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If you search for the definition of “entrepreneurial spirit” a lot of great content will be at your fingertips, but I want to focus on three key aspects of this term that came into play during my time as a SOKO MRKT vendor at ESSENCE Fest and have guided my self-publishing journey: desire, strategy, and luck v. opportunity.
DESIRE
Being surrounded by a family of entrepreneurs played a big role in my belief and desire to create something worth buying or develop a skill that could be of service to others. I’m not sure exactly when it started, but as a kid, my siblings and I would often come up with ideas of how to make and sell things. Some of these ideas were typical things that kids do, like having a lemonade stand. Others were a bit more complex, like attempting to make magnolia-scented perfume from the trees in our front yard. Through the years, this entrepreneurial spirit has been ever present. It pushes me to come up with new ideas, try different things, and inspire the next generation to do the same.
STRATEGY
As the old saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat(fish), but I would add that some of those ways are more efficient and effective than others. This is where strategy comes into play. Part of my approach to SOKO MRT was simple - sell as many books as I could. With only one title to offer, I knew my chances of increasing the number of books sold would be much higher if I had two titles to offer. With the help of my amazing illustrator, Erin Nielson, I expedited the release of the second book to be two days before the start of ESSENCE Fest. This meant that I would be able to offer copies of both books at the festival along with the enablement of global distribution to stores across the world much faster than I had originally planned. In terms of best practices for launching a book, this was not in any way ideal. Typically, you would want a much longer presale and marketing window, but I saw an opportunity, went for it, and it paid off well. Speaking of opportunity…
LUCK v. OPPORTUNITY
Measuring how much of a good outcome is due to luck would be difficult so instead, I try to capitalize and maximize opportunities in the hopes that I’m decreasing my reliance on luck. In Greek mythology, Kairos, the God of luck, is depicted as having one lock of hair on his head. Those who pass by him have an opportunity to catch it, but once he passes it can no longer be grasped again. This personification of luck resembles real life. Some chances only pass you by once and if you can’t take hold of them in the moment, they are gone. The optimist in me believes that even if that is the case, what’s yours will surely find you again, but an ability to discern an opportunity and seize it is a skill worth developing.
During ESSENCE Fest, things seemed to be going at hyper speed from the time we started unloading the car to the time we packed up. Throughout it all, I tried to stay focused on the task at hand while being always on the lookout for opportunities. This came in the form of a chance to have a 10-minute interview on the ESSENCE AUTHORS stage. For context, this stage was used for book events by well-established and famous people like Keke Palmer and Rickey Smiley. Not wanting to let Kairos pass me by, when I received the email to have a spot on the stage, I happily agreed to take the slot. I had a few days to prepare and was feeling pretty confident I was informed that no one would be available to conduct the interview. With a few hours to go before the scheduled start time, I looked to my sister, Keirsten Kelly, and said, “well, you’re up!” We wrote the script while getting ready that morning and when the time came, we delivered. Looking back, I could have rejected the opportunity at any time, but by realizing the potential of what was at play, I decided to keep pressing forward and see what happened.
This is just a glimpse of the relationship between entrepreneurial spirit and my SOKO MRKT experience. Stay tuned for the last and final chapter on perseverance.
About the Author
Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Courtney has been an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the construction and engineering industries for over 12 years. Currently based in Dallas, Texas, she is a commercial and heavy civil construction project management professional and a licensed professional engineer. Courtney holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering and Math, as well as a Master's degree in Civil Engineering from Southern Methodist University. She also holds an MBA from Lamar University. In 2023 she was selected as an Engineering News-Record Texas & Louisiana Top Young Professional. Her self-published children’s books, Celeste Saves the City and Celeste Tunnels Underground, encourage young readers to pursue careers in civil engineering and construction. For more info, visit www.courtneykellybooks.com
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