Life & Work with Shontina Kuykendoll of Porter Ranch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shontina Kuykendoll.

Hi Shontina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I took a leap of faith on April 1st and walked away from my corporate career to fully bet on myself and that decision changed everything. While I had always been entrepreneurial at heart, that moment forced me to step fully into my purpose and build the vision I had been working toward for years.

Today, I’m a full-time influencer, as well as the Founder and CEO of Echelon Hospitality Collective. I like to call what we’re building the “Echelon Empire.” At its core, it’s a remote sales and service model that supports hotels by providing Area Director of Sales expertise. We focus on driving revenue through strategic hotel sales, social media marketing, and integrating AI to stay ahead of the curve in an evolving industry.

Another major piece of our business is Echelon Luxury Escapes, where we curate elevated group travel experiences across the globe. It’s about more than just travel it’s about creating memorable, luxury experiences that bring people together. This year my accounting firm OLT & Associates will be celebrating 25 years in business which is an incredible feeling and huge accomplishment.

The journey hasn’t been without challenges, but building this alongside an incredible team has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. What started as a personal leap has turned into something much bigger a growing brand rooted in vision, innovation, and creating impact in both hospitality, accounting and digital spaces.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course, the journey hasn’t been easy. One of the biggest challenges was walking away from the security of a corporate career and stepping into the unknown. There were moments of uncertainty, learning how to scale a business, build the right team, and balance multiple ventures at once.

I’ve also had to navigate the pressure of proving to myself and others that this vision could truly work. But those challenges pushed me to grow, stay resilient, and trust my instincts.

Every obstacle has ultimately strengthened the foundation of what I’m building today, and I wouldn’t change the journey for anything.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Having a Masters in Business Management has helped me lay a solid foundation to build upon. I’m known for blending luxury, strategy, and digital influence to create impactful results across both hospitality, travel and content creation. What sets me apart is my ability to bridge corporate level sales expertise with modern marketing and influencer driven storytelling.

What I’m most proud of is building a thriving, multi layered business from the ground up while leading an incredible team and creating experiences and opportunities that truly elevate others.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
One of my favorite podcasts is For Better or Best Pod, it dives into navigating family, faith, and finances.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.echelonhospitalitycollective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chitowntina