Meet Kendra Parker | Female Founder/Owner

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

Hi Kendra, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
It wasn’t until I left my long time career in oil and gas to pursue CostaKini fully on it’s own that I realized for the first time how wonderful a true work life balance could be. For over a decade I dedicated my entire self to my career and sacrificed so many moments, holidays, and milestones with friends and family that I’ll never be able to get back. I worked myself ragged seven days a week, 365 days a year…all to make someone else successful in their business. This is my biggest regret in life.

Now I’m able to put that same grit and dedication into making my own business successful. I used to feel a pressure with CostaKini to get my orders completed and shipped out as soon as humanly possible, mostly because I was doing orders in my spare time every night and on weekends working 15-20 hour days around my career in oil and gas. Now that I’m doing CostaKini full time I have the luxury to plan my weeks out and delegate certain tasks and functions that before I would make myself crazy trying to do it all myself.

I’m a new mom this year to a five month old son and I’ve made the conscious decision to put my family first no matter what (you also don’t really have a choice when you’re caring for a newborn that needs you every second of every day). My little one has given me another reset and another new meaning for what a work life balance can be. When you have your own business you realize how much work actually goes into running it: marketing, inventory management, accounting, product photoshoots, sales, designing, creating, fulfillment, shipping, and probably 1,000 other things that come up along the way. I have enhanced my time management skills and altered my work schedule to fit in caring for a newborn which has made my life significantly easier now. I’ve created a flexible schedule for each day for the different areas of making a business flow so I can maximize my time and be as efficient as possible, I can now enjoy and appreciate the little and big moments with my friends and family. Because I have regrets in how I’ve managed my work life balance before, I now have a deeper appreciation for what it can be if you choose to make it work for you. We get one life to live, there are moments that if you miss you’ll never be able to get back, you have to decide what is worth it for you.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started working in oil and gas directly out of college, I had obtained a masters degree and decided this industry made the most sense to start in and pay off my student loans. I had zero experience in the industry yet I quickly excelled in a male dominated industry. Everything was going great, until the crash happened in 2015/2016. During this time all operations for the services I specialized in were halted and my life changed drastically. I made the decision to stop going to meetings only to be repeatedly told there was no work. I decided to move to Medellin, Colombia to join a couple guy friends from college who were living there at the time. I had a few long time customers in oil and gas that had continued work with one of my specialties so I was able to work remotely and manage those accounts from abroad. Knowing the volatility of the current market I decided I needed to take this time to figure something else out that was more sustainable and could not be taken away from me if the market did not recover. I had been in oil and gas for my entire post college career, I had no clue what I wanted to do.

I knew I loved the beach and all things sparkly and wanted to do something girly after working in a predominantly male dominated field for the last decade. I thought maybe starting a bikini company would be fun. I began researching, and being in Colombia where the textile industry is massive, I really felt this was going to be it for me, until I quickly realized it wasn’t. The margins just weren’t there for the amount of work and manufacturing it was going to take to get this going. So I went back to the drawing board and kept traveling around South and Central America in the meantime. One of the greatest lessons I have learned from my experience starting CostaKini is learning to enjoy the successes and failures as they both provide valuable lessons. When failure presents itself you can either get down and quit or learn as much as you can from it, keep your head up and move on to the next path life presents.

I was visiting a friend in Costa Rica and saw a girl wearing a floppy hat with sequin writing on it that said “beach please”, I stopped her and asked if I could look at her hat, I knew I could create something similar, it was in that moment the lightbulb went off and CostaKini was born. I started out in the beginning as an online floppy hat company where I hand made custom floppy hats with sequin writing (which I still have on my website today). Floppy hats are a very niche item though, over the years my creativity has really taken shape and CostaKini has transformed into what it is today – a company that provides custom and unique accessories, clothing and gifts. I just added a bridal line where I get to let my creativity flourish and have so much fun at the same time coming up with all the new designs. I absolutely love what I do and love letting my artistic side and creativity blossom every day.

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?
Must try places to eat: – 1st stop is always straight to El T (El Tiempo) for fajitas and skinny margaritas!
– Pinkertons for BBQ, 2-3 meat plate with at least 2-3 sides to share, never skimping on the mac-n-cheese of course
– Kata Robata for sushi and sake – just trust me on this one, you’ll thank me later…
– Brasserie 19 for brunch with fresh squeezed grapefruit mimosas, tuna tartar and truffle fries to start
– Coltivare for pepper pasta, gourmet pizza and wine
– Rainbow Lodge for a romantic night out, if you are into wild game this is where you will find the finest cuts of wild game meat in Houston, not to mention the ambiance and outdoor space can’t be beat
– Nourish Juice Bar & Kalos on Durham in the morning for some amazing coffee, fresh juices and acai bowls – very dog friendly place with a quaint patio to relax in the morning with your pups
– Franks Pizza downtown for your late night, after the bars pizza and beers…by far the best in Houston!
– Have some picky eaters with you and can’t decide on one spot? Bravery Food Hall downtown is perfect for your group then! They have a variety of cuisines and drinks. Everyone can choose their own or do what me and my husband do and food hop and get a little plate and a drink from each place!

Places to drink/hang out: (I will say, I’m a new mom this year so I’m probably behind on the new hotspots but these are some oldies but goodies that I used to love to frequent)
– La Carafe, bonus if it’s the 1st Thursday of the month for their monthly wine tasting with cheese and desserts with the locals
– Captain Foxhearts and the Bad News Bar, you’ll have to be with someone who knows where this hidden speakeasy is, once you find it sit back and relax with some hand crafted cocktails and chill on the balcony downtown
– Bungalow Heights has a great selection of cocktails and beers with a fun atmosphere – if you find yourself hungry get the chicken strips, you won’t be disappointed
– Cedar Creek, often has live music and their outdoor patio section is huge. Bring the pups and the family and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. If you are there the 1st Saturday of the month there is a plant and artesian market in the parking lot! (I used to be a part of this market every month up until I was 8 months pregnant)
– Postino Heights, enjoy some wine flights with a pairing of bruschetta flights as well, they have a great happy hour

Places to visit:
– Take a walk through Memorial Park afterwards to enjoy the views and walk off your fajitas
– Visit the museum district
– Explore the underground tunnels beneath downtown
– Take a walk or rent bikes and go along Buffalo Bayou, bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the scenery and spacious grassy areas

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my awesome husband, Donny. When I first met Donny I was an oil and gas executive working insane hours, seven days a week, sacrificing holidays and important life milestones with my friends and family for my career and CostaKini was my side gig. Having worked as an executive in oil and gas for over a decade I did not have the courage on my own to leave the industry and focus on making CostaKini what it is today. I had a pretty toxic work relationship with the company I was at yet I still felt some sort of loyalty to stay, I felt if I left I may not be successful on my own with CostaKini. I think we sometimes get lost in this mindset of what it means to be successful in your career though, having the salary job with income security is definitely something that is difficult to leave behind. Running your own business is a rollercoaster of emotions, essentially every day you wake up unemployed and it is all on your shoulders to have to bring in customers to make your business thrive. Donny motivated and supported me to take the leap, and looking back it is the best decision I ever made. There are constant struggles with having your own business but having a supportive partner has made all the difference for me, I am so thankful for his constant support and encouragement.

Website: www.CostaKini.com

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