Meet Eliagne Batista | Full time worker & small business owner of a swim boutique

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

Hi Eliagne, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I work a full time job a 9-5 and it definitely gets hard balancing my personal life, my small business, and my job. I´ve been working since I was 17 years old always been very independent. I feel like it gets difficult with work because not everyone believes in your dreams or thinks you can succeed at being your own boss and think a 9-5 is what you need to survive and thats not the case. Most of my sales are during the weekend and it’s not always easy because I’m exhausted mentally from a tough week at work. Recently I had to ask my for permission to work from home on fridays which is my busiest day and thankfully im able to now and having one friday a week is how im able to balance and be able to provide my clients the best service possible. The only pro to working weekdays is that im able to have weekends off which is when most events happen.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started EBKINIS in March 2021 when I decided I wanted to bring in swimwear that’s both affordable and good quality. Our bikinis range from $36-$45 talk about a steal!! Miami is known to be very expensive and not all of us can afford a bikini set that’s $ 100+ for that reason I wanted to be your local swimwear go-to small business that you can count on to bring you the best of both worlds! Inexpensive and quality that will last years! I am home-based but I offer my customers same-day pickups and fast shipping. I run the business myself and sell on Instagram with the help of my fiancé. All swimwear is handmade locally in Miami FL since 1997. I shopped for myself when I was in high school 7 years ago from my whole seller. Then fast forward to 2021, I wanted to have something of my own, where I get to call myself a boss babe. The idea literally came to me overnight I always thought to myself ¨okay what can I offer that I myself have trusted for years?¨ And BOOM the bikinis I´ve been buying for so long! Why not share with my Miami locals and people outside of Miami a product that’s going to not be just one-time wear and then get rid of it because the quality wasn’t good enough. We offer QUALITY. I can proudly say I have yet to receive a bad review or comment from a customer. EBKINIS is not just a bikini shop, it’s a place where we listen to our customers and what they are looking for to wear for their vacation, event, pool day, etc. And just like every business, we have slow season and high season. I remember in 2022 I wanted to give up I didn’t feel motivated and sales were down. I was in my head for a week thinking about what can I do to get more exposure and my brand known. I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and work HARDER. I started collaborations with influencers, got booked for events, pop-up shops, and networking, and met amazing people along the way. Networking is KEY. I have the best clients and I know they trust me and for that, I’m forever grateful! I love to show my appreciation to my followers by doing giveaways, sales, and even random story giveaways for example when I have a new color that I’m adding or bringing in a new collection I give them the opportunity to guess what it could be and the winner gets a free bikini of choice! Anyone who has purchased from us knows they can reach out to me any time of the day with a last-minute request needing a bikini or coverup and I’m there! Miami is a very busy city, also known as the city to party and I´ve had customers send a Uber to pick up their order for a last-minute event or boat party. LITERALLY. That’s what makes EBKINIS unique. We can have other individuals doing the same thing as you but we all have that ONE special thing in why your customers choose YOU and return to you. EBKINIS has so much to offer and so many ideas in the works it’s going to be a very busy and exciting 2023 summer! Every single person who has supported my small business with a like, a follow, a share, or buying our products is appreciated so much! We love you all!

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.
If my best friend is visiting Miami for the first time we are definitely going out to brunch at Bistro Cafe the BEST breakfast spot the portions are HUGE and the food flavor is so yummy! What makes them stand out is their unique drinks for sure! Since brunch ends early and we’re in Miami we’re hopping on a boat to enjoy the weather and party while we drink some more and have a good time! After were nice and tan from our boat day were going to end the night at one of my favorite bars/restaurant el otro tiesto Miami now there they know how to party and the Spanish music is on point and the food is beyond delicious. Always good vibes at that place.

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?
The person I´d like to thank who´s been my #1 supporter since I started EBKINIS is my fiancé. When I first started this business I had no idea if I was going to fail or succeed and that was a scary feeling. We’re all afraid of starting from 0 but it takes courage, and support from your loved ones the people who truly BELIEVE in you to give you that extra push, to take that risk, and just go for it! There aren’t enough words to express how much my fiancee has helped me build this from the ground up. I like to call my fiance my “manager” and we laugh about it because in a way he is, he helps me make better choices when it comes to the amount I´m investing in and helps me decide what I should add to EBKINIS, for example, what colors that are in style or what material is good or not. I believe in his past life he was some type of fashion designer (he will kill me when he reads this because he´s always dreamed of being a football player for the Miami Dolphins) haha! when it comes to choosing what bikini style to bring in I ask for his opinion and we always agree on the same product. He’s been there for me at every single pop-up shop and event, I can’t thank him enough. Without him and his positive attitude, always telling me how proud of me he is this wouldn’t be possible. I also want to thank my brother-in-law, Sin Silva because he put in a word for me at Amavi Miamis event back in 2021 where I got to showcase my bikinis for the first time ever! I had just started my business 2 months prior and I never thought that my first event bringing EBKINIS live for everyone to see was going to be as successful as it was! Huge thank you to my best friend Cynthia, when I came to her with the idea of starting a bikini business and told me ¨do it!¨ I remember talking to her about it saying ¨what if I don’t make sales what if people don’t choose me¨ she told me as long as I didn’t give up and gave it time I will succeed. Even with her encouragement, I wasn’t sure if I had the courage of opening up the Instagram account and announcing it to the world about starting my own business but I did it! I needed that push from her, she believed in me when I wasn’t sure if I believed in myself. A special thank you to my family who ALWAYS see how hard-working and determine I am. The support of my parents means everything to me. They want me to open up a store but I haven’t reached that level YET however it will come sooner than later! Mom and Dad, I promise you that your wish of me to open up my own swimwear store one day will come true.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebkinis/?hl=en