We had the good fortune of connecting with AnaKaren “AK” Laplante and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi AnaKaren “AK”, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I never felt like I fit the mold of having a 9-5 job, I always gave my 110 percent in everything that I did in life and after being at a company for 7 years in the shipping/logistics industry, I honestly fell in love with all the moving parts of the industry. I thought if I could help build this department to the best of my ability that I could take my efforts and energy into building something amazing of my own!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my career in shipping and fulfillment for small businesses back in Jan 2017. Out of impulse we jumped out and got a warehouse and thought everything would just fall into place. I quickly realized that having a business would require more work and dedication that I could possibly imagine. We quickly went back to the drawing board and started our trucking business, we gained momentum with that business and did that for 3 years as we built the fulfillment business. Once covid hit, we realized that we needed multiple streams of income to make it. We decided to pursue freight brokering/dispatching and trucking full time and realized that the trucking industry was covid proof! There will always be the need for more trucks and freight brokers in the industry because the united states runs on the trucking industry. Everything around you has probably been delivered by a truck! I also help other entrepreneurs get into the trucking/logistics industry. Now we are working on building our fleet and fulfillment business. I want people to know to not give up on their goals and dreams-even though things might not go how they expected. Sometimes failures redirect you to your greater purpose/calling in life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
OMG I love this question! When my husband and I started dating we created a google map with all the cool places we visit in Miami and Broward and we would rate them. We shared with all of our friends and family. We live in Broward-places we would recommend is downtown Fort Lauderdale, Downtown Hollywood. I would take them to the beach and explore the different bars and food spots in the area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this to my husband and family. My husband gave me the extra nudge to pursue my dreams and has supported me in every business venture/ crazy idea I’ve always had. Our family is always talking about how we can move forward with our businesses to the best of our abilities and they have been a huge inspiration. My sister and husband always get together to have brain storming sessions to see if we can make a crazy idea happen and I love everything about that process. We either make plans to make it happen or leave the idea on the table-no judgement.

Website: www.skyshipit.com

Instagram: aykae; skyshipit

Facebook: Ana Karen Laplante

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.