Meet Makayla Allen: CEO & Founder

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

Hi Makayla, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The start of my business journey kind of came out of the blue. I graduated college in 2014 with a biology degree with the initial intent to go to medical school, but I changed my mind and was in this period of figuring out what was next while I worked random jobs. My dad, who is an entrepreneur and has his own successful business, approached me in 2015 to get my advice on these two different projects he was debating on doing. One was building a pet hotel or a short form video contest platform that he had been thinking about for a while. I gravitated toward the video contest website and he hired me as an intern to start helping him put the business plan together. What started as an idea turned into me being a Co-Founder of my first company, World’s Greatest Videos. A couple years later I became the CEO and Founder of my current company, Elevate. 

What should our readers know about your business?
Elevate provides all the tools modern professionals need to operate their remote, virtual business, conveniently. The idea started when the pandemic first hit. As we continued to be in quarantine, everyone witnessed millions of people lose their jobs along with the crippling of brick-and-mortar sales. We wanted to build a platform where business owners, professionals, freelancers and more can easily transition into a virtual business without interruption and help adapt them to a non-physical marketplace. Our platform provides both the tools required to operate a video-based business as well as a virtual marketplace for new customer discovery. These tools include 1-on-1 video calls with clients (for virtual services like consulting, personal training etc.), host and sell tickets to pay-per-view livestream events like classes, conferences, etc. and a lot more! Be it existing businesses or individuals looking for new sources of revenue and monetization, Elevate is a place for them showcase their services, sell their content, communicate with their customers, and grow their brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, I would need to take them to the typical touristy stuff like the Alamo and the Riverwalk downtown. I would take them to the Pearl for food and then go to El Jarro for margaritas. There are a lot of fun things to do that are outside of San Antonio such as hiking Enchanted Rock, hiking through the beautiful views of Lost Maples, or driving up to Austin. We would also go float the river and go visit some of the surrounding small towns like Gruene.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people! First, my faith has been the main thing that has gotten me through this whole journey because starting your own business tests your mental strength every day. Second, my family has supported me since day one even when I had to miss family gatherings, vacations and basically lived under a rock for the first couple of years. I need to give a special shout out to my mom and dad who I’ve gotten my strong work ethic from. My mom has been my biggest cheerleader and always shares our social media posts every day. My dad has taught me so much and I can’t thank him enough for his guidance over the years through the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur, teaching me how to be a leader and more. I wouldn’t be in the position I am in now if he didn’t bring the idea of World’s Greatest Videos to me all those years ago. My team deserves a huge shoutout! Elevate is not a one man show and this company wouldn’t be successful without the team that works hard every day behind it. We have been through a lot and they have given the same blood, sweat and tears and they deserve all the success. I want to give a shout out to my boyfriend who has been so supportive and provided help and wisdom throughout all the stress and struggles. Finally, I want to give a shout out to MacKenzie Jewell and Emre. They both took a chance on us at World’s Greatest Videos when nobody knew who we were. They are both incredibly talented and helped produce content and bring other creators and friends to our site. You should go follow them if you don’t already!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theelevateapp/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theelevateapp
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theelevateapp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheElevateApp
Other: Join our beta program here https://mailchi.mp/elevate-app/elevate

Image Credits
Emre Tichelaar