We were lucky to catch up with Jas Kirk recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jas, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea.
Idea to execution takes belief, process, consistency, patience, and probably a lot more but we will just start with that. There are parts of the process you won’t love and that is okay, but you keep going and keep building. I’m 1 year in business, but it took 5 months of planning, focusing, getting clear, and finding stillness in order to really establish what I have today. A lot of people don’t know this was a hobby for me for almost 4 years so it was a lot of passion work that I then had to consider how does this really translate to business and have people want to be apart and then be able to grow it. The core of you has to have faith that it’s going to work out and the world needs this. When I figured that out, I had to focus on what I wanted to actually give? Was it more of me, a product, a service, knowledge, etc. The greatest advice I can give is just to start and allow yourself grace to pivot and adjust. I say all of that to say that’s exactly what I did.
The concept of Hunni Duoe came together on a 4 hour plane ride from Chicago to Seattle. It’s all written on one journal page in tiny tiny writing because the ideas were just flowing out of me like an overflowing cup. The day before I had begun thinking about what was next for me and someone close to me said “Jas you are a creative genius, just do what you love- it can’t go wrong”. It was the spark I needed at the time to have the courage to begin and I just haven’t stopped since. So I want to encourage anyone to keep moving, keep finding your momentum and let it build. Idea to execution means whatever you do, don’t stop.
Jas, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I literally get to do what I love and I made room for that in my life. I always tell people there is room for you, so don’t count yourself out. Hunni Duoe truly became a lifestyle brand and it continues to evolve. I call it a mental wellness club, because I do want to make mental health a conversation people hold comfortably in their everyday lives. When I think of mental health and wellness, I show up and put in the work for myself and then share that to others consistently. I’m pouring from an overflowing cup. I really care about mastering my crafts, gifts, and talents enough that it sets me apart. In building all of this I learned I had to no longer be scared to get uncomfortable and ask the hard questions of myself and others to trail-blaze this lane. In doing that it has allowed me to work with 40+ brands and organizations. In 2021 Hunni Duoe raised over $50,000 in donations for the nonprofit sector that supported the mission in the three areas of lifestyle, wellness, and inspiration. I am so grateful I get to create from a space of holding a conversation that many may not be able to and that has no look to it. I’ve done brand partnerships, speaking engagements, numerous events, etc that gets the message out there.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Connection to people. Community is everything which means connecting with people both online and offline is essential because it will be true and organic. With connecting with people, community, etc you always have to make sure you speak your story with love and from your heart’s desire and you can’t go wrong. Being real, authentic, and true makes people feel your sincerity with whatever you are doing. It began for me just sharing on my page who I was and then I realized there needs to be a space for people to connect and from there this can grow into anything because the community builds as it evolves.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Hands down perfectionism & what failure is to me. Perfectionism is a self destructive & addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: “If I look perfect; live perfectly; work perfectly, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame”. Having a business makes you check your ego and this ideology of perfection at the door and when I first started I really had to adjust and get uncomfortable. For years being in the corporate world my job was to know everything and be on top of it and now I was stepping into a new arena. I had to learn when I started Hunni Duoe that in order to have a successful business I had to unpack my idea of what failure looked like and why I needed things to be so perfect. Just simply put, don’t overthink it and just start! Starting allows for adjustment as you grow and you learn that failure is not a no, but a not that way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/hunniduoe
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasskirk
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hunni-duoe/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hunniduoeit?s=21&t=HI_l7dCeuoapMCf0wKX6Fg
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCuos2lfaOL6DhHMmY0c_8HA
Image Credits
@joseyandjosey