Shellene Clarke: Setting her finances straight

Multiple income streams is the order of the day, and more and more millennials are raising their God-given rods to make way for a better future.

There are 20-odd-year-olds getting involved in farming, opening businesses, and offering personal services, all while balancing their nine-to-fives – ‘securing the bags’, as they call it.

Shellene Clarke of the Mount George community in St Thomas is all about that life.

The 27-year-old, who has been working in government for over five years, has recently added entrepreneur and event planner and executer to her professional title.

The road to such an attainment began when Clarke was a child. She would help her mother plan birthday parties for herself and her siblings, along with a host of other events.

“I’ve always loved fashion, planning and decorating. Being a pastor’s kid, I used to get involved in the planning of church events. I also found joy in helping my friends plan whatever it is that they had doing. I find planning to be a hobby, and events are the perfect fit,” Clarke told The Gleaner.

“So one day, I was at work browsing through my Instagram and came across a school by the name of Events ByJAR and decide to contact them for more details. I searched through the course outline that was sent to me and decided to register for the eight-week course, and well, let’s just say I have a certificate to show for my studies and testimonials for my experience,” Clarke shared with a chuckle, admitting that though the course wasn’t very easy and smooth, it was exciting and informative.

Following her graduation in March, Kandid Events was birthed, a play on her moniker ‘Kyandi’.

She said, “I was talking to my friend about naming the business and was saying I want my name, ‘Kyandi’, to be in it. He told me to look up the word ‘candid’, and the rest is history. I now have a blessed team working with, who are some of the most generous and dedicated people on planet Earth! Kandid Events is just a few months old, but it has been a blessing. I can’t thank God enough. Now we not only plan the events, but we also provide decor whether for these events or any space at all. Our specialty is paper art, a sort of new creation that brings a simple sheet of paper to life.”

Speaking on the greats of the trade, Clarke mentioned the sheer pleasure she feels after sitting with a client, hearing what they want, and improving their visions with her expertise.

Also satisfying, according to the young planner, is the reaction of each client following a job well done.

But with the good comes the ‘nose run’, and Clarke is testament.

“Events and decor is a very demanding job. If you don’t genuinely love it then it makes no sense you try to dedicate yourself to it. It will literally drain you of everything. I also work a nine-to-five, which is quite demanding, too, but as you would have heard, a day job alone simply can’t cut it. I love what I do, but I knew I needed another income to survive.

“I have had sleepless nights because I’m up planning and creating items for clients for their events or just for an office/home space, and I can say it’s only the grace of God and my love for the art that’s keeping me,” Clarke noted.

She added: “ I remember leaving my government job one day at 5 p.m. and going straight to do a job I was hired for. My team and I didn’t complete this until about 7 in the morning, when I had to rush home, quickly shower, and head back to office for work at 8:30 a.m.,” Clarke said, sharing that she left work, showered and headed straight to a church convention that same evening.

According to her, “I can’t promise you that it will be easy, but be assured, it’s worth it, and you’ll even thank yourself more later in life when your finances have been set straight. We’re young, and it’s hustle time.”