We recently connected with Kariba Jack and have shared our conversation below.

Kariba, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The process from going from an idea to execution has always been quite interesting for me. I’ve been told that I hold a treasure chest of ideas and that they come to me naturally. With that being said, I would absolutely have to agree. My brain is hardwired as a creative. I have new ideas floating around all the time and I do think that it’s been a blessing in my business career over the past 14yr. My process goes a little something like this. One of the ideas that I had that I totally ran with was creating a Balloon Bar. Essentially it’s like a balloon shop where you can come in and select the balloons you want inflated. It’s boutique style and super cute. I remember waking up and sitting up in the bed and threw the idea over to my partner at the time. He wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do next but he supported it and went with my wild balloon dream. It was about 2 weeks after the initial idea that I opened up my storefront. My first customer was my sister and then a few of the ladies in the community stopped by to grab some balloons as well. It was on my Birthday… January 17th! I’ll never forget. My process works like this….

Dream World – Most of my ideas come to me as a dream. They say sleep is vital and important and I couldn’t agree more! I normally wake up in the middle of the night or early morning and try my best to jot down as much information from that dream that I can. If I’m lucky I then doze back off to sleep. Sometimes if it’s too good of an idea I stay awake and start formulating ideas right then and there. Truly depends on how vivid the dream was.

Review – When I’m awake I go ahead and read my idea dream journal. From there I check to see how this aligns with something else I may have had a thought about or if it’s completely new, then I jot down a few ideas. I tend to want to shorten things and make acronyms. I feel like if it’s easy for me to remember that way, then it would be great for the general public. I write down the pros and cons of how the idea could be executed.

Creative Building – My ideas turn into a reality the moment I get to my computer. Something about being in my ‘work space’ helps me focus a bit better. I’m self taught for all my design skills and I like to say I received my PhD from YouTube University. If the idea or concept needs a logo, I will do my best to create one in the way I envisioned it in my dream. From there I sketch out a few actionable items. Asking myself what is needed to make this idea turn into a reality. Is it a website, physical materials being purchased, a tangible product to photograph? I do most of all my digital work and photography and after that is completed I move on to the next step. The soft launch.

Soft Launch – I always run my ideas by my sisters. When I was an additional hard hitter I send the idea to my brother who either picks it apart or gives an additional stamp of approval. He was my very first investor with my photography business back in 2010. I then share the completed idea with my friends for them to view and they hype me up to the point where I finally launch to the public!

Public Launch – this is where my dream baby comes to life!!

Kariba, 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?

Hello and welcome to my corner of the world! My name is Kariba Jack and I’ve been coined as a ‘Jack of All Trades’. I’m a Nigerian – American rockstar and I started my entrepreneur journey back in 2007 while attending Washington State University. Fast forward a few years nestled in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Seattle to be exact I launched my first official business. The name of my business came to me in a dream – Creative Events & Design was soon born. I’d like to add in, it certainly has been a dream and journey since the beginning. My love for the Arts has shaped every aspect of my multi-talented life and I’m always creating something new and unique. From event management, photography, makeup, music, design work, consulting, philanthropy all the way to my Youtube channel. I stay quite busy. Let’s toss some sprinkles on top of the mix, I absolutely love to travel to new places and see the world. I’ve been here, there and some cool places in between. Adding more stamps to my passport as often as I can!

I’m a creative powerhouse! I launched my photography business back in 2010 where I have photographed some of the most amazing people you could think of. A few months ago I photographed the 1st Lady of the United States! That was such an experience and very ‘hush hush’ at the time. I help both small and big businesses with turning their ideas into reality. From event planning to business consulting. I opened up a balloon shop called ItsPopTastic because something about balloons reminds me of bright childhood memories. Who doesn’t see a bundle of balloons and not smile?? I believe my super power is to see people where they are at. And to help them see themselves for what their potential truly is. Essentially I’m a cheerleader for people to win at life. This is the energy that is captured throughout everything that I do and honestly it’s just good vibes.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn the thought process that I’m doing things all alone. As a boss lady who calls all the shots, I learned over time that it is okay to outsource. It’s okay to ask for help. And most importantly, it’s smart to reach out to others to handle those tasks that can be shared. I’m just one person and yes, I do have the skills to do many things. However, outsourcing to individuals and companies that do those skills to a very high level is where it’s at. I learned that there is no shame in reaching out and unlearning the patterned behavior of doing everything by myself, I honestly feel like that has been one of the biggest lessons over the past few years.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

This question strikes a lot of chords for me! I leaned back into my family when I first started my business. I know there are a lot of people who don’t have that support system. If there is one perk of being the youngest child in my family, it’s that. I was working in corporate America and took my tax return money and put it towards my first camera. It wasn’t and easy decision by any means. I made arrangements with my brother to not pay rent in the house he had, so I could save and build my business and brand. I didn’t take out any loans from a bank. I knew hard work eventually would pay off. Fast forward a year or two, business started to pick up and I needed new equipment, trainings and conferences. My family once again helped me with that to cover the cost of hotels on the out of town conferences. I never had a nest egg of money sitting waiting for me to borrow. I used what I was making to fund what I needed. And the process kept repeating like that for quite some time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MsKariba.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/MsKariba
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kariba-jack-64745217/
• Twitter: Twitter.com/MsKariba
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUnEiSu1ftw0Bn4wRQrvs_g

Image Credits
Person Image: Lauren Cross Photography