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

Hi Kari, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I wanted to be able to work, using my very unique set of skills to earn and be self sufficient. I am a growth coach and I have been blogging for 10 years. I help people tackle self-limiting behaviors and grow in all areas of their lives from the personal, spiritual, business to financial. The aim is to work towards being able to have more to give as well. You, being, being blessed to BE a blessing.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I run Barak Lifestyle Consultancy,a company that enriches and enhances people’s lives and businesses through food, lifestyle and coaching. We are the owners of the award-winning food and lifestyle publishing platform www.chefandsteward.com and have been publishing the food blog Chef and Steward for 10 years. I started this business online as only a blog because it was the only part of the business I could fund while I was living in Dubai. It opened up lots of doors for me. I would later write a food column for 7 years circulated in 6 countries. One of my main challenges is moving countries three times whilst in operation but the fact that the business is online has always allowed me to still keep my finger on the pulse. My biggest challenge as a small business owner is the under capitlization, especially in these times, but we continue to be creative and responsive to market needs and make the adjustments needed to not only survive these conditions but also create the environment in which we can actually bloom and allow others who work with us to do the same. I am helping people (professionals as well as business owners) transition to an online world. You will be surprised as to how much of a mega mindset shift it takes to may that adjustment, even for people who have been extremely successful in the brick and mortar, face to face, pre pandemic world. I have a mentorship programme, called Leap into Transition in which I am helping people lawyers, consultants, entrepreneurs and even administrative staff, really find new ways to create sustainable income streams. I am of the strong believe that anyone with an income, needs to be using a portion of it to position himself/herself to create other income streams. Multiple income streams is a wise way forward as it puts us in a much more financially stable position. I also do great work with professionals in terms of helping them hone their online presence, find and deliver their messages effectively in order to connect with their market and earn clients for services they can deliver remotely or safely in person. That way, people can pay mortgages even if countries are on lockdown because emergency funds are not funded to last forever. If people can truly Leap into Transition, then they can find more peace and sleep soundly at night because they will find deeper fulfillment in work that brings them real joy and also don’t have to worry about financing an uncertain future. Their storehouses will be full., so they too are blessed to be a blessing.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Legacy West. It reminds me of living in Dubai and it is such a great walking part of the city and stroller friendly for us Mamas who had to push proms. The train museum in Plano is a fun trip with the kids. Take the rail into town and have some BBQ at Lockhart Smokehouse. And BBQ…Hutchins BBQ in McKinney…..sooooo worth the drive! There is a Persian restaurant that serves a lavish Persian buffet for lunch. Mad LOVE. It’s called Shahrzad Mediterranean Market & Grill and they have a lovely Middle Eastern food market and haberdashery attached. It took me right back to living on the other side of the world! Also Love World Food Market for Middle Eastern shopping. Love the Farmers Market near the train station. Local ghee from the dairy farm. Emporium for the pies. Oh. My. Word. A visit to Legoland is a must for the kids and the kids at heart.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To be honest, there are SO many persons who have contributed to my growth that it’s hard to pinpoint one. But I would love to honour the memory of my late professor Aggrey Brown, who was instrumental in driving home the need for us as media graduates to embrace new media technology (internet) as the way forward in giving us unprecedented access to publishing and owning the media. I also have to honour my mother, Waneta Allison, who always insisted that I learn and home really practical skills, even alongside university degrees because “With a skill, you don’t have to wait for people to hire you. What if you cannot get a job?’ Because of her, I was trained in photography, voice and speech and honed cooking skills which * now use daily in my business, In this Covid era, I am blessed to have had an online business for 10 years already. Both my parents also gave me really strong work ethic. So I honour my father, Arlington Morrison, for sending me to the best, top private schools and he and my mother are the two hardest workers I know.

Website: HTTPS://www.chefandsteward.com

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

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chefandsteward

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefandsteward

Youtube: https://www.youtube .com/chefandsteward

Other: Tik Tok @chefandsteward

Image Credits
Kari Heron

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