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

Kimberly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

I do! I donate to Destiny Rescue on occasion. They are an organization that Damsel in Defense has partnered with. They rescue children from human trafficking. Plus, a portion of my sales is used by Damsel in Defense to support the two house they sponsor. To date they have rescued 1,500 girls!

I also use a percentage of my sales to purchase products that I can give away. I usually do that when I do presentations for teenage girls, I will give away a stun gun or pepper spray. I want to make sure I put safety products in as many hands as I can!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well, I have been a firearm instructor for the last 10 years. Helping women gain the knowledge, skills and attitude they need to protect themselves is how I got started. Knowing a firearm isn’t for everyone, I joined a direct sales company called Damsel in Defense. As an Independent Representative I sell stun guns, pepper spray and other safety tools. I also teach people how and when to use them.

Not only do I do group presentations, but I also teach one on one. I teach everything from protecting yourself in your home to what to do when you are out and about. Working with clients on what concerns they have and how to overcome some of the fears they might have. Walking them through each area of their life to do an inventory on how they could layer their protection. Whether it’s an extra pepper spray on a hook in a kitchen cabinet or a kubaton in their trunk for quick access while putting groceries away. Safety is personal and people don’t realize they have many choices when it comes to their protection. They also don’t think about all the little things that can truly make a difference. Like locking your door when you are home during the day. Seems silly to some. But it keeps out any unwanted visitors. I have friends who have had some scary experiences.

I have several teaching certifications. NRA Firearms Instructor, Range Safety Officer, and Refuse to be a Victim. I’m also an Alive Active Shooter Survival Instructor, and a SAFE Instructor (situational awareness for employees)

I am a little different than most firearms instructors in that I am a stay-at-home mom. I feel like if I can do it, you can too! I want to encourage and empower others to find their inner warrior. I educate others through reels on Instagram or Facebook. You can find me, Concealed Carry Kim. They usually include my mannequin BOB who gets beat up quite often. I try to combine entertainment and education.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

I have. My Damsel in Defense business. Most people don’t realize that MLM or Network Marketing is a business. Since most people have never run a business before, they can struggle with it. I started answering phones for my parent’s business at age 10. I worked in the office with my mom, I went to meet potential clients and to jobsites with my dad. I had a little side business one summer delivering pool chemicals and cleaning pools. I feel like that really gave me an advantage. When I get new team members, I tell them all the things I wish I knew when I started. I talk to them about being responsible when purchasing. That can really be a make or break for them. If you have an upline telling you to buy, buy so you have inventory and then you are not able to sell it, it starts to get frustrating and that’s when people quit.

When I purchased my start up kit for $99 I got many products including my very first stun gun and it was pretty exciting. I love that our Home Office Team (we call them HOT) gives us phenomenal training every week. Graphics are on trend. Every month we get a power point presentation (and training) on different topics. All the hard work is done for you. Did I mention free vacation? I was able to earn a trip to the Bahamas! I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for 28 years. Damsel in Defense has given me an identity outside of being a mom. I am able to earn money, vacations and bonuses. I’ve even had several opportunities to present training to the field of Damsel Pros. I am making a difference in the fight against human trafficking AND changing the statistics of Domestic Violence.

Damsel is a place of purpose for those passionate about the prevention and protection of people and their hearts.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was so excited when I learned that I had passed the Firearm Instructor course. You had to have above 90% and the shooting portion required some skills! A few weeks after I passed the course, I was in a car accident. A man ran a red light going 45-50 MPH and t-boned me and my car flipped upside down and spun around. I was extremely lucky to be alive. I had to undergo surgery and extensive physical therapy for a little over a year and a half. Every time I went to the Dr I would ask if I could go to the range and do some target practice. The answer was “NO” for almost a year. When I finally got to go to the range for some practice, I was really disappointed. It hurt my wrist a lot(and my neck and back and everything hurt!). Determined to keep on top of my skills I began to practice with my non dominant hand. My eyes were also an issue as they weren’t tracking properly. It was a frustrating and difficult time. But I continued to keep trying. I thought I would ease into teaching by teaching the shooting sports at Cub Scout Day Camp. I had been shooting sports Director years previous. It was horrible. Because of my traumatic brain injury, I couldn’t remember anything. I’d been teaching BBs for a few years and had it down pat. Not anymore. I had to learn to rely on my notes. It was a very rough few years. But I never gave up. I really had my heart set on helping women overcome their fear of firearms and learning how to safely handle them. I persevered and now 10 years and hundreds of students later I am able to do what I love!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cck-co.com
• Instagram: Concealed.Carry.Kim
• Facebook: Concealed Carry Kim
• Youtube: Concealed Carry Kim

Image Credits
Micah Photography (pink pants white shirt, and blue striped short photo)