Heather Kuba

The best career advice I've ever received came from my teachers throughout middle school and high school, and partially from my mom. They always advocated for me to get out of my turtle shell because I've always been so shy. They've known what I can do and they see what I'm capable of, and they always tried to get me to push the envelope, telling me that if I have it in my heart to do something, all I need to do is push and strive for it a little bit more. They taught me to trust my shell and trust my instincts. Career-wise, they told me to trust my gut into what I like to do, and if what I'm doing makes me feel like I'm doing something good in the world, if I've helped even a few people at the end of the day, then it makes my life worth living. I feel blessed that I can help other people and not just be into myself. People always tell me to follow my gut instincts, do what I love to do, and fashion was always one of those things, along with helping people. So they always tried to strive to get me out of my shell.

First, I would tell them to think about how they want to be treated when they walk into a store or when someone is selling to them. How do you want to be treated? That's how you want to sell. Always follow your gut and never ignore that feeling, because highly likely you always have senses in your body telling you this is the right direction. Follow your gut instincts, never ignore it, and always follow what your passion is. If that's what gets you up in the morning and gets you thriving, whether it's morning, mid-afternoon, or whenever your day starts, do what you love. You don't ever want to walk into a job or whatever you do and just hate it your entire time and dread it. Always do what you love, and even if it's remotely close to what you want to do, strive for that. For example, I would love to own a boutique, but I know the reality of owning your own business and I understand that's not a reality financially-wise. But you can strive close to what you'd like to do, if that's possible.

The biggest challenge right now is definitely the economy. A lot of people are having a really, really hard time trying to afford things. One opportunity that's kind of coming back is layaway, or what they call something else now, where you put items on hold and put a little money down here and there. That helps people afford things. Another opportunity is that companies are bringing in more sales throughout the year to help people afford things. There are so many sales now that didn't exist when I was a kid - back then, items were full price for a long time. These mid-year sales are actually better opportunities than Black Friday, which is not what it used to be. The economy is the major factor, especially with gas prices. Here in Illinois, our gas prices can go all the way up to between $4 to $5, almost $6. I miss the times when things were cheaper, way before COVID, and I'm hoping things get a little bit better so there's some kind of sunshine in the middle.

The values most important to me are definitely kindness and showing compassion for another person. Empathy is crucial, and just being there to listen. Being there for a human being when they need it. I understand that kindness is something people sometimes lack, and it's unfortunate that people have to put on t-shirts that say 'Be Kind' or 'Hug me if you need it' just to represent that they're willing to be caring and kind. I've always been raised to be kind to others and treat people the way you want to be treated. That's how I've always been, and that's probably why I fell into retail - to show everyone the kindness that everyone needs. We all need each other if you get down to it, and COVID kind of slapped us in the face with that reminder. We forgot that we do need each other. We need our personal time alone, but what drives us as human beings is that we all need each other.