Meet Arielle Ellis | Owner of FiftyShadesofKayLLC & Healthcare worker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Arielle Ellis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arielle, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have been completely obsessed with sunglasses since I was a young girl. I always catch myself reminiscing of when my obsession began. My mom bought me a pair of sunglasses when I was about 5/6 years old, and I wore them whenever I played dress up, up until I couldn’t even fit them anymore. She then bought me another pair because she noticed they were too small for my head, but I honestly didn’t care as I still continuously wore them. I then began to wear sunglasses as a teenager as I felt this one accessory can express my vibrant personality.

Since then, I began working at Sunglass Hut at the age of 19. I absolutely loved my job as I was able to explain to people the importance of a nice pair of shades. At the age of 20, I began simultaneously working at Quay which is another sunglass retailer. From working at both of these professional sunglass establishments I was able to learn the care behind a pair of sunglasses.

As my sunglass collection grew through the years, I realized I was able to do more than just work at a sunglass company. I realized the knowledge I obtained can be used to bring fashionable sunglasses to my community at a reasonable price.

FiftyShadesofKayLLC was created based on a commonality I noticed while working in sunglass retail. Sometimes people do not purchase sunglasses solely because of how much they cost, and how little they trust themselves to keep up with them. I personally feel like everyone should at least own one or two pairs of sunglasses that they feel are THEM. Not only do sunglasses help express YOU, but they are also very important for the main purpose of the product… to protect your eyes.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Getting to where I am today definitely took some trial and error. In the beginning I was timid on launching my brand as I was terrified of the feedback I would get. I personally feel like a business owner’s biggest challenge is self doubt. From speaking with other professionals we have all had some self doubt in regards to something in our business. I have learned that the best way to deal with this obstacle is to simply do whatever you are doubting. Even if it is something small, I always say give it a try because you never know what can happen.

I want the world to know that my sunglass brand is just beginning. FiftyShadesofKay is the absolute one-stop shop for all of your sunglass needs. The quality and price of my shades are definitely unmatched across the boards. Don’t believe me? Visit www.fiftyshadesofkay.com to see!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a complete foodie. I love eating, I love cooking, and I love MasterChef! My stops would definitely include eating. I love seafood as well as Asian Cuisine. I would definitely take them to Hot N Juicy, as well as some popular TikTok spots like Din Tai Fung. If we wanted to do something fun for the day I would definitely go to Six Flags as I absolutely love rollercoasters.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shout out my parents, siblings, as well as my friends. Although I may not have learned much from them in regards to running a sunglass business, the love I have gotten from them is unmatched. My family pushed me to get my LLC as it was not my main focus at the time due to me going to school full time as well as working. My friends would consistently hype me up whenever I would drop a new shade. They would consistently push me to drop new pairs even when I was nervous about how my clientele would react to the new style. I love going out of the ordinary, and my friends would always stick beside me.

Last but not least I would like to give a shoutout to my boyfriend. When I began working at different pop up shops, he made sure he was there with me to help me throughout the day. Whether it is setting up, taking down, helping me with any technical difficulties, he is always by my side. Whenever I would be nervous or antsy before a pop up shop, he would remind me of who I am, and get me to focus on positive outcomes without bringing in negative energy.

Website: www.fiftyshadesofkay.com

Instagram: @Fifty.shadessofkay

Image Credits
@alahnvisuals