Meet K.D. Smith | Entrepreneur and Brand Coaching Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with K.D. Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi K.D., what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My first thoughts were really what could I do to generate some extra income. I would say that was my baseline thought, what can I do to add income where I desperately needed it. I had just quit my previous job and was struggling to find anything long term and sustainable. I think one thing people don’t talk about nearly enough in the job search is how truly frustrating it is to be concerned overqualified for many positions and under qualified for others. You’re left in limbo and no real idea of what is the middle ground. In that place is where I came up with the idea to create my own opportunity and find my own path. I tried other things like blogging and freelancing before ultimately deciding upon ecommerce. Then I went through about a year of trying out different forms of that before I launched Sol-Era and saw some semblance of success with it.

What should our readers know about your business?
It definitely wasn’t easy. Building a business has been the most beautifully torturing journey of my life and I’m not even half way of where I’m headed yet. A lot of people go into entrepreneurship with expectations and honestly just ctrl + alt +del them. Step one for anyone is working on your mindset. If you’re mental isn’t there any little thing, any little problem will take you down a spiral. The realization that 100% of the problems that arise you have to find the solutions and fix them. Taking them to read, start working out, journaling, all the things that people say will help to improve your self-awareness and mindset, they really work. My brands story is centered around vision and wanting to inspire to see the world through a new set of lenses, which starts with the mind. I want to encourage people to know that that dream or vision that they have for their life is attainable but the work has to be done. By showing my journey hopefully this will inspire others to do the same.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a major foodie! So we are hitting all the top spots in the city. I’m talking the best wings spot, best taco truck, best bar, and ice cream! Honestly, Lumbar is such a cool place with the science themed aesthetic, it’s such a fun bar to hang out at. We will definitely have to go by Tostadas and get some of their famous flat tacos, they’re amazing!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Ah man, my older brother. We are pretty far apart in age and I barely remember living in the same house with him as a child cause I was so young but he’s the best! I probably was his test dummy while he was starting his life coaching business but it totally worked. He helped me to not be afraid to step outside of my comfort zones in many different areas. Honestly, if it wasn’t for him buying me books for Christmas I don’t think I would be where I am today in terms of mindset and as a business owner.

Website: www.solerabrand.com

Instagram: @solerabrand

Twitter: @solerabrand

Facebook: @solerabrand

Image Credits
CattEye Photography