Meet Karenn Murga: Business Owner

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

Hi Karenn, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important thing I have learned in my years in business is integrity. Leading my business with integrity is one of the reasons why my customers trust me and recommend my business to others. Your clients want to be able to trust you and build a connection with you. I take the time to talk to my clients and get to know the things they like in order to make them a custom gift they will love.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
B|A Luxury Gift Shop is a place where you can send me your ideas and we make them happen! We don’t see every order as just business, we take them very personally and make sure to add that extra touch of unique to make every gift special and memorable. I started my business selling breakfast boxes and custom balloons, I had not seen anyone else selling these items and I loved how creative you could be! Since it was new, I had people tell me it was never going to work and that I was not going to sell. When I would post on group pages, people would say it was ridiculous to sell custom balloons at a higher price, “why would I pay $15 for a balloon if I can pay $4”. These comments only made me stronger, I focused on the people and clients that did believe in me. The biggest lesson for me has been to stay focused, in the beginning I would look at other businesses and feel nervous. I was worried that my clients would find someone else and stress about my follower numbers. As the years passed I realized that I was only deriving my focus on things that weren’t helping my business grow. I have learned to never compare myself to other businesses and stay focused on creating new items for my clients that I love and know they will too! I add passion to all of my orders and my clients see that. I want the world to see that a young mom was able to create a successful business. when I became a young mom I would always hear people say that my life was over, and that was pretty much it for my success. Those comments made my husband and I work hard to achieve our goals. We are here to tell you that if you become young parents, you can still achieve your dreams!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to walk through City Centre, Color Factory, Discovery Green, Houston Zoo, Rooftop Cinema, Science Museum, and our amazing malls! I can give you amazing restaurant names for hours, Houston is full of so many great places. Some of my favorites are Gloria’s Latin Cuisine, Mamacita’s Mexican Restaurant, Bibi’s House of Kabob, In and Out, Rodeo Goat, The Turkey Leg Hut, Oishi Sushi, some amazing desserts at Sweet Galeanna and we can make some amazing micheladas with Micheladas El Burgueno mix.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have so many amazing people that have helped my business grow throughout the years. My husband has been an amazing support, I left my full time job and started selling a product no one believed in and he fully supported it without a doubt. He is always helping me grow our business, and motivates me when I most need it. My parents and sister are my mentors, I have always been able to go to them for help and mentorship when I need it. They are also my support system, as a mom of two my life can get a bit crazy. I can’t tell you how many times they have seen me stress and they jump right in and take my kids no matter what they have going on. I would not have been able to grow if it wasn’t for their support. My amazing friends are always the first to share my work and recommend my business, that means the world to me. I also want to thank Fourteen Eleven, an organization that allows women to share their testimonies and motivates other women. I have attended every event, and seeing so many empowered women has kept me going even in the worst moments. I also have so many amazing clients that are always ready to support me in any way possible. My business has been successful during these years because I have always been surrounded by amazing and supportive people.