Meet Kendra Y. Hill | People-Centric Leader + Chief Extraction Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kendra Y. Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kendra Y., what is the most important factor behind your success?
No question, it’s keeping God first in all things. ESPECIALLY when it’s hard. I’ve had a lot of tumultuous experiences in my life and I know for a fact that if I wouldn’t have been so intentional about communing with God and consulting Him on every move, I would have lost my mind. I’ve experienced every type of sexual trauma you can imagine. I’ve had to work hard to uncover the truth about my own birth and conception. I’ve made a TON of mistakes on this journey. Without God’s hand in my life (even when I didn’t want it), there would be no Kendra.

Taking all of my business ideas and plans to God has helped me stay on track with my purpose and ultimately meet levels of success that I couldn’t have met on my own. I wake up every single day and check in with God through prayer, worship and study so I can make sure I’m on track. It’s not always super clear, but it always makes sense in the end.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I founded Kendra, Scale My Business (KSMB) in January of 2020 after fighting the call to come back to the business consulting industry. We work with corporations, creators and small businesses to help them either prepare to scale or to actually scale their businesses. For example, we may go into a corporation and analyze the business from top to bottom to develop solutions for accelerated. When it comes to creators, we help them build and scale the business behind their work. Most creators don’t actually understand business or have a real structure to what they do. We come in and create the organization or machine behind them while also landing them larger deals (through better negotiations) and helping them pursue their big goals like tv, film, and books. For small business owners, we provide advisory services to guide them in their own growth. That comes by way of courses, digital products, VIP Days, etc. to teach them the same principles that we use to scale corporations.

The thing that sets KSMB apart from others is the fact that we can pretty much do anything. We provide a number of services for any industry including business development, marketing, brand management, HR and talent acquisition, strategic planning, organizational management, production management, digital strategy, and DEI. I’ve had so much professional development in my life, so being able to apply all of my knowledge to businesses now is an honor and a true blessing.

Getting here was a haze. I had to ultimately be exiled to live in Mexico for 3 months in order to surrender to the leading of God. I was working as a creative director and stylist, but I felt a little empty. The work was fun and I was really good at it, but I felt a major void. God kept trying to lead me back to consulting (I had been a consultant for 6 years prior), but I was not here for it. While in Mexico, it just became very clear that I was supposed to be back in business management. I asked God to send me one client who would change my mind and He did. I took on a client for project management of her YouTube channel and in a month’s time, she was asking me to come and scale her corporation.

I ended up moving to Toronto for 9 months and working with her to prepare her business for scaling. We successfully revamped her team, set up her business’ structure, changed their technology, and trained her to be the leader she really wanted to be. Along with that, she raved about me and introduced me to everyone she could think of. That relationship led me to make 6-figures in my first month of business and $1M in 7 months.

I’ve seen a lot, experienced a lot, and overcome more challenges than this question allows me to fully answer. The biggest lesson has been to get out of my own way – honestly, I’m still learning to do that. But when I get out of the way and let go of control, I give God permission to do the miraculous in my life. It’s worked so far!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta is really a dope place to live. I’ve lived in 6 states and 3 countries and honestly, I get why people stand by FILA (Forever I love Atlanta). The amount of progressive black business people here is mind-blowing, the food is bomb, and the culture is thick.

Here’s what my BFF and I are doing for a week in Buckhead (my hood):

Monday – Mondays are all work and no play and since my BFF is an entrepreneur too, we’re heading over to Buckhead Club to work on the 26th floor overlooking all of Peachtree. We’ll break for lunch and hit the Char Lounge for drinks before heading home.

Tuesday – TACO TUESDAY! We’re wrapping up another chill Tuesday with a trip to Phipps Plaza to check out what Nordstrom has to offer then heading over to West Paces Ferry Road to sit outside and have some fusion Mexican food at Velvet Taco.

Wednesday – I’m working all day so I can play all night. We’re hitting The Palm steakhouse inside of The Westin in Buckhead for a juicy medium ribeye and creamed spinach. After that, we’re heading over to Blue Martini to have drinks and hookah. The music is always great and Wednesdays are chill enough while still being a little turnt.

Thursday – We’d spend the evening in Midtown perusing Ponce City Market. Although I spend most of my time in my own neighborhood, I DO enjoy the rooftop views from PCM. After dinner and drinks at Nine Mile Station, we’d play games and ride the slide on The Roof.

Friday – Shopping is lowkey (highkey) my favorite pastime, so we’re gonna hit Buckhead Village and peruse the goods in Hermes, Jimmy Choo, Dior, Diptyque, and The Real Real. After working up an appetite, we’ll hit Le Colonial where we’ll sit outside on the terrace and enjoy the sights and sounds the area has to offer. We’re feasting on red snapper, green beans, garlic noodles, and lychee martinis.

Saturday – Everybody and their mom comes to Buckhead for the weekend, so you have to be strategic. We’re hitting Superica on Roswell Road at 4pm. They do brunch from 11am-3pm and then close for an hour to reset for dinner at 4pm. It’s the best time to go because it’s not packed and since they don’t take reservations, it’s necessary to get there early. We’re sharing tamales, the short rib, and some el frio margaritas. Once we’re litty, we’re heading across the street (literally) to Breakout Games to try to escape one of their exciting rooms.

Sunday – After a crazy week of fun (and drinks), we’d hit the Treehouse Restaurant on King’s Circle for a laid back and chill brunch. Their lemon ricotta pancakes are divine and more than worth the wait for an outdoor table.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve had a bunch of mentors in my life. I truly believe that mentorship is one of the most valuable ways to get ahead in life. A mentor has access to every cheat code that you need to really be wildly successful. During my most recent transition season from Creative Director to multi-millionaire, my mentor Silas Wheeler was giving me the keys to level up. Silas was the first ministry director for Bishop T.D. Jakes. He helped to move Bishop Jakes’ ministry from West Virginia to Dallas and ultimately set up everything we know to be BIshop T.D. Jakes Ministries. Silas’ guidance and support during this pivotal time in my life have been literally life-saving. He knows how to really push and encourage me in love without compromise. He’s honest, integral, and most of all, transparent when it comes to guiding me on my journey. I’m super grateful to have him in my life.

Website: kendrascalemybusiness.com

Instagram: instagram.com/iamkendrayhill

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/iamkendrayhill

Twitter: twitter.com/iamkendrayhill

Facebook: facebook.com/IAmKendraYHill

Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCdA5Pw89YvDxn6mUA9D65uA

Image Credits
Mykahl Raphael