Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra.
Hi Kendra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
First of all, let me just say, the first step often seems impossible until you take it! You’ll either fail miserably or succeed beautifully; either way, at least you took action!
I started my journey as an artist in music, and I worked in the industry for quite some time, singing background vocals for indie artists such as Mylah, Jackie Bryant, and Mouthpeace; I also sang background vocals on Kandi Burruss’ show ‘The Kandi Factory’, interned for Tyrese Gibson, and worked with producers like Bryan Michael Cox, Hitboy, and many more. Met with The Dream and Christina Milian as they were putting together a girl group.
Fast forward to more than 10 years later, I got married, and with my husband being one of my biggest supporters, I talked with him about taking a major step; I was going to quit my job to focus on music. I was tired of missing incredible opportunities due to not being able to find someone to take over my shift. My job was in the way of my dream, and my husband realized this as well. He said he could see how unhappy I was.
I quit my job working for a chiropractor, and I would drive for Lyft/Uber to supplement the income I would be losing.
Now, my husband wanted to use the car I already had, but it was a little Nissan Versa, and I didn’t feel comfortable driving people around in it, especially since I am completely deaf in my right ear. I just felt like the car was super small and you can hear all the outside noises, so that, paired with music and conversations with passengers, I felt like it was a hazard. So we leased a car with Uber.
I put in my two- or three-month notice at work (I can’t remember exactly how much of a notice it was). During that time, I was training my favorite co-worker how to do my job so it would be a super simple transition when I left.
Once we got the car, though, I was ready!!! I just couldn’t wait. I told my job I quit on July 10, 2017, and they asked me if I could at least give them a day, so I did. My last day working there was Tuesday, July 11, 2017.
Now, I must admit, my decision was very emotional. I was upset because not only was this job in the way, but back in 2015, when I transferred from the Georgia location to the California location, I was lied to about the position I had applied for.
I was promised a full-time position at the company. Initially, I was offered a part-time position, but I let them know that, with me moving to a new location far more expensive, I would only accept a full-time position. I put in my two-week notice at my current job at the time, talked to the family I was staying with, and let them know I was leaving; they began the process to move to another, much smaller place, purchased my one-way plane ticket, and I also had Journey (my car) shipped to California.
Well, one week before my departure, I got my work schedule, and it was part-time hours.
I immediately called to inquire about my hours; there had to be a mistake. But guess what? It wasn’t.
Apparently, the manager I interviewed with misinformed me and offered me a position that was not available.
I was livid. Everything was in motion; there was nothing I could do but leave and make it work.
Once I got to California, the company told me that they had fired the manager I interviewed with, and once a full-time position opened up, it was mine.
That was a lie.
Positions kept opening up, and I was looked over for someone’s friend or family member who had nothing to do with the company. I did all I could to be considered for a full-time position, took on extra shifts, went outside of my job description and offered marketing ideas that I also implemented.
After almost a year, when a full-time position opened up, they had me commute two hours away to another clinic, knowing a position was about to open up just 15 minutes away from my home. So I felt betrayed. let down, and bamboozled.
But let’s talk about how on the last day of my job, my phone screen just went blank, and then my apps stopped working. I would need my phone to drive for Uber/Lyft. I had some money saved up and this took money out from that. Then to make matters worse, Saturday, July 15, 2017 I got into a 3-car accident on the freeway and was now unable to drive for Lyft.
I was devastated, I was lost and confused. What was I gonna do now?
I had no job and no way of creating income.
Now my husband would have to come out of pocket to get the car fixed and take over driving Lyft to keep the income stable.
While I was home recovering from the accident, I was in a really bad place. Not only did I not stick to the plan, but I also quit my job earlier than planned; I didn’t have a lot of money saved up, the car was wrecked, and I was not making any money from music.
I’m thinking to myself, “What in the world have I just done?”.
Then something happened that was totally unexpected *Trigger Warning: talking about child loss*:
I had a miscarriage with what would have been our first child together.
There was so much going on, and to be honest, music was the last thing on my mind. I knew I needed to do something, and fast.
Being a woman of Faith, I Prayed and asked for guidance. Making music was all I’ve ever wanted to do, so now what?
That night, I went into a doom scroll session, and the first post I saw when I logged into Facebook was a meme posted by my friend about throwing business showers for our friends. Something immediately lit up in my soul!
I loved to celebrate! My husband will tell you; I’ll celebrate Red Hat in a Box Day! lol And naturally, whenever someone started a new venture, I was there ready to help in any way that I could. So starting a business doing something I was passionate about would be just what I needed. That’s when my company Rise 2 Glow was birthed. The idea is that you have to rise up to get to the glow up!
Well, just like most of us do, I let fear get in the way. How would I even begin a venture such as this? I’ve never started a business, and I would be the first person in my family to do it. So I sat on the idea for a while.
Then one day I got the urge to go all in! I became a member of a non-profit organization called ‘FemWINism ‘- the idea of loving to see another woman win. Those women inspired me so much with all they were doing, and they gave me the push that I needed to get my business started.
But wouldn’t you know, as soon as I got the momentum in getting my business going, the world shut down. Yes, 2020, the year that changed all of our lives forever.
A friend of mine gave me the idea to host virtual showers, and I actually did host 2, but it just wasn’t the same. The concept was so new and fresh that I wanted to do it in person. So again, I Prayed and asked for guidance on what to do next.
Later that day, a friend of mine who I met through FemWinism randomly asked me if I had considered offering virtual assistant services. That was perfect for me because it was work that I was familiar with and surprisingly enjoyed. So I began offering virtual assistant services, but after working with a couple clients, I realized they actually needed a social media manager.
I then began offering SM services, and I soon learned that a lot of small business owners didn’t have their brands organized and put together, which led me to want to start a marketing boutique. A quaint but very valuable boutique to help small businesses get what they need for their business babies to thrive! I have a lot of knowledge and experience to share, and I have many connections that can help as well.
So, that’s how it all began for me. I am now building my brand up again as I took some time off to become a mommy for the second time! I wanted to make sure, first of all, I was spending a good amount of time with my firstborn, who would no longer be an only child, and then get acclimated to being a mommy of two!
Welcome to the beginning of my marketing boutique journey!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth where?! Haha!
This whole process to becoming a business owner has been a complete faith walk. I am the first person in my family to become a business owner, and each new level I reach seems to bring challenges that make me rethink all of my life choices daily!
From starting in the music industry to quitting my secure 9-5, getting into a car accident, running into a Panini (the pandemic), and having to start over, this has been no cakewalk. But honestly, I have that entrepreneur spirit that won’t allow me to work for someone else’s dreams long-term. I have many dreams of my own that will not be easy to get to, but I am confident that staying the course will be rewarding for not just me, but those I am called to serve and generations to come in my family that will also want to pursue entrepreneurship. My goal is to build generational wealth!
We’ve been impressed with Rise 2 Glow, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When most small business owners hear the word marketing, they most likely break out in hives, then completely avoid it! That’s horrible if you’re working to build a business.
I love to celebrate, make things enjoyable that usually aren’t, and bring a fresh new perspective to help people think of things in a different way. I know that marketing can be a daunting task for business owners, but my goal is to bring some joy to it and make it fun!! I enjoy working with business owners who have creative businesses that are not really known or appreciated but bring great value to the world.
My marketing boutique is being rebuilt to offer services that will help business owners shed light on their brands and clearly let their people know what problems they are solving.
I help build creative marketing strategies for both in-person and social media and create content plans that clearly present what businesses offer and how they transform lives. I also offer social media management to help business owners get the most out of posting their businesses online. I am The Business Doula, helping business owners build their businesses from birth (The idea phase) to the postpartum phase (The launch and presentation to the world)!
I am working to adding services to build out websites, create logos, and offer audits and consults to business owners who actually don’t mind doing the work, but either don’t have the time or creativity to plan out what needs to be executed.
My goal is to help as many business babies glow as I can!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Can we bring back bartering?!
No, but seriously, as I am currently rebuilding my business to become a marketing boutique, I am so open to collaborating with other small business owners who are building as well. I am open to offer marketing services in exchange for products that I can use to create content with, and get prepared for brand deals, trademark attorney services, supplies and resources needed to grow my marketing boutique.
But also, if you are a business owner who wants to focus more on what you love than marketing and not deal with all the social media noise, I would love to serve you and your business baby by offering my marketing strategies and social media management services!
My website is currently under construction, but feel free to check out my socials, I am most active on Instagram and YouTube, @rise2glow is my handle for both platforms!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rise2glow
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rise2glow
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rise2glow
