Seriya K. Rymer is the daughter of Minister for Communications and Works, Honourable Kye M. Rymer (R5) and Suzanne Rymer; and granddaughter of well-known businesswoman and VI icon, Patsy C. Lake.

The family she has been birthed into does not necessarily mean that her bread is buttered. In fact, according to Seriya, she was taught that nothing is achieved without hard work and perseverance.

“I grew up in One Stop Mall where business runs through your veins from an early age. This early exposure pushed me because I never had the option of sitting down and doing nothing.”

“When I first started, my family let me know that being a businesswoman means that profit and loss are two sides of the same coin and you must take the bitter with the sweet.”

Seriya is the owner of Stick To Me, a locally owned business that sells breast tape, strapless underwear, and pasties. Along with her younger sister Koiya, co-owner of Gas Affiliation, which has merged biker apparel with creative fashion trends.

Stick To Me

Stick To Me, according to Seriya, is a “breast lift tape company”. She stands by her product that the adhesives are waterproof and hypoallergenic. “In this BVI heat, you can confidently wear your Stick To Me and it will not shift or fall off.”

The inspiration for Stick To Me came to Seriya after a slightly embarrassing experience attending a night out at the Festival Village “I was dancing having a good time, when my silicone stick on bra stopped sticking and it spoiled my entire night”.

Seriya said that experience prompted her to start researching. The young entrepreneur said it took her about 6 to 9 months to find the ideal prototype, then Stick To Me was field tested and given the green light for mass production. Stick to Me was launched in 2019 and it has been a tremendous success for female empowerment.

Challenges

Seriya said in the beginning, clients were skeptical of her product, “especially with me a young woman trying to convince customers who had never used a product like Stick to Me or who had, had a bad experience with a similar type of product.”

She admitted that despite all her marketing she had to give products away free of charge in order to get the buzz going. “And that’s how small businesses work, you have to be able to expect some losses before you can begin to see wins and start making a name for yourself in the community and that’s what I was able to do.”

Stick To Me is located at One Stop Mall and has a website: www.sticktome.shop.

Gas Affiliation

Seriya described Gas Affiliation, which she co-owns with her sister Koiya Rymer as an exclusive bike apparel company. Seriya and her sister recognized that bike life is a very big part of the Virgin Islands community, “and we thought, why not highlight that?”

Gas Affiliation has successfully launched two collections “12 O’clock in the Tropics and Green Light.” “Our goal is to make everything ‘pop’ so people can feel seen in these statement pieces,” Seriya added.

One of the hottest products is the biker goggles, which can be found in different colours to coordinate with the apparel. The biker products are also recognized internationally, as overseas customers have been placing orders (www.gasaffiliation.com) to get in on the trends that the BVI is setting. “It’s also a great way of promoting the BVI.”

Seriya added that the long-term plan for the business is to make it “internationally”, because she believes in both of the products and the future of BVI business. 

“Stick To Me”, is a product that every woman needs and, Gas Affiliation has filled a niche that locals, tourists, Caribbean and international partners love.

Inspiration

Seriya says her parents are her greatest inspiration, “I appreciate them, because if I had different family members, I would have probably been spoilt, and my business would not have taken off as far as it has.”

Our Young Professional shared that her dad always advises her to do things the right way and to ensure her business focuses on promoting positivity.

She described her mom as behind the scenes but says she is the person who really brings everything together. “In my business, my mom is my number one quality control guru, ensuring my products are advertised in a professional way.”

Hobbies?

Seriya quickly replied they are attending to my small businesses, "Because this is my passion, developing new products, looking for ways to better my current products, and keeping in contact with my clients because they are the people that I aim to please."

Advice to young people

Seriya advises young people wishing to become an entrepreneur to start small and give it your all. “When I initially started, I could not afford to launch everything that I wanted all at once. Which helped her to understand supply and demand."

“The second thing I would say is just go for it. There are some people with great ideas out there, but they just don’t go for it. When I initially started, some people told me it was never going to work and just don’t bother with it, and now those people are my biggest customers!”