How to Get There: The Cavu Group CEO

As a teen, being an adult and choosing a job feels like a dark looming challenge with many obstacles. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Top people in all fields had to start somewhere, right?

The mission of the How to Get There series is to explore the journey and simplify the process, therefore bringing it to the growing-up-21st-century audience.

It was a windy February morning at the Freedom Tower [One World Trade Center] when I made my way over to where Leslie Short was sitting. I briefly spoke to her about my LinkedIn series and we exchanged cards and the rest is history.

The Position:

I am the CEO of The Cavu Group.

The Person Behind it:

Leslie Short

The Process:

I grew up in Manhattan, New York until I was seven years old. Then I moved to Sicklerville, New Jersey and then back to Manhattan when I was 15. I returned to NYC because I was going to stay in a boarding house for young women.

I started dancing when I was young, at the age of 7 I was chosen to be trained as a classical ballet dancer.

When I went to the audition I was told, “Don’t be surprised if you are not accepted because they don’t usually train little black girls.”

I was always being made aware of my not belonging.

But I never doubted that I would dance professionally. And at 12 years old I was training with Joffrey Ballet and working with Philadanco Dance Company. At one point I was going between Philadanco and Pennsylvania  Ballet Academy and Joffrey Ballet.

By high school, I’d already been on tour. By the time I graduated I had been in two ballet companies. I have done nothing traditional as most people do. I never did an undergraduate degree or went to go to college full-time. When I finally took a college course I was in my 40’s and I went to a law class. But I did go to many college campuses as a performer or a guest speaker.

I retired from the ballet world when I was 34.

I opened my own theater in Japan. That was my first business and it was ranked  Japan’s Best Business Venture of 1994. So I think it went well.

The next business I created [still operating] is K.I.M. Media. K.I.M. Media is a consulting company with a focus on branding and special events. If a company comes to America wanting to create an event, I would produce and design an event for them.

And when creating The Cavu Group I looked at my work history: corporate business, entertainment, international ballet, and becoming a chaplain and a minister. I took skills from each of the industries to create The Cavu Group. I also noticed how buzzwords like diversity and inclusion were being thrown around but the workplace was not changing.

I became inspired to make a change and begin a conversation around how we can assure that environments/companies, communities are inclusive and not just diverse.

Things to Keep in Mind:

The Cavu Group is my fourth company. I wouldn’t have done anything differently since I’d been able to set it up so quickly because I’d set up companies before. I’ve gotten into this business with eyes wide open, ready to work.

I truly enjoy how the conversation can evolve, it doesn’t always have to be so heavy when discussing diversity and inclusion and what it looks like. I believe that we can have conversations without people tensing up.

And as the CEO I do everything a business needs to run. I work on the creative and business ends of things. I oversee insurance, trademarks, getting new clients, branding, and marketing. Each day is not like the last. I never know 100% of what my day will be. There are always unexpected things that come up.

Unique Experiences:  

I love being able to do work in theater. Who knew I’d be able to work with a Shakespeare company about diversity and inclusion! There are so many new ways to expand the conversation.

Advice:

As a young person there are some questions you must ask yourself:

What do you want to do? Not what you are being told to do. What do you want to do?

What will make up get up every morning and continue to make a living from that?

Then you must go for it.

But you need to put the work in. I hear so many people who want to have an amazing career but don’t put in the work so they never get there.

And understand that what path you choose today will most likely not be where you end up and that is okay because everything you do is a learning lesson. And skills are transferable from one industry to the next.