Today we’d like to introduce you to Korey King.
Hi Korey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hi ! I’m Korey King, a 27 year old Bartender, Boss Babe and Entrepreneur from Baltimore, MD.
I had a passion for accessories since i was a young girl. I am the oldest daughter out of 6 siblings and at times, my mother couldn’t afford the latest threads and hottest shoes or designer items. Sooo I started to find a love for jewelry and accessories. Originally, I bought a dozen pair of sunglasses and thought I could start there. No name, no logo, no true business plan. It didn’t work out so I went back to the drawing board. I took a year to invest into vendors, ebooks and to truly lock in and learn more about running a business. With $40, i bought my main jewelry vendor and started drop-shipping products while in college. I screenshotted all the jewelry photos from my vendor, curated a collage as a price list & signed up for a Shopify trial for a week and begged my little sister, Kyesha, to design my site for me. All the while, studying Criminal Justice and Sociology at Frostburg State University, I was enrolled one semester for Business Writing. Which helped me structure and push the passion to really launch the business. I influenced a lot of young woman on campus to support my business and they trusted me with just a dream and a collage of custom necklaces. Eventually, as time went on I started learning more about Shopify design, developing my site, marketing tactics and so much more. With the help of those ebooks and other investments later down the line, I began to sprout more in my business, thus this became the start of my first baby CutUpKo Boutique. I sent products out to influencers, became very interactive and engaging on my social media accounts to attract people to my page/ website.
I also created a team of ambassadors & hired an assistant Daij to help me with day to day tasks along with customer service matters. I thank my little, yet impactive team so much ! 44 days after graduating from thee Frostburg State University in January 2021, I received a call that one of my older brothers, Kevin, was shot and murdered. It devastated me and I never thought my family could recover or even imagine going through something like this. I wanted to give up everything, had times of doubts and depression. Eventually I KNEW had to get out that funk, and started putting all my pain into my brand. He became one of the BIGGEST parts of my why. So i pushed through …
Fast forward to today … CutUpKo Boutique is still thriving and expanding ! I can’t wait to see where my brand/baby takes me…
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I’ve encountered losses, encountered poor launches and low sales at some point. Times of whether I wanted to keep going. LOTS of issues at times with vendors, vendor communication, misspelled customs and so much more ! I’ve had vendors at times that would stop responding for daysss and I would ask for an update and I would literally have to wait till they texted back. Sometimes i would have shipping delays or an order wouldn’t ship out when i expected it to. I also had issues with customs at times but I didn’t let it phase me. I would talk to my assistant, regather my thoughts and come up with a gameplan.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a bartender! I’ve been in the food industry for quite a while ! Im known for curating really great drinks and providing an experience. My customers love all my drinks, my energy and my charisma. I am most proud of passionately doing what i want to do to be able to provide for me and my family. I like being able to go to work make my own fast money and come home to work on my business. I am always willing to go the extra mile for my people and I think thats what sets me apart from others.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My KO DOLLS ! My supporters and customers are literally everything to me ! They help me plan launches and drops, I poll them on what jewelry they want to see and they shop! Some of the most supportive people i’ve met. Between the referrals, sharing/talking about my business, I really am indebted to my supporters. I don’t know where I would be without them. I love them down!
My assistant DAIJ – Daij helps me with my team of ambassadors as well as handle most logistics/behind the scenes for the brand. I call Daij anytime I’m having an issue/problem or an idea lol. She’s like my therapist too at times! But days when I struggle to show up, Daij takes over and handles what needs to be done.
MY AMBASSADORS – These ladies CONSISTENTLY promote and create content for the CKB brand. The way they wear their customs and support CKB like it’s theirs is unmatched! I love these ladies and their passion for wanting to be apart of our team and the dedication they exhibit.
Pricing:
- $30-85
- pricing varies by font/custom/style
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shopcutupkoboutique.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cutupkoboutique
- Twitter: https://x.com/cutupkoboutique
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/cutupko/
