Meet Kara Ford | DJ

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

Hi Kara, how do you think about risk?
I think about risk as something that needs to be managed, but something that is needed for growth.

I actually worked a full-time job for 4 years while DJing on the side. I knew that at some point I wanted to go full-time as a DJ, and would need to quit my job. But I was nervous, I knew not having steady income would be risky and I had to be fully ready to build my business, and generate income on my own. I worked hard, and made sure I had enough saved up before making that jump. I also looked at the average business I was getting a month, I knew it would fluctuate, but felt even in a slow month I would be okay not having to dip into my savings. Then I thought about how much additional time I would have to work on marketing, take more events, and create more business for myself.

I am definitely more on the conservative side when it comes to risk, but if risk is clearly calculated and is likely to bring ton more upside, they are absolutely needed to be taken.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Well I am a DJ. And my goal as a DJ is always be authentically who I am, and to play tasteful music. I am not sure what sets me apart, but I think in just being myself and not trying to be “like” anyone else could play a factor.

I am excited to see where all of this goes. I have built a successful DJ business of my own, and I am so proud of being able to actually accomplish the goals I had when I first started DJing. It was not an easy journey. I had to overcome the challenges of building a website, getting clients to my website, figuring out my pricing, learning our how to start an LLC, how to do my taxes, and my biggest challenge is knowing my worth and staying confident as a DJ.

The biggest lesson I have learned is to always trust yourself. Within my DJ journey, at times I have had certain things guiding me into a different inauthentic direction. Whether that be, peers letting me know I need to change my look to get more gigs, or when I have worked with unaligned colleagues. There have been times when I have felt like “hmmm this doesn’t feel like me”, and when I move away from that, more in a direction of “this feels like me” I have noticed that things align in the way I want a bit more. So I am at a place where I try to trust myself first.

I want the world to know, that I love what I do, I am passionate about music and DJing, I always try to be myself , and just trying to bring people together and make people happy with good music.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visiting, we would have a great time! I would def prob try and do something outdoors like a hike at runyon, the beach, or a walk around beautiful part of the city. Would also probably need to check out the grove and farmers market. We would also have to check out this cool bar in hollywood called Mama Shelter, they play the coolest music!

Then for our nights, I would def take them to weho. Which is by far my favorite place to go out.

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 would like to give a shout out to my Mom!

When I was working hard, with 2 jobs, trying to figure out how I could make this whole DJ thing actually happen, I was a bit stressed out. I knew being a DJ full-time would be a tough thing to pull off, I mean think about it, it’s like a really cool job!! I also thought, like what if all of this work will go to waste, can someone have a lasting career as a DJ? Then on top of that, am I even good enough? When I was young and in the beginning stages, I questioned myself a lot. But my mom would always help me think things through. She helped me continue on my journey when I felt beat down, when things were so hard I just wanted to quit.

She has always been so encouraging, and helped me grow so much. I am lucky because I know a lot parents wouldn’t be so happy if their child decided to become a DJ lol. But my mom has always been on my side, talking me up, and encouraging me to take the next steps. I appreciate her more than anything! 🙂

Website: djkaraLA.com

Instagram: dj.kara

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djkarala/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djkarala/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC05_ffuXP7upb8fmLHwRxKA

Image Credits
Jeremiah Warren – @jeremiahjw Mikel Darling – @thesleeless1 Greg Caparell – @greg_caparell