Meet Kori Nicole | Influencer, Entrepreneur, & Content Creator

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

Hi Kori, what do you want people to remember about you?
I want my legacy to simply be that if I can do it, you can do it too. That is the mantra that I live by each day and that is what I want to pass down to the generations that come after me. Since I was a little girl I have always dreamed big and wanted to do so many things. A lot of people will tell you that there is no way you will be able to successfully do multiple things and that you should just focus on one thing. I have to disagree. I think you should do whatever makes you happy. And if that means running five businesses, a YouTube channel, and a podcast (like me), then so be it. Life is short and we should not waste time just hoping and dreaming about things. I don’t ever want to reach a point in my life where I regret not taking an opportunity or not doing something that I was really passionate about. So that is the legacy that I will instill in my children along with those that I am so blessed to be able to inspire out there. I want everyone to remember how driven and motivated I am, how persistent I am, and just my overall drive to make things happen. I also want them to remember that great things take a lot of sacrifices, dedication and hard work, and that you should just trust the journey and put in the time necessary to get to where you want to be in life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

My name is Kori Nicole, also known as K. Nicole or IAmKNicole on social media and I am a lifestyle and fashion influencer and content creator. I have a YouTube channel IAmKNicole and a podcast called the Hello It’s Me, IAmKNicole podcast. I am also the CEO of five businesses: Crochet By K, Smudge Cosmetics LLC., Crown Royal Xtensions, Your Daily Dose Of Ko, and Smudge Hookah. I utilize my platforms to share my journey and my experiences being a young, black creator and entrepreneur. I continue to inspire thousands of people across the globe to start their own businesses and build something that they are truly proud of. I pride myself in pursuing all of my passions and not keeping myself in a box, building something from the ground up, and being able to create the life I had always dreamed of having as a child. My mantra is “If I can do it, you can do it too” and I encourage other passionate individuals to take a leap of faith on themselves and see how their journey unfolds.

As a child I knew I had a passion for fashion, I was always interested in distressing and upcycling clothing. As I grew up, I knew that I wanted to have my own clothing line but I absolutely hated sewing and sewing machines. I randomly stumbled across crocheting on YouTube one day just weeks before graduating high school and I knew that this was my path. I quickly purchased materials and got to work. I am a self-taught crocheter. I learned the basic crochet stitches on YouTube and learned other concepts and techniques based on trial and error and from reading books. My personality is very outgoing and over the top, so in my creative process with my crochet business I knew that my signature piece would be one that would bring the drama. The Crochet By K Shag Jacket is the ultimate fashion piece that will bring life to any outfit. This jacket is crocheted and constructed by hand first, and then strands of fringe are attached after. All pieces are made by hand by me, making it such a tedious, personal and intimate creative experience for me every time. I love to take risks and try new things and crocheting has been the outlet that allowed me to fulfill my dream of being a fashion designer but in a nontraditional and fun way.

As a child I also knew that I loved makeup because I was always getting caught playing in my grandmother’s red lipstick. However, I didn’t want to be a makeup artist because I was only good at doing my own makeup. I did not want to take time out to learn all of the ins and outs of being a makeup artist because I really was not passionate about doing other people’s faces. I thought that having a makeup line with eyeshadow and lipstick would be so cool but I had no idea where to start. I was in high school around that time so I did not have much knowledge, experience, or money and I didn’t even have a solid plan. All I knew was that I wanted the name to be Smudge and that I would feature makeup products. I had no idea that I would get into making cosmetics products by hand but I was so happy once I started learning about this after college. I was already making clothes by hand with my crochet business so it aligned with my brand perfectly. My main goal for my cosmetics line was to create a quality product that people loved but to also make it feel high end and luxurious at the same time.

I’m not sure if a lot of people on social media know this but my mom is actually a licensed cosmetologist so I grew up going to the hair salon often. I was always so excited to get my hair done and I modeled as a child so I would always be a model for my mom’s hair shows. This is what really sparked the idea of creating a hair business together. Crown Royal Xtensions is my mom and I’s newest business venture together and it has been such a fun experience so far. We offer luxury hair extensions and wigs and have plans to expand our product range this year. I have always been so into playing dress up, getting dolled up, and taking pictures. I am so grateful that I am able to do that often now in order to get content and keep these businesses going.

On my social media, my main goal is to document my life. I see the beauty in working hard and creating something from nothing so I knew that I wanted to capture the moments of me creating my businesses. I also love documenting my personal journey so that I have something to look back on from all of the monumental moments in my life. I started out on YouTube and Instagram in 2015 and I was so passionate about makeup content. Now I have shifted more into lifestyle, entrepreneur life, and fashion content because that is where my path led me. I created my podcast as another outlet to meet new people and share their stories but also to just talk about things in a more relaxed setting. In general I love being in front of the camera. So even though this career may not have existed when I was a child and thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up, this is definitely my dream job!

Last but not least, Your Daily Dose Of Ko and Smudge Hookah are my newest business ventures which both launched on 2/22/22. Your Daily Dose Of Ko is my inspirational and motivational business. I strive to continue being an example for my generation and I want to do whatever I can to show others that building multiple things is possible. My first collection for Your Daily Dose is a sticker collection. I really want my supporters to have a little token of me with them throughout their daily lives. I want them to be able to see me and remember how capable they are of conquering their dreams too. So these stickers are perfect to put in your planners, journals, on your laptop cases or even at your desk at work. Having something physical and tangible from one of your favorite creators makes you feel even more connected with them. I am so excited to finally launch these and see where everyone decides to stick them.

If you know me personally you’d know that I love hookah. I just knew I had to start this business one day because I am the queen of creating a vibe. I am obsessed with my apartment and I am the hostess with the mostest. I just love entertaining in general so I often have my friends over to hang out and have fun. I collaborate with my mom’s event business Party And A Bottle and she does beautiful event set ups. This is how I have been celebrating a lot of my accomplishments recently. Since the pandemic started I really had to learn how to turn up inside because I knew that I would not be going out as much. Smudge Hookah allows you to create the vibe inside. I am so passionate about all of my businesses because they are all products that I use religiously on a daily basis and I love them all so much.

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 would definitely take them to the ferris wheel downtown in Atlanta because that is probably the best view you will get of the entire city. I went for my birthday a couple years ago because I had been living here for a while but have never been on that ferris wheel. Definitely something that you must do in the city if you are into things like that! I absolutely love going to Atlantic Station for the outside shopping vibes but also great restaurants and great drinks. This would be a place that we could hang out for hours and hours! I love going out for brunch so Flying Biscuit, Fin & Feathers, and HobNob are some of my favorites. I also love Jinya because ramen is bae! I am such a foodie, I love trying new food places and believe it or not I have actually not been to a lot of places in the city. I am still trying new places with my family and friends every weekend. There are also so many new establishments popping up. We love trying new restaurants and lounges around town.

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?
My mom is not only my business partner but she is my number one supporter in everything that I do. She has been here literally every step of the way and I owe my success to her. She has always seen the potential in me and she continuously pushed me to be great. I am so grateful for her and her guidance especially as an adult. She has helped me through tough situations and I have only come out of those situations stronger. My mom deserves the world, she is the sweetest and funniest person I know and we have such a good time working and laughing together. Even though you may not see her on camera often, she is always assisting with something behind the scenes. She entertains all of my crazy ideas and new collections and she helps me figure out a way to bring them to life. I am also so proud of her because she has just launched her event business Party And A Bottle and I just love that we are able to help each other out when it comes to work. It is truly a blessing to work with the family members that are close to you. She plays a huge role in my life and my businesses and I thank her for that. I LOVE YOU MOMMY!

Website: https://www.smudgebyknicole.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_iamknicole/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/iamknicole

Image Credits
Devin Gaston Productions