Celebrating National American Business Women’s Day: Saysha Satterfield

By Tanya Wiker-Johnson, ECDI Board Member, Promotions Committee

In honor of National American Business Women’s Day, ECDI is highlighting a local woman whose story is about much more than owning a business. It’s about taking risks, keeping promises, creating community, overcoming doubt, and refusing to quit.

Meet Saysha Satterfield of Kin’Folk Axe Throwing.  Kin’Folk didn’t begin with a building. It started in July 2021, in the middle of COVID, with a mobile axe throwing trailer and a promise Saysha made to her now husband and business partner, Jimmy: “If you buy it, I’ll make it successful.” Four months later, they were able to put money down on a brick-and-mortar location, which opened in January 2022.

But entrepreneurship wasn’t completely new to Saysha. Years before Kin’Folk, she operated an online transcription business working with qualitative research for doctoral and master’s students around the world. Still, she never pictured herself running a physical entertainment venue. Today, she does a little bit of EVERYTHING. Social media promoter, Marketing Manager, Accountant, Event planner and booking coordinator, Supply ordering, Beer and liquor ordering, Axe coaching…and when necessary, she’ll even jump behind the bar or handle the door. And she does it while maintaining a full-time career as a department head in a nursing facility.

When I asked Saysha how she balances all of it, her answer might have been the most relatable answer of the entire interview: “I don’t think I do. I just do it.” But what was impressive wasn't how much she does. It was WHY she does it.

The Heart Behind Teen Night

Saysha had the idea for Teen Night for nearly two years before finally taking the leap. She was nervous. She questioned whether she could do it. But after seeing young people in the community getting into trouble and recognizing how few places teens had to simply BE, she decided fear couldn't be the reason she didn't try.

Today, she wants Teen Night to be more than entertainment. She wants young people to have a safe place where they can be their authentic selves without fear of judgment, while learning accountability, respect and life skills. Whether that means helping someone find a job, teaching them how to tie a tie, helping them understand a checkbook or simply being an adult willing to listen, she wants Kin’Folk to be part of helping young people succeed.

Building In Someone’s Honor

Saysha also credits the late Donna Burgess with helping shape Kin’Folk. She described Donna as her “partner in crime” and the person whose smile greeted everyone who walked through the door. Donna brought previous business experience and helped Saysha learn about finances, organization and running the operation. Although their time working together was far too short, something that sticks with her: “Live in her honor.”

The Reality Of Entrepreneurship

One misconception Saysha would quickly clear up? Owning a business does not automatically mean you’re rich. Growth takes time. There are failures. There are long days. There are disappointments. She admits she’ll sulk about something for a day. But then? She sleeps on it, wakes up and says: “All right. Let’s figure out a plan.” That may be the best description of entrepreneurship there is. You don't have to get everything right. You just have to be willing to learn, adjust and keep moving. 

When I asked what she would tell another woman who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur but is afraid, She said: “If you don’t take risks, you never know what you can blossom into.” She also said, “If it’s something that you’re passionate about, you just got to go for it. There’s going to be failures along the way, and you just have to learn from them and keep going.”

For Saysha, being a woman in business means overcoming the odds, including assumptions about what women can or cannot accomplish. She’s independent. She’s resilient. She’s willing to be different. And she has no intention of changing herself simply to fit into somebody else’s idea of who she should be. “I will always be the one that stands out. And maybe that’s exactly the point. Businesswomen don't all have to look alike, lead alike, speak alike or build alike. Sometimes the woman building something important is the one willing to stand outside the box, take the criticism, learn from the mistakes, keep showing up and create something her community didn't have before.

Saysha’s vision extends beyond Kin’Folk. She wants Elizabeth City to thrive. She wants visitors to have reasons to come here. She wants other businesses to succeed even, as she laughingly acknowledged, the people who may not particularly like her.  Because ultimately, her philosophy is simple: “Never focus on the dollar. Focus on your customers, and the dollar will come.”

So on National American Business Women’s Day, we celebrate Saysha Satterfield, wife, mother, professional, entrepreneur, community advocate, risk-taker, problem-solver and a woman who made a promise to make something work…and continues showing up to do exactly that. 

Here’s to the women who take the risk. The women who hear “you won’t make it” and keep building anyway. The women who create opportunities for themselves and make room for others along the way.

Happy National American Business Women’s Day! 

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