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

Hi Maiya, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea for my company, DUFFLEBOX, one day when she came home from Cross Country practice during her senior year at Georgia State University. Due to my busy schedule, I realized that I didn’t have any clean and functional underwear or any proper nutrition for her performance. I started the company to address the fundamental problem I believed existed in the sports industry. I believe disadvantaged athletes lacked basic resources to enhance their performance. An affordable subscription box for athletes with a buy-one, give-one model could help alleviate that problem.

 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For work, I am a Business Application Analyst. I received my Bachelor’s from Georgia State University where I double-majored in Computer Information Systems and Managerial Sciences. I was able to intern with the company I currently work for a year before I was hired. Although it wasn’t easy, I definitely learned to apply yourself.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
If my best friend was visiting the city I would take them to and Atlanta United game since I haven’t even been yet myself. I would do all of the “touristy” things in Atlanta like going to the High Museum, Slutty Vegan,etc.

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 like to give a shoutout to my mentor, Aeshia Devore-Branch. She is the Founder/CEO of Pretty Girls Sweat. I learned a lot about what it takes to run an organization from her and she has helped me with a lot of opportunities.

Website: www.dufflebox.co
Instagram: @dufflebox

Image Credits
Photographer: Raphael Simien