We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kimberly Evans . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kimberly below.

Hi Kimberly, thanks for joining 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?

It started with a previous partner and 10 months of research and development. That partnership ended and I felt passionate about continuing the journey because I knew I was right where I was supposed to be. Within the first 30 days of launching as a solo founder and my baby Just Her in 2020, I had raised my first 25K and was ready to go.

I have been a business owner for over 20 years, so I knew how to build a business, but I had never built a business on this level before. Covid had the world shut down, so we had time to figure some things out. I took time to build and learn the industry. I also had never raised venture capital before and needed to learn more about that space. We spent a lot of time building relationships and forming networks, which has been one of the biggest rewards.

The journey from ideation to launch had so many lessons and because we were bootstrapping, we were revenue sensitive and had to barter, partner, use interns and find great people who believed in us for a later payday. Finally after a couple of years of working and building, we launched our MVP in September of 2022 and it felt amazing! We have great momentum and traction and are now working on growth and raising capital.

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

I am a servant of others, a wife, mom and grandmother. I am a business owner of over 20 years and a socially conscious entrepreneur that focuses on building community. I am the Founder & CEO of Just Her Rideshare, Inc., a rideshare community of women drivers and riders building community together.

I was introduced to this space as a business opportunity. It resonated with me because I was a woman who had never taken a rideshare without my husband (only once). I grew up stranger danger and had fears and caution around the rideshare industry. After learning of the safety issues and assaults against women, I knew I had to be part of this.

Just Her Rideshare is a community of women drivers and riders providing a safe, stress-free, alternative rideshare experience. I wanted to create a safe space where women have the option to choose how they experience riding with others.

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

We recently encountered a setback around technology right at the peak of launch. It was a gut punch and I thought it would impact us in a way that would be hard to recover from. The journey to recovery was tedious, but it taught me so many lessons. We dug in deep and figured a way to recover.

During the entire time, when I wanted to crawl in a corner in a ball, I had to fight through it. I had to do what I could and leave the rest to God to work out. I had to demonstrate resilience so that I could show my team that we could and would survive this. It taught me how to be a better leader.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Be authentic and real with your team. Allow vulnerabilities to come through in a way that does not speak to any weaknesses, but in a way that is inclusive. Allow them to show up as themselves, having the opportunity to offer their expertise, opinions and ideas.

Keep them engaged in what success looks like for them and their growth as part of the company. Let them know you care about them as people first and then team members. Maintain structure, consistently and continuity but be flexible for change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justherrideshare.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justherride
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justherride
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justherride
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/justherride

Image Credits
We have so many, here’s a few. Charlotte Business Journal Charlotte Inno WCCB / WSOC / Spectrum News NCIDEA