Made to Maximize Claimed

Gem story was written by: Marcus Mulenga

MTM started off as a YouTube channel with nearly 5k subscribers. Since then, Kiara and Jerred have been “making daily decisions in line with destiny, and paying attention to divine details.” Thanks to their diligence, they have maximized the many opportunities presented to them along their journey, and now MTM stands for Made to Maximize! MTM has always been about helping businesses get the most out of their resources by introducing them to the tested and true philosophy of content, consistency, and conversions. But in 2022, they decided to rebrand to reflect the higher level of excellence they were able to offer their clients, especially in the realm of business strategies, design, and videography. More than just creative imaging, MTM now offers online training and social media management. In their own words, they lovingly share the company with a 51%–49% split, Kiara representing the majority. She takes the lead on the operational side of the business, making sure that each project runs smoothly. Jerred takes charge of developing effective business strategies, ensuring that their sales and marketing plans are always on point.

In addition to the services that they offer with MTM, Kiara, and Jerred have also maximized the number of people that they work with. Jerred compared their earlier days of managing everything themselves to “riding a bike”. It took more work, but they still got the work done. But now they’ve switched to “driving a car”, which means they have more room to bring others with them on their journey. This isn’t limited to other team members at MTM; it also includes their two children, River and Levi. Coaching their clients and new team members at the same time could present a challenge, but thankfully these two Gems shine the brightest when they have a team of people around them. They don’t have a “business cap” that they have to put on. Kiara and Jerred have remained their authentic selves in everything that they do, which has created a loving family atmosphere with their team. Even when tough conversations have to be had and difficult decisions need to be made, they are sure to do it with love, and that has not only proved to be an effective business model but has also helped them to be super parents to their young ones.

Fortunately, the pandemic didn’t force MTM to close up shop; instead, it led to an uptick in people wanting to stay at home and develop their social media presence, which lent itself perfectly to MTM’s mission statement. By keeping their vision constantly in front of them (with not one, but three vision walls) while still finding ways to adapt to the ever-changing market, they were able to expand to have offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This was definitely a challenge! But they knew it was destined to happen, and it was what they had dreamed of doing. So they packed up their car with three weeks of belongings and made the trip. Despite such a drastic transition in their lives, they were still able to increase their transactions in those first few months, confirming that they were indeed following the path set out for them. They can both attest to the fact that “you have the power to create the life that you want.” As far as future goals, there is also a photo studio building that they have had on one of their vision boards for a while now. No doubt they will maximize every opportunity that will lead them to acquire it in the near future!

Here are some other “dive details” and equations that these Gems would like to pass on to future entrepreneurs, which could one day even include River and Levi:

• Skill set (what you know how to do) + Structure set (maximizing business opportunities based on your skills) = Income set (how much money you can make off of your skills)
• Product (or service) + Price (too low makes it untrustworthy, but too high makes it unreachable) + Placement (where you make it available) + Promotion
• And of course, good ol’ Content (what God says about you), Consistency (telling yourself what he says), and Conversions (producing the fruitage you want in life)

The Masons have also seen the importance of treating your team like your family. That means extending your love to them, but also keeping things transparent so they will never feel like a decision you had to make was about them personally. Also, it’s good not to be stuck to only one way of serving your clients. Once you know who you want to serve, you are allowed to be flexible with how you serve them. As long as you are fully engaged with helping them find real solutions to their problems, you will never be without loyal clients who trust in your brand.

Outside of MTM, Kiara, and Jerred are very family-oriented individuals. Kiara grew up in a rough neighborhood with a single mother and an incarcerated father. Even so, she was never without people who loved and believed in her. So today, she enjoys being surrounded by people who share her vision and support her in her goals. For example, she is now serving as communications director at Transformation Church, and Jerred can’t wait to talk to her every day about her new assignment. She truly loves being engaged in full-time ministry and business at the same time. In addition to supporting his wife, Jerred truly enjoys being a stay-at-home dad. He gets to spend quality time with his little ones, while still finding time to close “billion-dollar deals!” But Kiara and Jerred aren’t the only ones who have successfully merged their work life with their family life. They would also like to shout out a future Gem Ash M. Photography, a mompreneur who has her own Girl Squad of four daughters that she has been blessed with. You will be surprised to see how she manages everything she is involved in!

Over the years, MTM has gone from Meet to Masons to Made to Maximize, but the two Gems that are at the heart of this company have never changed. They love each other, they love their family, and they love what they do. Their goal is to continue to maximize their daily decisions while always being authentic to their marriage bond, which has constantly guided them to their destined path in life!