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

Hi Kennedy, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The decision to understand that my mindset controls my external world is the most important thing that contributed to my success. My mindset controls everything about me; how I think, act, feel and maneuver through my life. As cliché as it may sound, I know that I can achieve anything I put my mind too. If I can envision it in my mind, it can become tangible. All I have to do is believe that it will come true, and it will.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Stationery Black offers notebooks that are inspired by the daily lives of black people. Along with illustrative notebooks, we offer custom notebooks. I am most proud that I was able to sell over 800 notebooks world-wide, with only 2 years in business. Being in business was especially hard when I first started. This was because I took critiques and “no’s” very personally. I now understand that nothing is personal , and that a “no” can simply mean ,a “not right now”. I want the world to see black people represented on all medias, not just TV or sports, but simple things we use everyday such as, notebooks.

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?
For breakfast I would take my friend to the Atlanta breakfast club. I would take my friends to top golf for a fun activity. We would also stop by the botanical gardens, downtown, and end the day at the AMC at Phipps plaza, or the Starlight drive-in movie theatre.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My support from Creating our Future Inc & it’s CEO (Brittany Moore) has been awesome. It was because of her that I had my first vendor event. She has supported both my business and over the years. I also want to give a shoutout to my previous boss at State Farm Insurance, Ms. Taryn Lawrence. She taught me a lot about sales and communicating with prospective clients/ customers.

Website: https://www.stationeryblack.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StationeryBlack

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackstationery/

Other: TikTok: @stationeryblack

Image Credits
Paris Elijah

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