Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kika Claude. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kika, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
I wish I had started sooner! For the backstory, I thought I wanted to be an attorney since my teenage years. Everything I did was geared towards attending and graduating law school. I sped through college, taking as many classes as I could, just to graduate in 3 years and attend law school. I was the youngest person in my class!
Law school was not at all what I thought it would be, and it was such a disappointment. Still, I continued, graduated, and started working in Human Rights law. It was draining. As much as I loved being able to make a difference in the world, the mental impact was not good for me.
So I took what my parents describe as a “career break” (because deep down they still hope that one day I will go back to law). I started working in hospitality and decided to get a Master’s degree. I genuinely enjoyed my work, because it led to meeting new and amazing people. Plus I was able to do a whole lot of traveling. I had studied abroad in college, and taken a few trips during and after law school, but I felt like a whole new world opened up for me when I decided to work in hospitality… And that’s really what launched everything. I would share albums with hundreds of pictures from my travels on Facebook. My captions on the Facebook photos would be long and detailed… My friends started joking that I was always on a plane. People would start text conversations with “where in the world are you today?”. I would also get a lot of requests from friends and family members to help them plan trips. People would randomly ask me for recommendations.
I resisted starting a blog for a while because I felt that it would make me vulnerable. I have learned over the years that if you don’t allow criticism, you don’t allow growth. Even as a travel curator, I initially wondered if my services would really be needed. One of the first trips I officially curated was for an acquaintance’s coworker! This was someone I had never even met in person, yet she trusted me to plan her trip to Costa Rica.
Even the freelancing I do now (being a translator, interpreter, proof-reader, and notary public among other things) took a while to take off. I overthink all of my plans and projects a lot, and I need to learn to just start things when ideas first pop into my head.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Kika and I run Sometimes Kika Travels. I like to refer to myself as a part-time traveler and full-time dreamer. When I was younger, I really thought I wanted to be an attorney. However, the law school experience turned out to be much different from what I had imagined. I completely changed industries when I started working in hospitality. I started with spas, then I worked for one of the top multi-national hotel chains in the world, and very recently, I was encouraged back into the spa industry. This allows me more flexibility to work on my personal endeavors and build my brand. I decided to start a business after careful planning and consideration of everything it would entail. A lot of my friends and family members were very encouraging, first with the blog, and now with my expanding business.
What I think sets me apart from others are the personalization (because I tailor my services to my clients), and the human aspects. All of my clients know that I am a real person, and I deliver quality in everything I do. That’s valid for interpreting, translating, notarizing, writing my blog, or curating trips. I always put myself in the shoes of the person I’m working for. If something would not be good enough for me and my high standards, then it is not good enough for someone paying me. I always ensure that my clients are satisfied. The fact that I’m multilingual is an additional bonus. It makes it easier to communicate with clients, and also providers, all over the world.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to let go of the idea of perfection. Growing up I was definitely an overachiever and a people-pleaser, because I thought that’s what would lead to success. I was adamant on always portraying this perfect image of the girl who has it all together and excels at everything. And honestly, that was exhausting! I know now that people prefer to be able to relate. I have learned that it is perfectly okay to let people see the real woman behind the façade of perfection. There is no need to be perfect, and what matters most is to never lose myself and my humanity. I have been able to build stronger connections. I embraced my perceived flaws, and realized that they actually make me stronger and more well-rounded.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Word of mouth, definitely! I don’t currently advertise my services, though I plan to start and scale up soon. My entire clientele was built upon referrals from past satisfied clients. I am a bit of an overthinker and an introvert. And sometimes I struggle to keep in touch with past contacts, because I feel like I’m bothering people. Yet, I have found that it is important to nurture your circle, because the people in your network are your biggest advocates.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sometimeskikatravels.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sometimeskikatravels/