Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Knight. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kevin, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
I grew up in relatively diverse environments. My mother was in the military for 22 years. As an only child in a single-parent household, you’re taught independence at a very early age. Quite frankly, a military family at that time gave you no choice. They don’t pay enough to have someone watch your child daily, so I basically woke up to an empty home and came home to an empty home daily since 2nd grade. I was tasked with getting dressed, eating breakfast, and walking to the bus stop by myself daily. If my mom had to go on military training, I’d watch myself for a few days/weeks. The neighbors would check on me occasionally, but I was already disciplined and knew how to handle my business. My mother trusted me, and that’s what it was. This upbringing instills a certain level of confidence in your abilities. I never really felt like there was anything I couldn’t do, so being in a room with others that don’t look like me didn’t phase me. It was no different than going to my honors and advanced classes and being the only one that looked like me in the classroom. I thought I was smarter than the majority of them anyway, so it felt normal. The only difference was/is, they didn’t expect it.
I graduated from (at the time), one of the largest universities in the world, The University of Texas. With over 50,000 students, only a few thousand of them looked like me, and Corporate America was the same. See, African Americans make up less than 15% of the US population, so technically, my whole life has been spent in rooms where I wasn’t part of the majority, so standing out in a room is commonplace for most of us. It’s not about being effective and/or successful in a room where you’re the minority, it’s about simply being smart and successful overall, and having the cultural clairvoyance to move in different rooms like a beast.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As an entrepreneur, I wear several hats. I own an award-winning travel company, an RV Park, a race track, a rental property, a black travel media company, and more. My main focus is on Urban Events Global. UEG takes groups of mainly African Americans worldwide to see different countries and cultures. We’ve taken (and are currently taking) groups to South Africa, Dubai, Ghana, Thailand, Brazil, many Caribbean islands, and more. Our largest event is a first-of-its-type, camping trip called Urban Camp Weekend. It’s the largest camping trip in the country, bringing out thousands of guests annually. We bring people and vendors from all around the US, to experience camp in a way that can only be explained if you were there. www.UrbanEventsGlobal.com and the media brand www.BlackTravelTube.com have carved out a niche in the black travel space, and are currently leading the charge.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The qualities, skills or areas of knowledge that I find most impactful are honesty, fairness and basic economics I advise everyone early in the journey to read and listen as much as possible. Stay ahead of the technology that may impact your business for the good or for the bad. Information and knowledge are essential… stay focused.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking for folks to partner with or collaborate with. I like to find influencers or travel groups that are interested in travel and have some level of influence and hustle to them. I’m easy to reach, at [email protected]. Our most popular feature is our affiliate program, where promoters and influencers are able to get paid for driving traffic to our events. Most of the promoters simply add their affiliate links in their newsletters or blogs, and our third-party system automatically tracks the orders that come from their links. It’s actually pretty simple and takes about 5 minutes to set up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.urbaneventsglobal.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbaneventsglobal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Urbaneventsglobal/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinknight3/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/urbaneventsglbl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UrbanEventsGlobal
