We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristen Collins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristen , appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Fly Girls mission is “Building a sisterhood one brunch at a time”. The mission for me is very important because you don’t typically see a large group of women of color in a positive light. I wanted to form a sisterhood where we can do all the things women love to do together which includes traveling and trying new restaurants ! I also, wanted to give moms a break from everyday reality to have a moment for themselves! You can’t pour from a empty cup so our trips and events are refreshing for the ladies!

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.

I am “K.D.” the CEO and Founder of Fly Girls Brunch Social Club established in March of 2022. I had a vision of starting a travel group in 2018 but at that time the plans didn’t quite come together. Fast forward to 2022, Fly Girls started from a random Facebook post of me asking who would like to travel with me to NYC for a day trip for brunch. About 20 ladies showed up to the airport and I personally only knew 3 of the ladies. We had such a great time together and you would have thought we were all friends. The ladies asked me what was next and the flying to brunch concept was born! Fly Girls not only travel to brunch we host local events in Tampa and Tallahassee, Florida. We also support local businesses when we aren’t traveling. I think what set Fly Girls apart from any other social group is that the ladies have formed a genuine bond and we actually leave the group chat. Most groups plan, plan and plan and never actually act on any of the plans. I would have to say the main thing I am proud of within my business is that we show up for each other at all times. We have some ladies including myself who has seen some rough moments in this last year and without a doubt you always have someone to call on in the group!II also loved that I get to show women the gift of travel! If you are looking for a positive tribe and you want to do something different Fly Girls Brunch Social Club is the group your’e looking for.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my business partner “Dria” through my husband. Dria’s husband and my husband was best friends/ coworker for 9 years before Dria’s husband passed from COVID in 2021 at the age of 39.. We stayed in touched with each other and then we became best friends/sisters.We both realized after he passed that “Life is for the living” so we must go and do things we love while we can. She became a travel agent and I needed a travel coordinator for the group so I asked her to be my business partner. The best decision I have made in this business! She has help me run the group much smoother.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that you can’t always count on all your family and friends to support your business. It will be more strangers to support you than people you’ve known your entire life. The backstory behind that lesson is just seeing people NOT showing up for me the way I just knew that they would. Don’t get me wrong I do have friends and some family that are behind me 100%! You have to do business with your mind and not your heart to stay focused on the end game!

Contact Info:

• Website: flygirlsbrunch.com
• Instagram: _flygirlsbrunch_
• Facebook: Fly Girls Brunch Social Club
• Other: Tik Tok: Fly Girls Brunch Social Club