Today we’d like to introduce you to Carina Rivera.
Carina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I graduated from Serra High School in 2010. I did so many things from the ages of 19-22 things such as multi-level marketing. That’s when I learned about the types of entrepreneurship and about structure. I was never really good at school but doing a business plan was like lighting a fire under me and made me wanna work. So I went out on a quest in 2014 after a motivational conference in San Francisco that I wanted to open a company. Me and my three close friends got another and came up with the logo and had our promoters licence and our Logo Trademarked and we were officially open by November 21, 2014.
It started out as a really funny hobby. I had some nightlife experience but I was so out of the game for a few years. At the time, the guy I was dating his brother drew the lady boss logo and sent it to us and from there it was kinda history. We have so many things going on at once, We had house parties, Night clubs, Social Media Marketing, Promotions street teams, Party buses and Music videos. As the work got harder, I never really asked for help and when I did, I expected so much from my CEOS that caused us to have a fallout. But with or without them, I was able to promote huge and small night clubs.
As I was the nightlife industry falling apart because of the greed, I was able to tell my mentors who were spending 7,000-25,000k a night in bottle service to stop because the cut the night clubs were giving was not really worth the work or the effort. I can make that up in another department.
I was getting older and felt like I wanted nothing to do with the industry it felt so old. I met all the celebrities I wanted to meet. Rae Sremmurd gave me the best birthday at Fluxx in 2015 and met up with Ray J then as well. Felt the industry in my fingertips but still didn’t feel like I was done. I always wanted to do more. In 2019 I opened up my website again, www.Ladybossgiftshop.com with my lady boss apparel. Selling shirts and leggings, it’s not enough to retire me but it’s a nice little side hustle.
I also get so many emails on my websites about women that I have motivated to either go to the gym or start their own company. I get emails from women all over the world, not only San Diego. To me, that is very rewarding. Sometimes I would bump into fans in random places. And sometimes its kinda crazy because they just stare at you. Sometimes I forget that someone is always connected to someone in San Diego.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it has not, everyday things became more challenging as I was new to leading programs and launching a business. Finances, resources, and visibility was difficult
Ladyboss productions – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company first started as a Marketing company. We are known for our shows and events. Our specialty is night industry, my proudest moment was the moment when I saw the lady boss logo in my favorite night club together in the same flyer. To me, it was one of the best feelings ever. I felt like on top of the world. All the No’s that I ever took was all worth it. Me and my lady bosses did it and they all knew. What set us apart from others, was we were the only female-owned and operated. We were the only ones in the games, with the only female promotional street team with bus rides to the venues.
As a boss, the best thing I am proud of was when celebrities that I was a fan of them became a fan of mine. It was really funny to me. I had a few charger players and celebrities hit the DM. I wouldn’t reply after a while and would just leave it as that.
Now, as I have gotten older and started growing out of the nightlife industry, I decided to focus more on advertising productions as well as the clothing line @LadybossGiftShop. The best thing I freelance everything so some days I even make commercials for local companies as well as websites. At this moment, I am just so proud of the lady boss apparel. It came out better then I could ever imagine. What sets this apart from others is that we are a community of sisterhood. It has been a crazy journey every step of the way.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am a very lucky to have probably one of the world’s best mentors I could ever think of. One of the best ones is Jason Gills he was one of the best mentors who supported everything that I did. He was such a great mentor, he told me the ropes about everything. Every now and then, I think about the good habits I am developing and think of him. He told me where I was going to fail he told me what is going to be successful. I had a few business owners who are also my mentors from restaurants to night club owners.
They motivated me and always gave me a few tips to succeed in life. All I have to do is work for it and it will come. They all played a big roll in my life, they showed me that they came from nothing. Worked hard every day after work. Kept working until they hire someone to help expand and continue the process. They always told me not to give up and they would come out and support on my events. As well as my Ladybosses Heather, Vanessa, Alisha, Amanda, Sarah fina, Baby Kayla, Jazmine and Philly Phil, I could never done anything without them.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Ladybossgiftshop.com
- Phone: 6199193060
- Email: ladybosspro@gmail.com
- Instagram: Ladybossproductions
- Facebook: Ladybossproductions
- Twitter: Ladybosspro
Image Credit:
@Encore @joeydixsonTV @Fluxx
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