Today we’d like to introduce you to Kourtney “KP” Pina.
Hi Kourtney “KP”, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am born in Providence, Rhode Island. I moved to Tampa at eight years old. I graduated from USF and while in school studying Criminal Justice, I needed to find a job. I started in hospitality when I was 19 years old working for Hooters. I worked my way from a server to a trainer, corporate trainer, managerial trainer, launched their liquor training, launched their catering division, opened several locations and even sat on a board that helped change the dynamics of hooters to what you see today. I assisted on so many levels in this company that I would soon come to apply some of my experiences and learning to my own company. I then started bar-tending at Lit Cigar lounge in Channelside at the request of my best friend who is now one of my partners. I loved being a bartender, however, this particular Cigar lounge proved to be a slight challenge. I wasn’t prepared for the norm when it comes to cigar lounges, you know the typical “Man Cave.” I convinced my friend Bryan Prieto to let me make some changes to the concept that had been doing just fine for him, but I just had a feeling that we could be bigger. I knew that my ideas would take us to a whole new level, I just needed to do a little convincing. With that being said, I reached out to my friend at the time that owned a Hookah lounge and thought let’s incorporate this new trend into this 800 square foot “man cave.” So Bryan let me have full reign over this and once we started, LIT became a whole new LIT! Bringing the hookahs in made the women come! When the women came, then the athletes started coming more and more. Pretty soon, we were packed every weekend and started to really understand the presence we were creating in Nightlife. I worked there and managed for roughly 4.5 years until we were forced out of Channelside for what was a new concept they were bringing to Tampa. December 31st, 2017 was our last run in Channelside. I helped my best friend clean out what we had all known for many years at the Tampa version of “Cheers.” I watched him take down TV’s and we packed up our livelihood in boxes with tears in my eyes. I had no idea what the future held in store for us that day, but I knew if we ever came back, I wanted it to be major. I looked at him and said, “When we return…I want a bigger role in LIT. I want to be an owner.” He looked at me and said, “you deserve that and an owner you shall be.” We didn’t write up a paper or anything. All we had was each other’s loyalty.
Now I am a single mom of two kids with no job. Lost trying to find what my next gig would be. So many questions, fears and concerns running through my mind. I believed that opening the new LIT was not going to take long, oh how wrong I was! I knew I didn’t have a tremendous amount of time as I was living off my savings, which wasn’t much. Months went by and I began to get a little more worried because I knew I had kids to feed and care for still. We went all over the city looking for the right location and every single time, we were shot down. The only thing we kept hearing was No, no and no. My partner started to get depressed and started to get angry at the same time. I started losing more and more faith. Then two and a half months later, I woke up on Sunday Feb. 18th, 2018 and paced in my home at 6:38am contemplating this feeling I had inside to go to church. I had not been to church since I was younger with my grandfather. During this time, he had passed months prior and my only comfort and reassuring person that things would be okay lost his battle to cancer. I got dressed and said I am going. I have nothing else and I am lost. I drove five minutes to Love First Christian Center and parked my car. Sweating like crazy, I just said “go in Kourtney you are already here.” I walked inside and as I was walking in my shoe broke! I know crazy like what are the odds the shoes I have had for years would break on this given day. I finessed my shoe and continued in because I knew if I left that I would not return. I sat in the very last row and I did not know a single praise and worship song. As I was dancing back and forth my other shoe breaks. Yes, again I know what in the world is happening? I finessed that shoe and continued on. By the end of service, I had tears in my eyes because for some reason the moment you step into church when you need it the most it is almost as if the pastor is speaking directly to you and your situation. The word that day was clear as day….Fight the fight, finish the race and keep the faith.
I began tithing what little I had every week and on April 16th, 2018 almost 60 days to the day my faith and my dedication had paid off. I got a call that I had gotten the position at Ideal Image. Now at this time, Ideal Image was beyond difficult to get into because the sales professionals were very well paid. I made it! I told my mother who had worked there in the Payroll department that I was going to be the best sales professional the 17 years company had ever seen. I sent her an email that said 10k a month, that was all it said and I told her this is going to be the norm for me each month. Now that was extremely high considering I had not even taken one single call yet. But I trusted God because Pastor Jomo said “God will bless those that give tenfold.” Well, that he in fact did! So leaving the two weeks of training, I told the trainer Kathy “I will be the best to ever do this however God says I will only be here for two years.” She was caught off guard because why would anyone leave if they were going to make that amount of money? I just knew what he said and I went with it. Needless to say, I had taken over and 20 out of 24 months, I was on the top. 14 times I was #1 in sales and any other time top 2 or 3. The company began to recognize my attributes and then promoted me to Sales and Strategy Trainer. Now I was training 165 employees and flying between cities to do so. Then March 2020 Covid happened. Like the rest of the world, my position got cut and I went back on the phones to assist the company after laying off 2500 people. I was just glad to keep my job and I knew I was good at sales so I did not worry. I did not like the way the company began to handle matters and covid showed the true character of the company which my spirit could no longer align with. June 30th, 2020 I resigned from the company. I know crazy right…120k+ a year and in the middle of a pandemic, I resigned. Finding myself back in the same place two years prior. No job and living off savings. This time though I had Faith!!!
Bryan had literally been through the darkest times during this and I knew that if we were going to get some “yes’s” I was going to need to get him on the same faith page that I had. I told my friend in a very deep conversation one night I think you should write your prayers down like me. It had been working for me and everything was manifesting for me doing so, so maybe he needed to also. So together, we began writing our vision and the passion and faith we had started to turn the No’s into Yes. Then everything started going to plan. Even though it moved slowly at first, we were seeing some progress. Still though we would be given an opening date and the date would come and go and come and go and come and go.
I went to the project coordinator and said, “Mark we are opening super bowl weekend here in Tampa and I won’t have it any other way. Of course, he didn’t have the same idea I did, but I told him “God says so.” We scrambled every day that week literally there were no booths in place, we had no electricity until literally 12 hrs before we opened, trying to get our liquor license reactivated the day of, it truly seemed like only a miracle was going to save us. With our team, we had just put together a week prior helping to put furniture in, setting up hookahs, unpacking glassware, screwing in light bulbs at 10:58pm. I said a prayer with my team and asked them “to trust us because we were trusting GOD.” We opened that night and I lifted the garage at 11:00pm. Slammed was an understatement! We created a monster the entire NFL was in our spot. Celebrities just walking up trying to get in, it was crazy and unbelievable and overwhelming and every imaginable feeling you could feel at that moment. Who would have thought that this moment after three years would finally be here and it was showtime. Every delay was for purpose and the timing of everything was all lined up for us to prevail in that very moment. Opening and showcasing the new LIT Cigar & Martini Lounge was all supposed to happen on that very day. We would have never survived had we opened sooner or when we thought prior. The timing of God could not have been any more perfect.
We were packed, sold out every night and it launched what you see today. The momentum took off and still continues. We are the #1 upscale lounge/nightclub in downtown Tampa. We introduced Tampa to an entirely new nightlife look. We set rules and dress codes that we never folded on because our vision was not to be deterred. We continue to have countless celebrities in the building and young professionals and entrepreneurs all in our place every weekend. We pride ourselves on giving back and in our first year, we donated to 15 charitable organizations. We created our own organization in #LITgivesback. We take so much pride in our journey because it proved to be the true test of faith.
I became “Boss Lady KP” and gained far more than I could ever imagine from those trials. I created opportunities for those that had lost hope like I once had. I created a “build a boss” mentorship for my girls that each owns their own company now or is working to degrees in careers such as law. Helped people who do not work for us start businesses. I get told often I am an inspiration to women all over and I know that is only through the influential spirit God has given me. I own a platform that I will forever be grateful for because through the dark days brighter ones will come. I encourage everyone to never ever give up on our dreams and host a networking brunch to provide motivation, tools to success and resources to make sure they never do. There is a fire in each of us to be someone to impact those around us. I could not do this alone and I am forever grateful for every single learning experience and every test.
I needed all of it, the ups and the downs, to be where I am today and I wouldn’t have changed the timing of anything one single bit. This is my story and I share it for those moms that feel like they can’t have their dreams and be moms. You can! I share it for those young entrepreneurs fighting for their moment to take off, I do it for those that feel like the world is against them. If you believe it, you can achieve it. All things are possible. Habakkuk 2:2 write the vision and make it plain! Take the risk and trust your faith more than your fears. You got this!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely NOT!!!
I mean a hundred No’s for years and losing hope was quite an interesting test of faith and belief.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
First, I am a MOM of two a 16 years old boy and a six years old girl.
I am Co-owner of Lit Cigar & Martini Lounge in downtown Tampa.
I am a Co-owner of Lit Hospitality Group.
I am a luxury realtor my clients range from athletes to other successful entrepreneurs, lawyers and doctors and I love assisting everyone in this dream. working towards my own brokerage.
I have a podcast soon launching called KP on the Mic where we speak on real issues of dating, entrepreneurship, wealth, mental health, co-parenting and so much more.
I co-own a promotional company.
I am a philanthropist.
I am a community organizer for inner-city youth.
I am a mentor.
I am a board member on a youth charity organization.
I am known for being a single mom that turned her dreams into reality. I am most proud that through every single setback, I was able to learn the test and prevail. I never gave up not in motherhood, not in business and not in what I owe back to my peers and those less fortunate as me. What sets me apart is that I am able to make things happen even when the odds have been stacked against me. I have turned tests into testimonies.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in Faith. With faith, you grow an understanding for patience in your season. Understanding that when things are not working in your favor, it is for divine purpose both in life and in business. What’s meant to be will be and there is no need to force things.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.littampa.com
Image Credits
othello
