Meet Tierra Laray | Serial Entrpreneur

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

Hi Tierra, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting Kissed by Tierra Laray was simply wanting time freedom, financial freedom, and creating a legacy. I would talk about wanting to start a business for years but i never really took the time to sit down and research what i would need to do. I always assumed it would be expensive and when i ran across some money i would get the ball rolling on whatever business i was to start. Fast forward to me being pregnant and preparing to leave work to have the baby. I only had 6weeks of maternity leave so i decided to get a work from home job to be home with my baby. That was great until my son started getting older requiring more of my attention. At that point i really needed to be able to have time freedom to move how i want to move when i want to move without worrying about losing my job. That’s when i started taking myself serious and sat down and came up with a game plan to start my business. I realized that i don’t want my son to have to go through the struggles i went through trying to survive this world. I know i have to create a way for him and leave a legacy so that he can thrive. I do it to be able to take those naps when i want, play with my son when he wants to play, take a trip whenever i want without having to put in a request that can possibly get denied even though i worked hard for the time off. That is my thought process when it comes to starting and running my business.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Kissed by Tierra Laray is a brand that is all about self love and finding that balance. As a single mother I understand how hard it can be to self love. Trust me I know how important self care is. We need that time to love on ourselves and maybe buy that outfit we always wanted or put on those lashes and lipgloss. Doing that for ourselves is soo important because we can’t pour from an empty cup. We can’t raise up our community properly if we aren’t pouring that love into ourselves first. Being a mom sometimes we neglect ourselves because we put everyone else first. KBTL’s motto is #HaveYouBeenKissed Today. I’m asking that question in a clever way that of course is a play on my Brand name but when i ask that question i am really asking “Have you self cared today”, “Have you loved on yourself today”? Being able to tap into a community of women, just like myself who go through the same struggles of not feeling sexy after having and raising kids, and to be able to help them get their sexy back with a flirty outfit or a cute lipgloss color. That’s the flex. That’s what i am most proud of. Running a business in a very over-saturated industry isn’t easy at all. It really takes a community of supporters, business friends who understand your journey that you can bounce ideas off of and vent to, as well as business mentors who help you not to make the same mistakes they made along the way. That’s the tea, that’s the formula! The biggest lesson i have learned is to not think you can do it all on your own. Rely on your community to help you succeed along the way.

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?
Atlanta Ga is a hotspot for dope spots to do pretty much anything that you may be into. If i had a friend visiting for a week and they have never been i would definitely make sure that we first hit up a package store so we can stock up on wine cause trust there will be plenty of sip and chats while they are visiting. I’m taking them to six flags on one of the slow weekdays so that we can get our big kid fix. Being that i am a content creator i would make sure that we hit up Skyview, Ponce City Market, the Beltline, and the selfie museum. We would get our competitive juices flowing with a few rounds of bowling at The Painted Pin on Friday night. Saturday we would go out to dinner and drinks at Atlantis or Suite lounge and go to edgewood for the after party chill spot Hookah Hideaway. Brunch is a must in Atlanta so we would wrap up our super dope week with one of the best brunch spots that i have been to that almost converted me from sugar grits to regular grits, Atlanta breakfast club.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to shout out my silent (emphasis on silent ) business partner a.k.a my brother Juno Perion. He has not only help fund my business start up but he has always motivated me and made sure that i was staying on track by checking in on me and providing that shoulder to lean on when i needed it. Thank you to Daymond John for writing such an inspirational book as Rise and Grind. I have the audiobook and Rise and Grind is definitely my Mantra. I would also like to thank my friends who have motivated me, spoke life into me, and supported me on my business journey specifically my sis RaeMa Life who is always a comforting and enchanting soul to connect with, my business sisters associated with Black and Busy Sip n Shop who motivate me every time i see them post their businesses and a youtuber by the name of Nikki Neal. Her how to start a business series was very on time and helpful for me first starting my business. Also a BIG shout out and a million and one kisses to my whole heart, my son Sir Princeton who’s smile alone is enough to make me move mountains. I am truly thankful for you all and know that the work that you all have put in and put out has touched at least one person in a positive uplifting way! Much love

Website: https://linktr.ee/KissedbyTierraLaray

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tierra_laray

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tierralaray

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TLarayW

Other: www.kissedbytierralaray.com