By Jasmaine Payne

IT was when she was just 16–years-old that Ashaka King knew that she wanted to enter the field of business. Being the budding fashionista that she was, the teenager decided to invest her allowances in statement accessory pieces, which she will import and sell in Guyana.After some trial and error, three and a half years later, Ashaka officially launched ‘Pieces and Things,’ a retail store which specialises in accessories. Now, with two store locations and preparations to launch an e-commerce website for her brand, this business-owner is seeking to step into other areas in order to help inspire young women in the fashion and business world.

Through the establishment of the charity ‘My Sister’s Keeper’, a mentorship programme, Ashaka hopes to partner with businesswomen and other notable women in society to work with young girls by providing them with role models who will help to mentor them in different areas of their life.

“I grew up in a household where charity is a way of life, and while I believe it is something that should be kept private so that it does not take away from its purpose, I realise that I have also reached a stage where I am capable of giving back and so I have that responsibility to live up to,” Ashaka said in an interview with The Buzz.

Though she herself is new to the realm of charity, Ashaka said that she will invest in the relevant research and will also partner with organisations to work to get the programme running in the near future.

However, her sense of responsibility comes from the success that she has enjoyed as a business-owner over the past six years and so she is thankful and proud of how far she has reached, adding that it is certainly empowering to know that she can provide for herself.

“It is important for women to have their own. There is no greater feeling of self-empowerment than being able to chart your own course. Business will give you purpose and keep you grounded. You dedicate your time to it; you put your all into it. So it is good for women to get into that. Women are so creative, we can do it all; I think everyone should try it,” she said.

Ashaka stated that getting where she is at the moment was no easy task and she admits to stumbling in key areas in establishing her business. She noted that now, with her current location in Georgetown and her second store recently opened in Linden, it is fair to say that ‘Pieces and Things’ has indeed come a far way.

“One of my biggest rewards as a business owner is being able to truly watch something I have created grow into something bigger than that. The more it grows the more it proves to me that I wasn’t crazy,” she said.

Moreover, she also feels extremely blessed that she is able to inspire her peers and other young women, adding that it helps to keep her motivated, knowing that there are people who look to her for inspiration. It is these feel-good sentiments that contribute to her drive to give back through her foundation, she indicated.

“The fact that I have built something that is now in a position to give back is amazing. It is a humongous success for me,” she said.

Most of all, Ashaka believes that her business itself helps many women to make bold fashion statements through the provision of her one of a kind accessory piece. In a small country where trends can become saturated, she advises that it is accessories that help to make that difference.

“When a woman is well put together, she carries herself better and that it what accessories do: they complete the job,” she said.