MEET KARLENA WAUGH
BITS Alumni, Founder of Mini K Creations & The Biz Mixer
Karlena recalls spending her teenage years organizing floral arrangements and reigning in bridal parties. Her mother was a wedding planner for over a decade, but she had no intention of getting into the wedding industry herself.
Through Karlena’s determination to connect with others, she found herself constantly traveling from the suburbs to the downtown core to attend networking events. That’s when it occurred to her that there was a gap in events for those outside of the city.
Together, Karlena and her mom founded an event planning company, Mini K Creations, in 2018. Shortly after, she also founded The Biz Mixer, hosting regular events where creatives and entrepreneurs can share what they do, learn from each other, and network with like-minded ambitious, passionate people.
Karlena graduated from the BITS Bootcamp program in 2020 and withstood the test of time for event companies – the year of 2020. Throughout the pandemic, The Biz Mixer has pivoted to host dozens of virtual events, tripling their normal attendance numbers and opening their doors to entrepreneurs all around the world.
Karlena says “As community leaders, if you’re not creating other leaders or people who feel like they can go after their dreams, then there’s something to consider there.”