For a few months in early 2016, Kiki Ayers had nowhere to live. The first-generation college graduate decided to take charge of her destiny, launching her own PR business from the bathroom of the hotel lobby where she was sleeping at the time. Six months later and without a support team, she had built Ayers Publicity into a six-figure company. Two years later, Ayers has done events for Russell Simmons, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jamie Foxx, while her client list includes Haha Davis and Robert Riley. Ayers herself has appeared on the cover of The Connect Magazine and been featured in Black Enterprise, The Source, Life of Currencyand The Huffington Post.
“I’m defined by my life purpose,” Ayers says. “I genuinely love to help people. With PR, I can help the most overlooked, talented and hardworking people get the recognition they deserve. So many women in all industries don’t get the credit they should, and so many people of color don’t get their stories told in prestigious publications. I take pride in changing that.”
At the age of 16, Ayers was homeless, living in the family car with her mother, brother and sister. Yet in spite of her difficult circumstances, she enrolled in college as a first-generation student and later transferred to Howard University. While there, she was inspired by many amazing guest speakers, above all the entrepreneurs. But at the time, Ayers only wanted to work in the entertainment industry on the production side of things.
Once Ayers graduated, she took jobs at BET, MTV, BBC and with Sean “Diddy” Combs. But she felt uninspired. Each job was the same. “My imagination wasn’t matching the reality, so I lacked inner peace,” Ayers says. “Working for someone else wasn’t for me because though I had a nice income, I didn’t have freedom. If your work is your life and you hate your work, then you essentially hate your life.”
She left her job and became homeless, going from an apartment in a high-rise loft to sleeping in hostels and on friends’ couches. One night when she had no money and nowhere to stay, Ayers ended up in a hotel lobby. But instead of checking in, she walked into the bathroom – and spent the night on the floor.
“I kept thinking to myself, ‘How did I get here?’ Then I asked myself, ‘What can I do to make money while still doing what I love?’” Ayers says. “That’s when I got the idea and, more importantly, the motivation to start Ayers Publicity. You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish even when you have nothing to begin with.
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