Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katrina Gray. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Katrina, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Where do I get my resilience from? Short answer. My mom. I had a front row view of seeing how to be unstoppable in so many different aspects of life. A single mother of five children working 2 jobs to make sure we had everything we needed to survive. I remember still being able to come home to clean house, a great smelling house, clothes cleaned and neatly folded on my bed, A home-cooked meal, even if it may not have been what I wanted lol it was there. And this was after she had worked all day for someone else, still being able to be a home maker. She faced many challenges that I won’t get to deeply into because it is her story to tell and not mine. But I can tell you it has impacted me in a positive way that I wasn’t able to see until I began to experience the challenges life throws your way as you grow into adulthood and even more womanhood and motherhood. Resilence is in my DNA not just from my mother but from her mother and our lineage of women and ancestors who have had to overcome things we couldn’t even imagine having to face, I may not have always appreciated the hardships I had to deal with and even felt resentful at time when i felt people didn’t come to my rescue but it is a big part of my journey and self efficiency. I am someone who doesn’t necessarily have to experience things first hand to get the lesson. I am an observer, and some things you don’t have to tell me twice if I see it with my eyes once. Resilience is a part of life, making it harder to get through without it. I love the quote by Haruki Murakami. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. I don’t want to suffer through life. I think of how I will be viewed after this life is over for me and I’d like to be seen as a loving, joyful person, and I want it to be a real, genuine statement. Not like I faked through and was deeply unhappy inside, but that I experienced true happiness and soaked up the good things that we have access to here on this Earth. I can’t imagine we were placed in this beautiful, sometimes harsh place to work, pay bills and die. There’s no way that’s life. And I don’t want it to be my life or my children’s life so I intentionally try my best every day to have a life worth living and I am the only one in control of that.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
From an early age, I was drawn to the world of business. My entrepreneurial journey began in high school, where I found creative ways to make money long before entering the workforce. I started by selling cupcakes, but my hustle didn’t stop there—I also created and sold custom mixtapes. Friends and classmates would give me their song requests, and using platforms like Napster and LimeWire, I’d curate personalized CDs for them. This was my first real taste of business—identifying a demand, creating a product, and making a profit.
At 15, I took my first official job as a hostess at Denny’s, later becoming a server. This early exposure to customer service sparked my curiosity about how businesses operate, leading me to explore different industries and roles throughout my career. I transitioned into banking, where I gained firsthand experience in financial operations, before briefly returning to the restaurant industry. My career then took a pivotal turn when I became a recruiter at a staffing agency, eventually working my way up to Branch Operations Manager. Throughout these experiences, I remained fascinated by what makes a business successful—how companies are structured, how money flows, and what differentiates thriving businesses from struggling ones.
My formal education reinforced my passion. I earned a degree in Business Management from Savannah Technical College and obtained a Human Resources certification, further solidifying my knowledge of business operations and organizational success. But beyond academics and career roles, my entrepreneurial spirit remained strong.
Over the years, I’ve explored various business ventures. Some were independent startups, while others were within the MLM space, including Avon, Thirty-One, Tastefully Simple, and Paparazzi. Each venture taught me valuable lessons about market demand, strategy, and the importance of consistency. I later launched my own jewelry business, My Favorite Things, inspired by my love for earrings. It saw early success but ultimately revealed the importance of sustainability and demand. I also dabbled in selling T-shirts and previously ventured into life coaching, but I realized I needed a clearer niche to truly make an impact.
Through these experiences—both wins and lessons learned—I discovered my true calling: mentoring women in entrepreneurship. Women are incredibly creative and resourceful, yet often face unique challenges in the business world. I am passionate about empowering women to build sustainable businesses, create financial independence, and reinvest in their communities. Seeing women gain confidence in their entrepreneurial journey fuels my mission to provide guidance, strategies, and support to help them succeed.
Today, as The Venture Mentor, I leverage my diverse background, firsthand business experience, and deep passion for entrepreneurship to mentor women who are ready to step into business ownership. Whether helping with business strategy, branding, or overcoming mindset barriers, my goal is to ensure women have the tools and confidence to turn their ideas into thriving businesses.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
One of the most impactful qualities in my journey has been resilience and adaptability. Business and life don’t always go as planned, and I’ve had to pivot multiple times, whether it was starting over or adjusting my approach to meet new challenges. Being able to navigate uncertainty and turn setbacks into opportunities has been crucial to my success. Another key skill has been entrepreneurial vision and strategy—having the ability to see the bigger picture, set clear goals, and take strategic action. I’ve learned that ideas alone aren’t enough; you need a well-thought-out plan and the willingness to execute it. Lastly, mentorship and empowerment have played a huge role in my journey. I’ve always believed in lifting others as I climb, and through coaching, networking, and sharing my knowledge, I’ve not only helped others succeed but also reinforced my own growth.
For those early in their journey, my advice is to embrace resilience by understanding that setbacks are part of the process. Instead of letting obstacles discourage you, use them as learning experiences and opportunities to pivot when necessary. To develop strong entrepreneurial vision and strategy, start with a clear goal, break it into actionable steps, and continuously educate yourself through mentorship, books, and courses. The ability to adjust your approach as you grow is just as important as the initial plan itself. And when it comes to mentorship and empowerment, surround yourself with like-minded people, seek guidance from those who have been where you want to go, and don’t be afraid to share your own experiences. Helping others not only strengthens your network but also deepens your own expertise.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
You Are a Badass! By Jen Sincero. That book sparked something in me and that’s when I started pushing myself to stop playing small.
One of the most valuable lessons I took from You Are a Badass was the idea that money is energy—it flows where it’s welcomed, and our mindset around it can either attract or repel abundance. This helped me shift from a scarcity mentality to seeing money as a tool for growth and opportunity. Another key takeaway was to take action now rather than waiting for the perfect moment. Fear and doubt will always be there, but success comes from pushing forward despite them. Lastly, I learned the importance of surrounding myself with positive influences—the people and environments we engage with can either uplift or drain us, so it’s crucial to be intentional about who and what we allow into our space. These lessons have had a lasting impact on how I approach both life and business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/knicolementor.com/the-venture-mentor/home
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15sEpwD6a4/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/b-Tn55aPGB
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