Meet Aniya Lay | Entrepreneur

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

Hi Aniya, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
If you are starting a business you need to learn early on that it all is going to be a risk, you might lose money, time, and some friends but, without risk there are no rewards. 

There have been times that I have taken risks throughout my career from quitting jobs, turning down offers and losing money. I do feel like everyone make entrepreneurship seem like it is going to be extremely easy but that is because they do not see everything that goes on behind the scenes and the time it takes to turn a vision into a physical product. Everyone’s story is different. When I was younger, I would always make YouTube videos and post them and of course I would get picked on for the videos I made and the edits I did, but fast forward to today, everyone who was laughing at me are now trying to become a content creator as well. If I would not have taken the risk of being picked on and stopped my vision for making content, I would not have all the knowledge and experience that I have today. I still wake up and take risks everyday especially regarding business, it’s really all my life is about.
What should our readers know about your business?
I currently do YouTube and own an online boutique named So Stormi. My YouTube channel is mainly focused on lifestyle and I’m currently doing a series called “doing life alone” where I show my supporters what my life is like living alone and finding myself while I’m in my early 20’s. My online store So Stormi offers the latest trends and accessories of the season. My main goal with my store is to empower all my customers to be confident and what other way to do that, than in a fly fit. I am just getting started with my store and plan to do so much more with it. I have always had the idea of starting my own store, it was just a matter of me getting up and putting it all together. In the beginning I was extremely nervous to start my business. I remember crying the day that I launched my website because I was so proud. It took years of preparation and months of getting content together and everything came together so perfectly. Along the way I learned that you should not care what people say at all. The only thing that matters when you are putting out your passion, is that you are proud of your work and your accomplishment. I want the world to know that my brand will always be inclusive and that you are guaranteed to get a compliment if you are wearing an outfit from So Stormi.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love to eat so I am taking my friends to food places before anything! My first pick would be to take them to the Pig and The Pearl! It’s my favorite BBQ place to eat at! My next top place is the Steak Market because, the service there was great and so was the steak! The last place I would take them to would have to be a brunch at South City Kitchen.


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 want to give a huge shoutout to my mom and dad for supporting me through everything. When I was younger anything that I took interest in, they made sure that I was able to get professional help from playing the guitar at one point, wanting to be a painter, makeup artist and allowing me to attend the Art Institute. They let me travel around at a young age and when they took me to Fashion Ave in New York City, I was able to really see that fashion was something I was deeply passionate about. They mean the world to me and still support me today. I am so thankful for them!

Website: http://sostormi.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pink.atl/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3WrQWTr53AHazIn86xOYww