KISH: Tell us about you…
Kia: My family and I moved to Florida 9 years ago and I was 6 months pregnant with my second child! That fall I started our business and worked it in the evenings while I worked as an Intake Counselor at an alternative school for girls by day. I came from a family of teachers and studied Criminal Justice and Counseling…I knew nothing about entrepreneurship!
Throughout the 9 years of business, we have serviced hundreds of students through our award-winning After School, Summer Camp, Virtual Kids programs and sports programs at various locations!
We have had tough times especially in the beginning when we were new to the community. I spent hours, evenings and weekends making a presence in the community as we are originally from Michigan. But I love building new relationships and creating valuable partnerships so it took time.
Because I came from working as an employee, I was used to receiving the same paycheck every other week. Jumping into business was a rude awakening for me as I wasn’t used to the roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship that was ahead.
2020 has obviously come with clear challenges. We had never had so many cancellations at one time when so many of our parents lost their job or began working from home! It was tough to meet payroll, but it made us tougher and more creative. That’s when we pivoted after a suggestion from my life coach, Dr. Stacia to offer a virtual program for kids. Although, it has had its challenges, as summer approached, our numbers of kids enrolled grew again to where we even had to move to a bigger location that we could fit our Summer Camp and Virtual Programs!
At Extreme Youth Sports, we offer year round programs for kids. Specifically, an award-winning After School program & Summer Camp for kids to keep them active in sports and learning life lessons. We are known for being the Best Summer Camp in our area! We also offer a Virtual Kidz Camp to keep kids active at home with sports, reading, math & science skill-building.
Although its a sports program, the kids learn more than the skill of sports. We focus on positive leadership, building their confidence and sportsmanship. I love the incredible impact we have had on the kids and our community!
KISH: What is your dream and how will accomplishing your dream benefit you and others?
Kia: My dream is to build a multi-million dollar business impacting the lives of millions of children & families in our community and beyond! I also dream of helping thousands of Mompreneurs realize their greatness, achieve their goals and still enjoy the journey of parenting!
KISH: Who or what inspired you to pursue this dream?
Kia: My life coach Dr. Stacia Pierce helped me to have the confidence to become a female entrepreneur and impact other women! My business mentor and coach Duane Spires was there from the beginning as he had already built a seven figure after school & summer camp business.
KISH: What challenges have you encountered while pursuing your dream?
Kia: Having a baby and running a business was hard. There really isn’t a long maternity leave for many of us small business owners. However, it taught me the importance of building a team of leaders that can run the program when I am gone. Going through the pandemic was also the most challenging thus far. We lost 2/3 of our business but still had members that needed our services because they too were essential workers. It caused us to bond together as a team and come up with creative ways to meet the needs of our families that were working from home and also another stream of income for our program. We built a brand new Virtual Kidz Camp program that kept kids active and having fun right there in the comfort of their own homes.
KISH: Please provide final thoughts/advice for others by finishing this sentence… dream.
Kia: We only have one life to live so we’ve got to go big and do purpose to impact those we are assigned to. Move despite of fear and challenges as the are a part of life. Dream big and don’t wait for it to happen, you go out and make it happen!
