If people aren’t laughing at your dreams then you’re not dreaming big enough.
Kavita Channe is a sports and entertainment TV host and producer, TV personality, entrepreneur, philanthropist and mother who has successfully broken barriers for women and minorities in both media and television. In addition to her accomplishments in the sports, entertainment and business, she has lent herself to many charitable organizations and is a sought-after speaker and influencer.
A London native with ancestry from India, Kavita moved to the US when she was 5 years old, bringing with her goals of creating, entertaining, and performing. Realizing early on that her natural talent and ever-growing opportunities were in front of the camera, she attended the University of Florida, earning a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Journalism, Telecommunications and Business.
Leading up to her impressive career, Channe launched The Procurer, a luxury celebrity concierge and marketing firm in 2007. Shortly after she was asked by a client to regularly interview celebs on the red carpet of his Miami venue. This led to entertainment jobs, which evolved into the national sports broadcasting, celebrity hosting, and entertainment opportunities she still has today.
In 2011, Kavita created her own YouTube channel, 1stDownNDirty. With over 1.6 million views, she interviewed athletes and took viewers behind the scenes of the sports world. That led to an offer by Fox Sports in 2012 to cover nationally-aired high school football games along with Florida Panthers broadcasts. Channe was also producing and hosting The CWs VIP TV covering all things sports and celebrity in Florida.
By 2014, she had been recruited by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their sideline reporter and was also added as a host on the all-female daily talk show The Chat on ABC and NBC in Jacksonville. Channe then went on to become the grid-side reporter for NPLG’s GRID (the world’s first co-ed professional sport) as well as cage-side for Titan FC on UFC.
Not only had she become a respected voice in the sports industry, being featured on Mantalk Radio, Fox Sports and many other radio programs nationally, Channe produced and hosted her own “Kavita Channe Special”, going one-on-one with sports stars airing on VIP TV on The CW.
Beyond sports broadcasting and journalism, Kavita has appeared on television in HBO’s Ballers, the Fox reality TV show, Paradise Hotel, and VH1’s Baller Wives. She also worked as a featured correspondent in Designing Spaces on TLC. Kavita has also held roles in feature films, namely Broke: The New American Dream, CHECKPOST, and her latest endeavor, Dependence, set to be released later this year.
Channe brings a dynamic energy to her many memorable speaking engagements, bringing her talents to the United States, South Africa, Singapore, and beyond. She also frequently partners with nonprofits to lend her voice to reputable organization including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, American Heart Association, Miami Diaper Bank, American Red Cross, and United Way, just to name a few.
In the fall of 2017, Kavita launched Channé Rosé, a new rosé wine inspired by her travels in Provence. She was extremely hands-on in the process from conceptualization to the final product. Together with an award-winning winemaker, Kavita was able to create a dry, crisp and clean wine that pairs well with a multitude of dishes. Channé Rosé is sold on premise in Florida and Georgia as well as online. During this same time, Kavita gave birth to her daughter, Magical Micah, and soon after was asked was asked to grace the cover of Mother & Baby India with a 7-page spread about her experience with motherhood and business. Going back to her Indian roots, this was truly an honor for her and her family.
Kavita Channe brings diversity to an industry with her array of talents. Whether on the sidelines reporting for an NFL football team, wowing an audience of a morning talk show, or using her entrepreneurial skills to bring a new product to market, she is constantly using her talents to create new and exciting paths for her already inspiring career. There is no telling where her determination and drive will take her, but in quoting her own words, “I do not feel that I chose my career…it chose me.” If her past is any indication, Kavita Channe has only scratched the surface.
Where did the idea for your companies come from?
I moved from London to South Florida at the age of five. I have to admit I felt a bit awkward as a young kid in the US because I would get teased for my British accent and felt like I never quite fit in. Regardless, I always loved being in America and felt I could achieve about anything in the land of opportunity. I remember watching Oprah and Barbara Walters with my parents when I was young, thinking, “I want to be able to help people all over the world just like Oprah” and “I want to interview interesting people all over the world just like BW”. I always wanted to speak in front of the camera and that is what I do now!
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
My day is all over the place, however, the constant is the time spent with my daughter. I feed her every morning at 7:30 AM and we spend about 45 minutes together before she starts her day. The rest of the day includes a workout to help with my pregnancy (physically and mentally), followed by meetings for my wine business, and meetings with producers for TV projects, as well as different charities and organizations. There may even be an event that I’m hosting or attending to support others doing great in the world as well. If I don’t have an event, then I get to watch my daughter during her swim lesson, feed her dinner, and put her to bed. The rest of the evening is usually where I catch up with my emails and any other work that I didn’t get to finish because that is my “quiet time”. I’m doing this in my third trimester of pregnancy, now at eight months pregnant… and it’s going to get a lot crazier once my son is born.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I have always been a person of the mentality “dream it – do it”. When I was younger I would jump in headfirst which gave me a lot of experience however I was not always successful. As I’ve gotten older (and wiser) I now acknowledge and appreciate the ideas I have but only pursue the ones that I feel are going to be a great fit for me in regards to time, effort and money. From there I asses the best and worst case scenario’s, my passion level for the project/idea, my available resources, how much time the project will take and if I have it to give… and with all that info I make a decision.
For example, the idea to pursue the creation of Channé Rosé was conceived prior to me becoming pregnant with my daughter. We actually ended up launching the same time I gave birth to my baby. Regardless, I made a commitment to continue with this project because it meant a lot to me. I’ve had struggles along the way juggling new mama-hood and a new business yet I am so glad that I stuck the course. And now in our second year we have expanded to Georgia at all Buckhead Life Restaurants with more on the horizon.
Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to help people in a big way. I’ve done this using the platform developed throughout my career in television and on stage and through global speaking engagements to help others in need or influence others to achieve their dreams locally, nationally and internationally. An example would be using my rose wine brand (Channé Rosé) that I recently launched to help give back. I have donated so much product to many different events in hopes of raising money and awareness for organizations and those in need. Another example would be participating on the cover of Mother and Baby India, where I got to share so much amazing information for expecting and new mothers, which I learned from my own extensive research.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Pertaining to the wine and spirits industry I love the idea of home delivery. Think about how many times you have to go to a party or a dinner and need to bring a bottle of wine… or you have someone spontaneously pop over and want a glass of wine… or you yourself want to enjoy a glass of wine at home while you cook or enjoy a fabulous dinner… there is no need to have to run to the store every time when you can have your favorite wines delivered to your home. I am definitely an “Amazon Prime” type of consumer with so much delivered to my door that I used to get at the store (paper towels, cleaning products, toiletries, drinks, etc)… and seeing people having the ability to order a case of, for example, Channé Rosé, to their home monthly… BINGO!!! I am loving that trend. So convenient.
I am constantly on Google researching different books and articles on becoming a better parent. We pull from Montessori and REI philosophies. I also check in with a family therapist to get feedback from her on how the decisions we are making today can affect our children tomorrow. I don’t think there is one resource to turn to. We need to gather as much as we can and then make decisions on how we want to move forward.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Knowing I cannot achieve everything alone. Assembling an efficient team to help me focus on what I’m good at while they handle the other stuff is so important. I also have an amazing team of advisors in many different sectors who I value and look to for advice to help make decisions on many things, small and big.
One of the most important messages to me is to instill “dreaming big” to my children. We read books about other children achieving amazing things and we talk about the awesome things that my children are doing right in front of my eyes. I also think showing instead of telling is important. I like to let my daughter see what I am doing in my life and in my career to help inspire her. She’s only 16 months, however, I’ve taken her to France where my wine is produced. I take her with me when I volunteer and we give back whenever we can. Her and my son will learn the importance of helping others while reaching for the stars.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Slow down a bit and enjoy the present moment more.
Success to me is doing 1) what you want 2) with who you want and 3) when you want. When you’ve achieved that… you’re a superstar 🙂
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Be thoughtful of what you say. The universe is listening and does not know the difference between a joke and reality. For example: Joke about being “broke”? Well, don’t be shocked if you end up broke.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I practice manifestation.
If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people it would be to strive to put a smile on every single person‘s face that you interact with every single day. Even if you don’t feel like smiling… faking a smile will still make you feel a little happy. Try it. It’s contagious.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
My dedication to providing quality juice versus just turning a profit. At first all the restaurants I approached only cared about what price point we were at versus trying the wine. What’s so amazing is after doing so many events and connecting with consumers who love our wine I now have restaurants and retailers reaching out to us to carry Channé Rosé. Their customers want it. And THAT makes me proud of our hard work!
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I started a bikini line over five years ago and I was doing everything myself from design to shipping to bookkeeping to marketing. On top of that I was also working for Fox Sports and the Jacksonville Jaguars as a sideline reporter as well as some other shows as an entertainment reporter. I did not assess the time and effort needed to make that project successful. It became too much and I had to make a choice. Now moving forward I have to think about all of those details before entering into any endeavor. Every obstacle is an opportunity to learn.
Learning to balance motherhood and work
1) Designate a daily ritual you can commit to with your child. Kids love routine and, of course it’s OK if you miss it every now and again, however you want to stick to this and let the both of you look forward to this time together every day.
2) Put your phone away when you are spending quality time with your child. Let them know that they are most important.
3) Plan out your week in advance so that you can be more efficient to get more time in with your children as well as maximize time with what you need to get done work-wise.
4) Think about what you can outsource in terms of help to free up space and time. Can someone go grocery shopping for you every week? Can you hire a cleaning person? Can someone help you with your laundry? This can be people that you pay or this can be a family member that is willing to help you out. Trust me, it’s worth it.
5) Learn to say no. Be more picky about what you agree to do. You’re not going to get the time back with your children and they are never going to be as young as they are today. Family is most important.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Combining a salt room with a foot massage spa. Seriously… I would be there 3 times a week. I’m closing my eyes and imagining how awesome it would be for some R&R as we speak!
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
On a massage. We all work so hard yet we forget to nurture ourselves. I get massages weekly and highly recommend it to all. If you can’t afford a spa you can always check with a local college of massage for discounted rates.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
CamScanner or similar. No need for a fax or scanner anymore. You can scan straight from your phone.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Although it’s from a while ago, The Secret. It’s an easy read… a great concept… and has worked for me. I love “The Law of Attraction”!
What is your favorite quote?
If people aren’t laughing at your dreams then you’re not dreaming big enough. – I was laughed at yet made my dreams come true and continue to do so.
Giving is living – I made that one up. The key is to give whenever you can in life and get back even more!
Key Learnings:
- An “idea” is just the beginning and the assessment phase is crucial.
- Assemble the best team you can to increase productivity and your chance of success in every facet of your business.
- Be thoughtful of what you put out into the Universe. The Universe is always listening/paying attention.
- Giving is living.
Connect:
kavitachanne.com
channerose.com
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.