We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayla Stokes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayla below.
Kayla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I’d like to believe that the story behind my mission is simple, i can answer this in 3 ways as i have 3 different businesses that i operate, 2 profitable and 1 non-profit. I am an intimate decor specialist ( Kayb Fantasies LLC) and travel agent. Some may not know what an intimidate decor specialist is so I’ll break it down in simple forms, i decorate hotel suites for couples for Valentine’s day, just because, anniversaries, proposals etc. I am a big hopeless romantic, i just love Love. I love to see people happy and i know that whether male or female we all want to be seen, appreciated and feel loved and wanted. I love to see my clients faces when they get the reveal, it just warms my heart. Being a travel agent (Jus TrippN wit KayB) allows me the gift of sending clients on amazing adventures, seeing the world and it makes me feel just amazing to be apart of their memory making. The world is so much bigger than your city/state it so much to experience and it doesn’t always have to expensive. I take great pride in helping my clients achieve their travel dreams on affordable budgets. Now, my baby, my mentoring program ( i am Kween) which stands for I am Knowledgeable, Worthy, Exuding in excellence, Empowering and noble. We cater to young girls ages 13-19. In today’s society it truly takes a village and that village is not always necessarily blood related. Our young girls need us, they need women of great statue to pour into them, teach them morals and respect, help them discover their own power and purpose. Our children go through so much that they are not comfortable confiding in their parents about, we bridge the gap. We are their sound boards, we are HERE. This is what making a difference looks like, its showing up even when you don’t have to but you wholeheartedly want to because we understand their is a greater purpose at hand. I truly feel life will throw you all kinds of unexpected curve balls, when that happens STAND TALL, STAND ON FAITH, adjust your beautiful crown and keep strutting. You are as tall as a mountain, brave as a lion and let’s not forget you have GOD swinging for you, you can not loose.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
well, my name is Kayla Stokes i am the owner of KayB fantasies, Jus trippN wit Kayb and the Director of nonprofit organization I am Kween. Whew, i started this journey being a intimate decor specialist, honestly this field really doesn’t have a specific name for it however i came up with Intimate Decor Specialist because, it isn’t all that cute to say i decorate hotel rooms lol no we have to put some jazz, some pizazz on that. I assist couples with displaying their love, affection appreciation and genuine care for one another by decorating suites. Whatever the occasion I got you. Birthdays, anniversaries, proposals, im sorry or just because are some of the more popular occasions. I’m such a sucker for love, a hopeless romantic. I believe in fairy tales and perfect endings so i just love Love. It does my heart great joy to see my clients faces when they walk in. I love to see the recipients faces when they realize how much their significant other loves and appreciates them. Some people go all their lives without someone ever going the extra mile to display their love and im just glad i get to be apart of that special moment. My team and i do ALL the work you literally just show up and WALA, MAGIC. I take your vision and we create masterpieces. Now, My travel business, i just have a real appreciation for seeing the world and experiencing all it has to offer. As a child i never went on a vacation with my family while all my friends were traveling, having a good time i never got to witness that. I said, you know, when I’m older and have children i want to provide them with everything i never had as a child. The world is so big and it’s so much to learn and see, so many great cultures to experience. I take joy in creating affordable and memorable experiences, things they will remember for years to come. I have a great team of directors, who push me to be the best agent that i can be. Traveling is its own type of therapy. I get paid to do something i love, see the world and bring you along with me. My clients come to me and sometimes they have no clue where they want to go, they just know they need a vacation, but a great agent asks the right questions, does the research and therefore you can create an experience they never knew they needed. My baby, my non-profit. What can i say, I was a young girl who had no guidance I learned and navigated life the hard way and learned really hard lessons on my own. I had no one showing me the ropes or steering me correctly. Our young queens are so important to me and i always want them to know their worth, I want them to be successful and to know that no matter what you can always change the path and redirect. You can always get off the ride. You don’t have to stay in dysfunctional situations, and you most certainly can obtain anything your heart desires with hard work and dedication. Whether it’s either of my businesses or my nonprofit I am very attentive, I am very big on customer service and transparency. I’ve helped some clients make the biggest decisions of their lives, while also helping young teens overcome depression or feeling hopeless. I’m very compassionate and I put God before anything and allow him to help me navigate every situation in the proper manner. I am always learning, because with anything you put your mind and heart to you have to always keep learning because things change over time you have to keep up with the trends while also maintaining your integrity.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I definitely will say my strategy has just simply been to be myself, provide excellent customer service, treat those how I want to be treated while also taking any constructive criticism. When you provide exceptional service, communicate effectively and efficiently and listen to your clients’ needs they will refer and brag on the work and outstanding services you provided. The best way to gain clients is through other clients. I also post on social media, I run specials, i do giveaways, pop-up shops, and i give back to the community.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I have two stories, with my intimate decor business, i have been in business for quite a few years however i was starting to get a little weary with my growth simply because i was putting out more money than i was profiting and i wasn’t in a financial place to actually do so, but i loved what i did, i would look at other businesses and wonder, how is it that these companies who are doing the same thing as me, are blowing up in this industry charging 2-3 times more than i am and are very successful from the looks of it. I got so discouraged. I have revamped twice because i knew this was not going to stop me. I realized i cannot look at my business or journey and compare it to any one else’s because although the businesses are the same the economy in where we each lived was totally different. My city is small, not much going on compared to other major states and cities this played a major part. Until i understood that I would always be in a questionable state. I had to advance my vision, i had to research and become more creative, i had to think ahead. I would pray all the time, God what am i doing wrong? please show me. Covid came and allowed me time to really strategize, take a step back and really focus on what direction i wanted to take this, it helped. Ive lost thousands of dollars but i never lost the momentum and rive to see others happy. that is what keeps me pushing and i will keep going. 2025 will be bringing some amazing things when we reopen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://justrippnwitkayb.inteletravel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justrippn_witkayb?igsh=azM3bHg1bG44d2dx
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/YahGirlBunni
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/kaybfantasies_llc?igsh=aGxsb2ZvNnAxdTlp
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/mQJTXvkWozWNyfkB/?mibextid=K35XfP
https://www.tiktok.com/@i_am_kayb?_t=8qMKp6zOS2l&_r=1
Image Credits
LeAnn Veal
Zha’Nyrieah Bailey
Verleana Smith
Hikita Foster