We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carisa Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Carisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

In the beginning my team consisted of family and friends. They believed in my dream and wanted to support me any way they could. This worked out very well due to the fact I had limited capital. However, when my business grew, I hired additional staff that were willing to help but were not able to be fully trained due to the high demand. They had to hit the ground running and was not as flexible as family and friends. In addition, I was not able to place them according to their skillset and simply used them in the areas most needed. However, as I continued to grow, I learned the importance of cross training to protect against short staffing and the necessity to gain insight concerning the staff’s strengths and weaknesses to place them in areas of expertise. By doing this, I was able to increase morale and longevity of staffing to foster a close nit work family environment!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a woman with grit. As a native and current resident of Jacksonville, FL, I have to be. Life has taught me many lessons and thankfully for us all I found my gift along the way. I developed a love for the art of poetry at a young age and my ability to write came naturally. Through progression my love for words transcended into music. As I would say, “Songs are just poems with music. Music/Poetry describes what the heart can’t always verbalize; [it] calms the savage beast.” Though I was able to find solace between the lines of stanzas and melody, I realized the void in consolation for our youth. It was in this gap I would discover my calling. What better way to comfort a weary soul than through music? Beyond youth, I have grown to motivate the masses. I took the harsh reality of entertainment and created a space of nurturing and solitude. I also created a platform for artists and small business owners to expand their reach through live performances, vending opportunities, mentoring, and online courses for branding and development which exposes them to untapped markets. I intentionally plant myself as a bridge to the success of those around me. As they say, this is deeper than rap…

“If I can help one soul, I’ve changed an entire generation.” ~ Carisa Brown

Jazz Poetry Cafe is that change.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe my reputation was built on my desire to treat everyone like family! I am told that I never met a stranger :) I feel that everyone should be treated more than just a customer…. they are valued stakeholders who deserve my devoted servitude. I am in business for “them” and not for “me”. I demonstrate this by conducting surveys to continually know areas that need improvement and discover what can be changed to ensure that those changes will be noticed and implemented. By doing this, I solidify buy-in and loyalty which aids in furthering my reach.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I am a strong believer in God and “consistency” For consistency in any area, develops strength! When I first started, I had no idea who my customers were or what they desired. I only knew what I liked and tried to sell them what I wanted. This led to low buy-in. One evening, I had a few as 5 people in attendance, and that included me, staff and artists. But I didn’t let that stop me! I knew God told me to start this business and that people were watching, and some wishing I would fail… but I remained consistent. I kept having shows and stayed true to my integrity to ensure that my business would facilitate exposure for artists and small businesses to further their reach and place them before great men! Unfortunately, this consistency cost me a lot. However, I continued to press on, demonstrating that I am here to stay. Before long, people started to come in droves in support of my vision! We had as many as 300 people in one night! And because of God’s leading and their support, I now have 3 locations in Jacksonville, FL, St. Augustine, FL and Brunswick, GA.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JazzPoetryCafe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzpoetrycafe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JazzPoetryCafe
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jazz-poetry-cafe
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JazzPoetryCafe
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jazzpoetrycafe
• Other: https://www.nofearproductions.com/