Meet Akiyyah Williams | Co-owner of P.S Yours Truly

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

Hi Akiyyah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I wanted the ability to have a voice within an industry that is marked “taboo.” So many times, when we think of a adult pleasure toy store, we automictically think of over sexual individuals, someone extremely kinky etc. Yet we never think of the people that are in relationships who are seeking ways to spice up the intimacy within their relationships, women that have yet to find their own voices to be vocal with their partners about how they liked to be pleased, also women that have never taken time to understand their own bodies but set high expectations on their significant other to please them. No one can please you, if you don’t understand how, you like your body to be pleased. Singles that take a stance and don’t want to be sexually active in a sense but still want to create their own sexual love haven for themselves. That is why I started a pleasure toy store, not only to give all walks of life ways to please but also believe that fulfilling your sexual desires and pleasures is an important self-affirmation and overall great self-balance. In my store we welcome all identities, curiosities, and experience levels. Give them tips on setting the mood but also statistics behind the knowledge I am passing along to them. I love to educate my customers and get feedback from them as well.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My career was not planned, I was never the person that set out to be the lawyer or doctor. About 11 years ago I accidentally fell into my career in logistics and became in love with it. My background had always been in sales, this was a tad bit different. With that time being in the transportation (brokerage) specifically, it was hard I am African American and a woman in a white male dominated industry. Nothing was handed to me and many times, I was overlooked, setup for failure and deemed aggressive because I had to work 20 times harder just to prove myself. The beginning stages of my career was not easy, people did not want to take me as serious because I was a woman attempting to earn their business. I worked hard for a year and was on corrective action, basically on my way out the door if I did not land something big in the next 30 days. Then out of nowhere, I landed the biggest account at that time my office had seen. Overnight I went from overlooked to the person others wanted to be mentored by gain, knowledge from and now I inspired them. I attribute everything to never giving up, staying dedicated when I could have thrown in the towel and God. I always say, but God! He has brought me through the hardest times and before the twelfth hour strikes, he always is on time. After leaving brokerage I moved around the logistics world from being an Account Manager, Regional Sales Manager to Remarketing Logistics Specialist with GM Financial. The lessons that I have learned is that you never stop learning, always continue to sharpen yourself when it comes to your craft. Allow your work to speak for itself but also know that it is vital that you network. Half of life is what you know, and the remaining is who you know. Use both to your advantage to advance. Always remain true to your core values and virtues in life, life is nothing but a series of test within corporate America and outside corporate America. Remain you no matter what comes your way and never get lost in the mix trying to advance yourself. You matter, your values matter, what you stand on matters, do not waver on that for a better title or a percentage increase for your salary. Compromising who you are as an individual should never have a price tag.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Itinerary for a week, my best friend knows she would be pushing it! These are a few places I would take her to visit while she was here, because we love to dine, she loves seeing and learning more about our culture and we love cars especially fast ones. 

XOXO Diner 

Sugar Ridge Winer & Bistro Bristol
The 4 Eleven
Sundown At Granada
Indoor Skydiving
Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Texas Speedway
African American Museum of Dallas
Hiatus Spa + Retreat

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 shoutout my parents. Without their unconditional and unwavering love and support I would have never gotten this far. Throughout the years they have been my rock, my staple, my voice of reason, the greatest support system a person could pray for. Right, wrong, or indifferent they have always prayed for me and guided me in the right direction. My late aunt and uncle Martha Ann Graham and William Graham. These two people played an intricate role in my life from when I was a baby until adulthood, they meant the world to me. They never missed a graduation or anything I deemed important in my life. I promised them both before their passing I would do great and never let them down. I am standing on that, my family has taught me, it’s not on you it’s in you. I will accomplish everything I set my mind to accomplish.  I will live up to my name given to me at birth.

Website: www.psyourstrulycompany.com

Instagram: Psyourstruly_co

Image Credits
Emiko Williams