We were lucky to catch up with Ayata Colbert recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ayata, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

The word Collaborative is when two or more people come together to work towards a particular purpose. I totally believe that in order to accomplish something great, you can’t do it alone. You need a team, or that one person to create synergy with to accomplish that “one thing”. Collaborative events was birth during the pandemic, I moved back to Florida in 2020 and it was during a time where many individuals (including myself) were figuring out their next move. Ironically, this was a time where many individuals became entrepreneurs. Folks had a lot of time being at home, so they were creating. I wanted to create a space/spaces where I can work with small business and entrepreneurs to network and come together with other like-minded individuals along with the community, to share their business and grow their network. I tried to think of a word to describe my mission, and the word “collaborative” was as clear as day. I was doing this through various events, so that’s where the “Collaborative events” came from.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a mother of 4 kids. Born in Kingston, Jamaica. I would consider myself as someone with great resilience. I’m really proud of the woman I have become, and still becoming despite the many adversities I’ve had to face. Some would say I’m fun, but very no nonsense when it comes to business.  I’ve been in the Real Estate industry as a Mortgage Broker for almost 20 years. I help clients secure financing for Residential Real Estate. Mostly doing business in California, but expanded to Florida in the last year.  In 2020, I relocated back to Florida from California while experiencing a major life transition. This transition gave me time to dig deep into other gifts that I didn’t know were sitting dormant. While I love my career as a Mortgage Professional, I feel there is so much more for me to accomplish as an individual, and didn’t want my experience of being in the Mortgage Business to be the only thing that defined me as an individual.  I wanted to build on the skills I developed over the years, and expand my brand. We all have gifts, and in life, we can sometimes let fear cripple us from stepping out into the unknown.  I’ve always understood the need to connect with people, as networking is naturally part of what I do. I started Collaborative Events in 2022.  It felt natural, as I was looking to fill a void from what I was missing leaving my network in California. Through that, I decided to create a Network & Mingle event as a space for local entrepreneurs/small business owners to come together. A safe space for like-minded individuals to grow and connect!  I also have marketplace events, which is a platform for small business owners & service providers to share their brand and connect with the community.  I’m so proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in a short period of time with no major budget and advertising. I genuinely love bringing people together, and want to see everybody win. To see positive things happening as a result of my efforts is very rewarding.  I’m currently working on some exciting projects, and can’t wait to share with everyone. This is only the beginning. Stay tuned!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is a tricky one, as there are so many of us fighting to be seen in our perspective spaces. I consider myself a newbie to maneuvering to the whole social media process. I don’t get it right all the time, but I incorporate my sales skills which has been successful to the growth I have experienced so far. I take a very organic approach, which works for me. I’m very hands on. and take a personal approach with reaching out to individuals. I send out personal introductions via DM and Facebook to introduce myself, I a lot time in the evenings to scout out social media to study brands to see if I want to connect with them, I send out invites when I’m having events to individuals i want to attend, or collaborate with. Most of my success have come from people I met through social media who believed in what I was doing and supported me. My advice would be to not be scared to do the work. It takes a lot of time and energy, but it’s worth it. Everyone wants to go fast, but anything successful takes time. Be willing to build one brick at a time!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’m a strong believer in authenticity. “Nothing is better than being comfortable in your own skin” Following through with what I say I’m going to do is important to me. I take this same approach into my personal relationships, just as I do in business. I’m really big on relationship building, as you don’t know who will play an impact in your success in the future.  All of the sponsors and supporters have come through people seeing and believing the mission, and how I articulate my goals and ideas. I’ve successfully gained valuable relationships with business owners, and individuals who didn’t have to take a chance in collaborating with me.  This speaks volumes! I use this same approach in the Mortgage Business, with my clients and partners.  I send out thank you cards, follow-up emails, phone calls, I make it my mission to be sure my clients know I appreciate their business and support. Personal touch matters, it’s becoming a lost art as most focus only on the financial gain.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.collaborativeevents.net
• Instagram: @_collaborativeevents @yatalyttle @closewithayata
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collaborativeeventss/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayata-colbert-ab80892a/