Born to Hustle - Kristen Faith’s Story of Entrepreneurship

Women’s History Month is a time for women to celebrate their accomplishments and recognize women in their lives that are making the world a better and brighter place. To help set the tone for a series of stories that we’re going to be sharing, I felt compelled to kick off this campaign by sharing my personal testimony.

There’s always so much we can learn from one another and by opening up and sharing our stories - we give hope and healing to others who may have walked or are currently walking in a similar path.

My name is Kristen Faith Sharpe, and I am an entrepreneur, multi-passionate business owner, domestic violence advocate, community activist, a wife, and step mama of four. 

In 2021, I created my business twins, Boss Babe Networking and The Nonprofit Makeover. Both of these businesses are special to me for so many reasons. The most important is being able to uplift and equip marginalized communities. The Nonprofit Makeover helps organizations learn how to raise money on autopilot using social media. Boss Babe Networking empowers women to share their stories and gives them a place to connect with other like-minded women.
Both of these businesses were inspired by the work I did nearly a decade ago when I created a domestic violence advocacy nonprofit called Break The Silence Against Domestic Violence. The organization garnered the attention of millions of people worldwide, and I had the honor of serving thousands of people who are affected by abuse and trauma.

So many things in life bring me joy. Spending time with my husband, family, and of course my precious pup Saki. But let’s be real, trips to Hawaii is number one on my list to help me overflow my cup.

If life was easy, we wouldn’t be grateful for the journey, and we wouldn’t learn life-changing lessons along the way.

I think the greatest struggles that I’ve had to overcome are truly all of the transitions I’ve experienced in life. From getting out of an abusive relationship and learning how to break cycles to creating businesses during the pandemic — I know a thing or two about resilience. These moments taught me how to believe in myself, understand life more, and accept that God has a bigger plan for me in each of these transitions in my life.

In the moment we often get caught up and lost in the struggle, but when you look at it from a different perspective, each moment in your journey is a stepping stone forward. If life was easy, we wouldn’t be grateful for the journey, and we wouldn’t learn life changing lessons along the way.

If you were to ask me what the biggest challenge women in business face I’d say.. Not knowing where to go to get help. I think, even greater than this, many women in business don’t know who to turn to, or who to trust when it comes to developing businesses or sharing ideas. 

So many of us women are conditioned to bear the weight of the world on our shoulders. We are taught to stay strong even when life is incredibly hard. I hope women understand that although it may be hard to be an entrepreneur, being alone and lost is even harder. Get the help you need and deserve and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

I was always a hustler. My entrepreneurial journey started as a Girl Scout selling cookies to earn those patches. Then it turned into lemonade stands and creating my first business at 18.

Believe it or not, the younger me was interested in being a veterinarian, a commercial real estate agent, and a News Anchor. I actually went to school to pursue a degree in journalism with an emphasis in media studies. 

I loved speaking and enjoyed being in front of a camera, but after interning at a local new station in San Diego, I learned the news industry was evolving into something that I wasn’t particularly interested in. I didn’t want to have to find the stories, shoot, edit, and film myself — I just wanted to be on camera.

But hey, everything happens for a reason right? What better way to utilize my degree and passion for speaking than creating a nonprofit using social media and being a spokesperson for domestic violence advocacy.

After I transitioned out of the organization I created in 2020, I created two businesses that were aligned with this vision of helping businesses and people learn how to share their story online and in real life.  Look at the universe working!  

Invest in yourself!

There’s so many little gems that I could give women reading this right now – the first thing would be to have faith in yourself. In order to succeed in business and in life, you have to be your number one fan. Another piece of advice that I would give is ask for help and find mentors. We don’t know what we don’t know so seek the help you need to succeed. My last piece would be invest in yourself! Life is too short to be afraid, and to live with a limiting mindset, that you are not willing to be invested in. Enjoy your life, live it to the fullest, and be the best version of yourself every single day.

To get connected with Kristen Faith you can follow her on social media (@iamkristenfaith) visit her websites: Official Site of Kristen Faith, Boss Babe Networking, or The Nonprofit Makeover.