Lekitria Joshua, a 22-year-old entrepreneur from Tallahassee, turned a satisfying hobby into a business.
Joshua, a Lincoln High graduate, attends Tallahassee Community College. She relies on her business to pay for school and other expenses.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Joshua started creating custom products in her spare time. After posting some items on social media, she caught the attention of family and friends, asking for her services. She broadened her offerings and created Designed by K, a custom gift shop that offers shirts, cups, stickers, promotional business products and jeweled items.
“Creating innovative custom products for my family and friends was fun for me. After an overwhelming amount of support, I saw the potential that this could be another source of income, so I decided to turn my hobby into a small business,” Joshua said.
D’Shay Pressley, Joshua’s close friend, supports her business.
“I’m beyond proud of Kitria. I’m happy to see one of my closest friends bring her creativity to life,” Pressleysaid. “I have already made multiple purchases from Designed by K, and she has never disappointed me. Kitria is one of the most goal-driven people I know and has been able to bring smiles to tons of people with her business. I wish her the best with her business, and I will continue to support her.”
This business venture doesn’t feel like a job to Joshua. She feels she is truly working in her calling and receiving the ultimate self-satisfaction.
“Making custom products gives me anxiety relief and peace. It is very calming for me,” Joshua said. “It puts me in a deep place of solitude and relaxation that I don’t get anywhere else. I zone out from the world, and I find myself in a comforting space. I call it my happy place. It’s just me in a positive mood focusing on my craft and throwing all of my life’s problems out the window for a moment.”
Nikitria Joshua, Joshua’s mother, is inspired by her.
“It makes me very proud to see that she has turned her hobby into a business,” Joshua said. “I’m happy to see that she has decided to do something that she not only like doing but enjoy. It’s an inspiration for me actually and makes me want to venture out and do something of my own.”
Joshua is proud of her accomplishments, but she is proudest of customer satisfaction.
“Seeing my customers’ reactions gives me a sense of accomplishment being able to make someone else happy by following through with their vision; that’s the ultimate satisfaction,” Joshua said. “Especially when my products come out exactly as I intend them to, it’s an undesirable feeling.”
Joshua plans to use Etsy to expand Designed by K’s reach to more people in prominent cities.