UNC alumna starts business to help other women

FOUNDERS THAT SHE

TWO DURING HER JUNIOR YEAR AT

UNC, CAITLYN KUMI LAUNCHED A

BRAND THAT WOULD GIVE

CONFIDENCE TO THOUSANDS OF

WOMAN.

SHE IS THE GREATER OF THE BRAND

"EMPOWHER" THAT SHOWCASES

STORIES OF STRONG WOMEN AND A

TYPE OF ADORNMENT WITH A

MEANING COULD WASTE BEADS.

THIS IS CAITLYN KUMI YOU TALKED

ABOUT THIS BUSINESS OUT OF A

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

WHY DO YOU THINK WOMEN NEEDED

THIS PLATFORM?

>> I PERSONALLY FELT THAT WOMEN

NEEDED THIS PLATFORM BE BECAUSE

WOMEN DURING THIS TIME ARE

STRUGGLING WITH A LOT OF

THINGS.

PRIMARILY BEEN BODY

INSECURITIES AND CONFIDENCE

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO

BELIEVING IN THEMSELVES.

I WANTED TO GIVE THEM A BRAND

THE LET'S THEM YOU ARE NOT

ALONE.

A LOT OF WOMEN ARE FACING THE

STRUGGLE.

I'M GLAD THAT "EMPOWHER" CAN DO

THIS WITH THE WAIST NEEDS AND

OTHERS.

>> TELLS THE STORY BEHIND THE

WAIST BEADS.

>> WHEN I WAS A FRESHMAN IN

COLLEGE I ENTERED A BAD

RELATIONSHIP AND IT REALLY TOOK

A TOLL ON HOW I FELT ABOUT

MYSELF AND HOW I FELT ABOUT MY

BODY ONE OF THE PRODUCTS THAT

IS ROOTED IN OUR CULTURE IS

WAIST BEADS AND HELPS WOMEN

EMBRACE THEIR BODY AND

ENCOURAGES THEM TO FEEL

CONFIDENT, SEXY AND EMPOWERED

FEET AS I WAS COMING OUT OF

THIS DARK PLACE AND STARTED

WEARING WAIST BEADS AND IT WAS

PIVOTAL IN HELPING ME LOVE

MYSELF SO AS I START MY BRAND I

WANTED TO EMPOWER AND SUPPORT

WOMEN AND I THOUGHT WHAT BETTER

WAY THEN SHARING MY CULTURE AND

HELPING WOMEN OVERCOME THE BODY

INSECURITIES AND EMBRACE

THEMSELVES ON THEIR BODIES.

>> THIS IS ABSOLUTELY

WONDERFUL.

YOU BECAME AN ENTREPRENEUR AT A

YOUNG AGE, DID YOU ALWAYS SEE

YOURSELF IN THE POSITION YOU

ARE IN NOW?

>> I CAME INTO COLLEGE AS A

PRELAW STUDENT.

I NEVER IMAGINED BEING AN

ENTREPRENEUR BUT I NEVER

CONSIDERED MYSELF ONE.

BUT I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF

MYSELF AS SOMEONE WHO LOVES

HELPING PEOPLE. FROM A YOUNG

AGE I WOULD HAVE ICE CREAM

FUNDRAISERS AND I WOULD LOVE

RAISING MONEY FOR JUMP ROPE FOR

HEART FOR THE AMERICAN HEART

ASSOCIATION COULD EVEN THOUGH I

DIDN'T REALIZE IT AT THE TIME

BUT ALL THESE THINGS WHEN IT

COMES TO RAISING MONEY AND

HELPING PEOPLE AND EMPOWERING

PEOPLE, THOSE WERE SIGNIFIERS

OF MY ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

AND I'M SO GLAD I'M ABLE TO PUT

THE PIECES TOGETHER.

BECAUSE BEEN ABLE TO EMPOWER

WOMEN AND SUPPORT WOMEN THROUGH

THIS JOURNEY OF YOUNG ADULTHOOD

HAS BEEN EXTREMELY EXTREMELY

WELL-WORN NEED FOR ME.

>> AFTER GET YOUR ADVICE, THERE

MAY BE SOME YOUNG WOMEN

WATCHING US NOW THINKING OF

STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS.

TURNING THAT DREAM INTO A

REALITY.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE?

>> MY ADVICE IS, BASED ON MY X-

RAYS, BUILD A STRONG NETWORK.

I'M NATURALLY RESERVED PERSON

SO I THINK IT IS SCARY PUTTING

YOURSELF OUT THERE BUT YOU HAVE

TO BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW

EVERYTHING AND WHEN YOU PUT

YOURSELF OUT THERE AND WHEN YOU

BUILD A NETWORK YOU MIGHT GET

THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE YOUR

SPONSORS, YOUR ADVOCATES THEY

MIGHT DONATE MONEY, THEY MAY

INVEST IN YOUR BUSINESS THEY

MIGHT GIVE YOU RESOURCES AND

KNOWLEDGE AND THAT'S WHAT HELPS

TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

I KNOW THAT'S THE CASE FOR ME

ARE DISSIPATING IN A BUSINESS

EXCELERATOR PROGRAM AT UNC

CHAPEL HILL CALLED LUNCH.

I'VE HAD MENTORS, SPONSORS AND

ADVOCATES SO GET IN ON LINKEDIN

AND USE YOUR RESOURCES AT YOUR

LOCAL UNIVERSITY, TALK TO YOUR

FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND GET THAT

NETWORK.

>> MISS "EMPOWHER", CAITLYN