A young entrepreneur, who started designing pieces in her Jamaica, Queens apartment has now caused a stir in the fashion world, Tizita Balemlay is just getting started and has so many ideas that will soon launch on her website.
How did you come up with the name of your business?
“It sort of just fell into place considering my personal account on social media was @theplugsdaughter so whenever someone would allow me to style them fo
r a photo shoot or dress them up for an event that they were doing then I would basically say “you got plugged” so I figured since it is catchy and has always been something I’ve said I might as well name by business PluggedNYC“
What fueled you to be an entrepreneur or was this intentional?
“Ever since I was in high school I would have a vision for fashion without even knowing. My sister and I would dress differently than your typical high school kids, we went high heels, taking pieces of our clothing mix matches and removing actual parts like the sleeves, many always wondered what we were going to come up with next. From then when people would ask me to help style them I realized I could do something with this vision that others didn’t quite see the way I did.”
What has been your biggest accomplishment with your business?
“Being a 22 year old woman that has taken this clothing brand to new levels, celebrities like Rihanna, Keke Palmer and Lil Yachty wearing my clot
hing definitely assured me that my style is unique and encourages me to continue coming up with creative attire. Although these are great accomplishments it still pushes me to do more because yes, I know that celebrities are wearing my clothing but I want the world to know this as well.”
What has been your biggest challenge with your business?
“Gaining recognition at first, social media is such an important tool, so showcasing your business is important and can help create that boom that will have traffic coming to your page. The models that showcase my clothing are all beautiful well known women on social media so it helps get PluggedNYC across that much quicker.”
What do you consider to be the pro’s of being your own boss?
“It’s rewarding to see that you have a business that is going well, that celebrities are interested in your clothing, that there are plenty of young women that are intrigued by your style. Also, you don’t have to report to anyone, so you can get as creative as you would like.”
What do you consider being the con’s?
“Having to continuously find ways to come up with new things to provide to your audience, you don’t want people to be bored or feel it’s something they’ve already seen before.”
Do you plan to expand?
“Eventually yes, I understand it’s all a work in progress, I first started in my Queens home and now I have a team that helps me generate and keep my brand as professional as possible.”
Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
“I want to invest more time on my website, to sell a little bit of everything, not just clothing. This way people can get all they need off of one website aka PluggedNYC.”