We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sharon Baluku a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sharon , 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?
It’s funny that I’m being asked this question, because I’ve often wondered where my own resilience comes from. I’ve come to the realization that it’s partly because of all the challenges I’ve faced throughout the years, but mostly because of my mother. I’m the daughter of an immigrant and one of seven children raised by a single mother, and she embodied and modeled resilience like no other. Her decision to move from Uganda to Sweden and later to the United States, which were so foreign to her, and her willpower to endure the challenges that came with it and work hard so she could provide her children with better opportunities – to me this is the true definition of resilience. From a very young age, I watched my mother not complaining, always finding a way. She had a mindset of “figure it out and just do it, and finish what you started.” She often reminded me to always know where I came from and to know my roots, as well as teaching me not to be afraid of trying new things. I’m much like her in these areas: I’m not afraid of trying new things because I’ve learned that there is no such thing as failure. As a business owner, especially ever since the pandemic, I’ve learned to pivot whenever it’s necessary. As Marie Forleo says, “everything is figureoutable,”
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
As a passionate entrepreneur, expressing my creativity through art is essential to me. As someone creative, I definitely see the world in color. While building and working on Baluku Design, I’ve been working as a professional interior designer and manager on mainly residential and medical projects throughout the United States. However, like many people during the pandemic, I felt like it was time to try something new and different. I’ve always had an interest in real estate and knew that it was something I’d like to do later on in the future, so I made the decision to start pursuing a California real estate license. I’m now a realtor with Keller Williams while still working on Baluku Design. I’m very much a people person, and the most exciting part of being both a realtor and a designer is having the privilege to meet and connect with people from all walks of life and being able to serve them, whether it’s designing that special piece of jewelry that they need to complete their look, or guiding them while helping them find their dream house. In the near future I definitely see myself as a successful jewelry designer and a well-established realtor. On another note, I’ve just started laying the groundwork for a new idea – it’s in the early stages, but I’m really excited about its potential!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Courage, open-mindedness and loyalty are qualities that have been very impactful in my journey, not just as an entrepreneur but also in life. It takes tremendous courage to decide to move to a new country that you know little about, having to learn a new language, and leaving your family and friends behind. Being open-minded has served me greatly both in my personal and professional life, as an entrepreneur must be open-minded, not just to new ideas but towards people and any challenges that may arise along the journey as well. Loyalty for me is non-negotiable. It’s not only imperative in my personal life, but professional one as well – keeping my word makes life easier and that much more enjoyable. The most impactful qualities though have definitely been resilience and adaptability. My ability to bounce back from setbacks and learn from my failures, and my willingness and ability to adjust to changing circumstances and conditions is what I know best. Both of these skills I’ve learned from my mother and from simply being a minority African immigrant. I was always the only African in the room or at the table when I was working as an interior designer, and knowing that people often want to put me in a box simply because I have an accent and look different is something I constantly have to and MUST resist.
The advice I have for folks who are early in their journey is to truly know their own values, and not be afraid to set boundaries and infuse them into their personal and professional lives. This is only achieved through self awareness. It’s crucial to be and have self awareness when you embark on this journey.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Oh this is a tough one, because as a reader a lot of books have left a great impact on me. One in particular is “The Four Agreements.” It’s such a small book, but don’t let the size fool you! This small book is full of valuable and impactful nuggets of wisdom that will change your life for the better. It’s one of the books I keep on my desk, and one I refer to often. One of the nuggets that stays with me is “The human mind is like fertile ground where seeds are continually being planted. The seeds are opinions, ideas, and concepts. You plant a seed, a thought, and it grows. The word is like a seed, and the human mind is so fertile.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.balukudesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balukudesign/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-baluku-6b703521/
- Other: This is my Real Estate Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/sharonbaluku/
Image Credits
Baluku Design
