Karen Civil’s Success is Authenticity

The Oridgenators presented by Ruffles is a six-part IGTV series that spotlights pioneering Black creators from the intersecting worlds of basketball, sneakers, social media, music, and entrepreneurship. Each episode profiles one unique individual who defied societal norms in pursuit of their dreams to inspire and uplift. 

Karen Civil knows what to expect when she shows up as her true self. As CEO of Always Civil and Live Civil Enterprise, the New Jersey-born, Los Angeles-based businesswoman burst onto the scene after creating a website for Lil Wayne to speak directly to fans. Since then, Civil has acted as a bridge for some of hip-hop’s biggest artists, connecting them with brands and helping to craft and bolster their social media presence.

In honing her skills, Civil has learned that it’s sometimes assumed all parts of her—and not just her expertise—can be purchased.

“When you show up as your authentic self, people assume that your soul is for sale and that gets a bit tricky and hard,” Civil says. “My biggest thing is I continuously say: ‘I’m never going to step over a dollar to pick up a nickel. A nickel is wasted time and energy for quick money.’”

During her Oridgenators shoot, Civil spoke candidly about seeing the benefits of the Internet early on when it was still a foreign entity. “I realized the Internet could give me what I want if I utilized it correctly.” 

But learning her way around the world wide web and satisfying her techy curiosity didn’t always score her cool points growing up. “Everything that I thought made me special, people picked on me about and threw back in my face,” she says.

Civil eventually learned how to quiet the haters and hone her talents. With more than a decade of experience under her belt, including impressive wins (a degree from Harvard Business School) and tough challenges (losing her dear friend Nipsey Hussle “just hurts”), Civil realized that by being herself she’ll always come out on top.