Kimberly Nichols is the founder of Kimmy’s Kreations. Thanks to her seasonings and tasty dishes, the former military officer has made a name for herself on social media and among foodies. She has cultivated a loyal following after venturing into the food and authorship fields. Interestingly, she sold 15,000 copies of her second book, which she worked on with two fellow food enthusiasts.
Nichols said she didn’t get into cooking until she was 18 years old and got married. Over time, she became a friend who fed everyone, including a whole Navy ship during her active service.
“I didn’t really get into [cooking] until I was 18, when I became married to a kid within a year. Cooking, I say loosely because I would make boxed macaroni and cheese, rice—things that I could just throw together, but I wanted to be the mom who could cook and bake cakes and decorate them,” she told Ebony.
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“That was my goal, and as the years went by, I [became] the friend that fed everybody. I used to feed the whole ship in the Navy. I would bring food and desserts in, and I just kept doing that. I just kept on practicing and trying new things and honestly, a lot of stuff I was doing I was learning while posting on social media.”
According to Nichols, she shared her creations on social media and received numerous responses. She however noted that the period was sometimes difficult for her because people kept dropping negative comments.
“And my oldest is 13 so he can read the negative comments as well. And getting paid my worth. Black women are top tier but everywhere else they want to give us pennies on the dollar compared to what they would give other creatives. It’s been hard sometimes having to turn down big things, but if you don’t want to give me what I’m worth, I will turn it down,” she told Ebony.
Touching on how she built her online business, she noted that she had to stay consistent while improving her content across all social media platforms. Financial literacy was key to her success, she stressed.
Nichols plans to transition her business from online to a physical location. And she hopes to do so this year or early next year. “A lot of my followers don’t trust buying things online, and I completely understand the convenience of going food shopping and just grabbing seasoning there,” she said.
