Meet Kayla Countryman | Digital Marketer + Wellness Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Countryman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I started my business in 2020, after spending 5 years working at a digital marketing agency in Scottsdale, AZ. During my time at the agency, I worked with large corporate brands with multi-million dollar marketing budgets, and they all had one thing in common: they were owned by wealthy white men. It occurred to me that small businesses, particularly Black-owned and women-owned businesses, did not have the same level of access to these high-quality marketing resources, therefore, they were typically excluded from the competitive online space. I started Authentically Kay to fill this gap.

When I launched my business, I was offering social media management services to Black-owned businesses. In my first year of business, I helped my first client open a Hip Hop yoga studio in Phoenix, AZ called Eighty8 Yoga. I worked with a doula who provided pregnancy, birth and postpartum services to combat the Black maternal mortality rates. And, I supported a mother-daughter team who owns an E-Commerce business called Post21, an online marketplace for Black brands. During our time working together, they became the first Black business to have a shop in Downtown Disney.

After providing social media management for 1 year, I pivoted into coaching. I made this decision because I wanted to educate business owners on how to sustain their online presence long-term, and so that I would have the capacity to work with more women at once. I launched a 1:1 and group coaching program to help entrepreneurs with marketing, content and sales. In the past 1.5 years, I have directly mentored over 20 Black women entrepreneurs.

My business is unique because I specifically provide coaching services to women of color, specifically Black women. From experience, I know the power of working with a mentor who looks like you and fully sees you, not just your business, but your entire being. That is what I aim to be for these women. I’ve helped mothers start their side hustle to quit their 9-5 and have more time to spend with their children. I’ve helped women grow their online businesses so that they can explore the world as digital nomads and work from anywhere.

I am passionate about helping women start and grow their online businesses to create additional streams of income, create freedom in their schedules and spend more time taking care of themselves and their families. Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. The number of Black women who own businesses grew by 50% from 2014 to 2019. And, in 2023, 17% of Black women are in the process of starting a business (Source: JP Morgan). There is an obvious need for support for Black women in entrepreneurship, and I am honored to provide it.

There are 4 key lessons I have learned along the way that new + aspiring entrepreneurs can benefit from:

#1: The road is not linear
Entrepreneurship is the definition of “ebb and flow”. I saw success early on in my business. I booked my first client within 3 weeks of launching. I was completely booked out within 3 months. And, I quit my full-time job within 4 months. I am grateful for the immediate momentum that I saw because it showed me that it was possible. However, after about 6 months that momentum slowed down and I experienced my first of many occurrences of doubt, fear and insecurity. I wish I knew these feelings were normal. Running a business is a rollercoaster. And it’s important to learn how to manage your mind when things go in a different direction than you had planned.

#2: You have to keep going, even when there isn’t “proof” that it’s working
A lot of the time that you spend building and growing a business will be “behind the scenes”. We live in a time of instant gratification; if we don’t immediately see the results of our work, we move on to the next thing. Building a business takes time; it requires consistency and perseverance. In the past 2.5 years, I have had two “flopped” launches, where no one joined the program that I was selling. I had every reason to give up based on the data. But, I launched a third time, and that third launch was the start of my current program, Align to Attract Academy, which has now graduated over 20 women. I had no proof it was going to work, but I decided I was going to show up anyways.

#3: The journey is more important than the destination
In the age of social media, it’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is accomplishing. When I started my business, I set unrealistic goals for how quickly I wanted to reach financial milestones. These “goals” became obsessions that led to me losing sight of the real reason I was building this business – to align with my purpose and serve women of color. We get caught up in chasing a destination and as we get closer to it, the goalpost shifts further and further away. Instead, commit to the journey. That includes celebrating new milestones as you reach them, accepting the ebbs and flows and being open to redirection when things take a turn.

#4: Celebrate everything – big and small
When our goalposts are constantly moving, we forget to celebrate how far we’ve come to begin with. Starting a business in itself is an act of bravery, a healing journey, and a celebration! And every single step along the way deserves to be celebrated. Every new client, every sale, every collaboration, every feature. All of it. We are taught to celebrate the big things – but it’s the small micro-wins that allow us to arrive at our big goals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Movement/Fitness
eighty8 yoga
Power + Flow
F45 Tempe Town Lake

Restaurants + Bars
Chantico
The Churchill
Mora Italian
Ingo’s Tasty Food
Chelsea’s Kitchen
The Stand
Harumi
Flower Child

Latha

Coffee Shops
Valentine
Lola
Provision
Schmooze

Wellness
Jade Moon Wellness

Outdoors
Uptown Farmer’s Market
Desert Botanical Garden

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents and my partner have been absolute rocks through my entrepreneurial journey.

My parents have been advocates for my business since day one. They’ve encouraged me on the days when I’ve been ready to give up and constantly remind me to revisit my why and recommit to my mission. When I made the decision to quit my 9-5 and run my business full-time, they didn’t question my choice, they knew that I was capable of succeeding at anything I put my mind to.

My partner, Ramond, gets the “behind the scenes” view of my business. He sees the hardest days, the celebrations, the challenges and the late nights. He celebrated me when I signed my first client in 2020, and he has celebrated every client I have signed since.

My entire family, including my brother Cameron, my cousin Kyndra, and my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents have shown their unwavering support for my business and it means the world.

Website: www.authentically-kay.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaycountryman/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylacountryman/

Image Credits
Ashley Guice