bosses and mentors in my life. It would be an honor if I could pass on my knowledge to someone that is looking to pursue a similar path. For this reason I chose to turn the small business that I own into a franchise company.
When deciding to scale my business, it made perfect sense to join a program that can help me accomplish my goals. I was very lucky to be one of the Scale Up CLT scholarship recipients for 2023. I’ve only been in the program for three months and it’s already made a huge difference. I’ve been told that with each meeting or event, you can always walk away with a single nugget that gives you a new idea, or confirms an existing idea, that you can pursue. In my short time here, I’ve already experienced this. Before I joined, I knew I wanted a franchise model but the traditional model didn’t feel like the right fit. A fellow scholarship recipient brought a different franchise model to my attention that inspired me to come up with a new concept. The problem is that finding financing is not easy for someone with zero assets and a decent credit score, regardless of how hard they work and how talented they are. With this nugget I received at one of my EOA meetings, I’ll be able to give each franchisee the opportunity to join us with minimal investment and maximum support. This way, they will not have to take out a large six figure loan, and will be able to see a profit sooner. I look forward to seeing where this road takes me.
