This year’s Generation NEXT conversation began with a nod to community and ingenuity, harnessing the group of 20’s collective minds for a deeper discussion facing Savannah’s business community. Get to know our winners, also featured in our January/February 2017 New Frontiers issue, here.
KRISTEN BAIRD-RABUN, 27
CEO and CVO, Kristen Baird
Childhood dream: I dreamed of owning my own business. I started selling arts and crafts items when I was just five years old. Bless my neighbors and family members for paying 10 cents for a tie-dyed coffee filter to be used for wrapping Christmas presents.
Best piece of business advice: Identify your strengths and weaknesses and learn when and how to say no.
Morning ritual: It starts the night before when I update my to-do list. The short amount of time that I spend going over what was accomplished during the day and preparing for what is to come the next day really helps in creating a positive waking up experience.
How Savannah can become the best version of itself: In my jewelry jargon, Savannah is a like a precious diamond. It’s shiny and valuable, yet there are inclusions and rough spots that make it imperfect. Savannah is a beautiful city and tourist destination, yet it has flaws, like the senseless acts of crime that we hear about on a daily basis. Let’s take a step to make Savannah the best version of itself by getting to know our neighbors, cleaning up our city, restoring the beautiful structures that have fallen into disrepair and showing love to the communities that need it the most. It may not stop crime instantly, but taking ownership of our streets is the first step in bringing our people together.
