In today’s episode, we meet the woman behind the MESS, Kalilah Wright. Kalilah is founder and CEO of apparel company, Mess in a Bottle. She went from working as an Architect for Under Armor to launching a brand that has been worn by the likes of Serena Williams, Lena Waithe and Bozoma Saint John. During our conversation Kalilah shares the first 5 things she would do if she were starting an apparel company today. She talks about the challenges she’s has faced, the team she has hired, her new flag...
Jul 09, 2020•16 min
Just because the year isn't unfolding like we expected doesn't mean 2020 is canceled. In this episode, we talk about 5 tools and tips you can use to get your 2020 business goals back on track. Some of you may have thrown your goals out the window altogether because you don’t see HOW you can still accomplish them. After the coronavirus hit, many of us had to hit the pause button and PIVOT. If you’re still stuck at trying to figure out HOW to pivot, feel free to set up a free coffee chat with me a...
Jul 07, 2020•23 min
In today’s episode, we meet Retail Strategist and Boutique Owner, Jasmene Bowdry. Jasmene has been in the retail industry as a buyer, stylist or boutique owner for over 15 years. She started her career at the likes of Tiffany & Co and Saks 5th Avenue. Today, Jasmene teaches people how to launch and scale successful online boutiques. These days it seems like everyone is launching an Instagram boutique. While launching may be easy, doing so successfully is another story. During our conversatio...
Jul 02, 2020•44 min
Subscribe For today's episode, I’m sharing 5 things I would do differently if I were starting my personal brand and business Instagram accounts from scratch. I'm a great proof that you don't need a large audience to successfully leverage Instagram for business. If you’re wondering how to grow an engaged community and get more leads using your Instagram, this will be a great session for you! Share this episode with your business bestie! Please subscribe, rate, and review our show on iTunes. This ...
Jun 30, 2020•27 min
In today’s episode, we meet Tiffany Dufu. Tiffany is the author of the book “Drop The Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less.” These days, she is best known as the CEO of THE CRU, a peer coaching service for women looking to accelerate their professional and personal growth. Tiffany founded the CRU because she realizes that she is the cumulative investment of the people who have mentored her and wanted other women to experience the growth that comes along with a CRU. During our conversation, Tiffany...
Jun 25, 2020•46 min
For today's episode, we’re talking about 4 Keys you need to scale your business. A 2019 American Express report highlighted a large revenue gap between Black women-owned businesses who earned an average revenue of $24,000 vs. $142,900 among all women-owned businesses. This is heartbreaking given that over 50% of women-owned businesses are owned by women of color. ⠀ As someone who helps women launch, pivot, and scale their businesses, I am on a mission to help them close this gap. As I have worke...
Jun 23, 2020•24 min
In today’s episode, we meet Kalisha “Fly” Carmichael. Fly is the founder and CEO of Boss Blend Coffee. As an Afro-Latina with Cuban roots, coffee has always been a part of Fly’s story. After years of visiting New York coffee shops, she found herself feeling out of place. This feeling inspired her to dream of opening her own more inclusive coffee shop. Step 1 for her was creating her own coffee blend. During our conversation Fly shares why she felt the need to leave corporate American after a 10-...
Jun 18, 2020•36 min
For today’s episode, we’re continuing with our back to business basics series. This is our chance to peel back the layers to check the foundation of our business. Today, we’re talking about the importance of having a personal brand and 3 steps you can take to start establishing yours today. This goes for both business owners and those of you working a 9-5. As a reminder, this series of episodes is recorded during our weekly Instagram live so from time to time, you may hear me responding to comme...
Jun 16, 2020•32 min
In today’s episode, we meet Angela Richardson. Angela is the creator and CEO of PUR Home. A natural, safe, and effective household cleaning product line. 6 years ago, Angela started learning the chemistry and science behind creating non-toxic and plant-based products. Today, she is one of a few black women in this space. On average, she hand makes 100's of gallons of product each week for her wholesale and e-commerce customers. During our conversation, Angela shares how she went about creating h...
Jun 11, 2020•45 min
For today’s episode, we’re taking a break from our back to business basics series for a check-in episode. Over the past couple of weeks, we have watched as the US has been forced to confront racism in a very real way. Protests and backlash following the murder of George Floyd, have taken a mental, physical ], and emotional on many of us. Companies are getting their feet held to the fire for their role in perpetuating racism and inequality. We have seen protests like this before but I have to say...
Jun 10, 2020•27 min
In today’s episode, we meet XayLi Barclay. XayLi is a video coach for Online Business Owners. She teaches them how to stand out by using video to create an online presence. Outside of meeting someone in person, video is the fastest way for potential clients to get to know you, and build enough trust to make a purchase. Think about how you feel about your favorite Youtubers, actors, or politicians after watching them every week for years. You probably feel like you know them well. If you're ready...
Jun 04, 2020•35 min
In order for your business to thrive, you need to niche down. New business owners often start out broad because they have a fear of failure. They figure if they cast a wide net, they will catch "something". The opposite is true. If potential customers will be confused about what it is you do and how to work with you, they will not take any action. In today’s episode, we’re talking about how to hone in on a niche for your business. Why is it important to have a niche? I know when you first start ...
Jun 02, 2020•16 min
In today’s episode, we meet Lorell Lane. After 7 years of working with the likes of Viacom, NBC, and CW to sell television AD campaigns, Lorell decided to take the leap and go out on her own. She now uses corporate strategies to help online entrepreneurs create Facebook/Instagram AD campaigns that have scaled her clients into million-dollar brands. During our conversation, Lorell shares common mistakes she sees business owners making. She also outlines how we can run high converting ADs that res...
May 28, 2020•34 min
How do you choose the right business idea? Many of us have a rolling list of business ideas we would like to launch but how do you know which one is the right one? Some of you may have already picked an idea and jumped straight into building a website or dreaming up new products. What happens when the inevitable storms come? Will the business you've built make it? For today’s episode, we’re kicking off a new series called back to business basics, where we will cover the foundational basics a bus...
May 21, 2020•26 min
In today’s episode, we meet Tianna Tye. Tianna is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist who specializes in helping online business owners become great leaders and build thriving virtual teams. According to the global freelancing platform, Upwork, by 2028, 73% of all companies will have virtual team members. In fact, telecommuting has grown 115% in the past decade. This trend has left CEOs, leaders, and managers looking for tools to effectively manage their virtual team members. This is w...
May 14, 2020•46 min
For today’s episode, we’re talking about the 5 steps you need in order to successfully pivot your business during COVID-19. With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacting the profitability of businesses across industries, business owners have had to think on their feet in order to keep their companies alive. For many of us, the way we have done business for generations has been shattered and we’re wading through our shock and grief to find the courage to rebuild. I once heard that pivoting is the las...
May 07, 2020•18 min
In today’s episode, we meet Kyona McGhee. As a trademark attorney, Kyona helps entrepreneurs protect their brands. While in college, Kyona ran a successful t-shirt business. Everything was going well until she tried to trademark her business name and discovered someone else owned the name. As devastating as this was for her, the experience set her on a path to spare others the same painful experience. If you dove straight into launching your business…however small….without first taking the steps...
Apr 30, 2020•35 min
In today’s episode, I’m inviting you into my group chat. Every week since we started quarantining, I’ve had a weekly Zoom session to catch up with my girlfriends. With everything changing drastically in the age of the Cornavirus and quarantining, it's so important to stay in touch with your loved one. Today, you get to listen in on our candid conversation. We talk about adjusting to this new normal; romance in the age of 'Rona; managing our kids; what shows we’re binge-watching; self-care, and t...
Apr 23, 2020•48 min
In today’s episode, we meet Jessica Chinyelu Anibowei. Jessica is the creator of the Women of Purpose conference, she’s an influencer, and manager to Motown gospel artist, Jonathan Traylor. As if ALL of that isn’t enough, she has created the Sold-Out-Sponsored-Secured course to show people how she has landed over six-figures in corporate sponsorships for her events. If you’re hosting digital events or planning live events for next year, you might want to consider getting those events sponsored. ...
Apr 16, 2020•55 min
For today’s episode, I wanted to check in to share how I’ve been. What’s on my mind and what I’m doing that’s working for me from a personal and business perspective. At a time like this, I think it’s so important to lean into our community. You all are my community and I want to make sure I’m doing my part to build up others at a time when there’s so much uncertainty. Until now, I haven’t been ready to speak about how I have been feeling. I've been praying for a way to help my community above a...
Apr 10, 2020•26 min
In today’s episode, we meet Dr. Wendasha Jenkins Hall. Dr. Wendasha is a social behavioral scientist whose research focuses on the sexual health of black women and the underlying social reasons behind how we approach sexuality. She shares her research in a very relatable way through her platform, The Sensible Sexpert. During our conversation, Dr. Wendasha guides us through how we as millennial women can own our own sexuality and in turn create sex-positive households. Depending on their level of...
Apr 02, 2020•51 min
In today’s episode, we meet Alia Oneal. Alia is the founder and chief designer at The Product Place. Her full-service product development agency helps people get their product ideas out of their heads and into the hands of consumers. During our conversation, Alia takes us through the business iterations that brought her to launching The Product Place. Although she had landed her dream job at Neiman Marcus, she still felt the pull to get back to her product development roots. Today, she takes cre...
Mar 26, 2020•51 min
In today’s episode, we meet Charlene McCraney. Charlene is the founder of Blogger Startup School. As an SEO strategist, she not only helps bloggers launch their blogs but also teaches them how to grow their audiences using free organic search traffic. I for one thought blogging as a medium was on its way out. But Charlene’s receipts have me taking a second look. Her blog has had over 2 million page views, only 1% of that traffic came from Instagram If you’ve been thinking about launching a blog ...
Mar 19, 2020•52 min
In today’s episode, we meet Jordan Gill. Jordan is the founder and CEO of Systems Saved Me. She helps overworked one-woman businesses create processes that save them time, streamline their workflows and save their sanity. When Jordan first launched her business, she decided the best way to land her dream clients was to attend conferences. In 2017, she attended over 30 events where she met referral partners that continue to send her clients to this day. During our conversation, Jordan takes us on...
Mar 05, 2020•46 min•Season 3Ep. 63
In today’s episode, we meet Rhonesha Byng. Rhonesha is the founder and CEO of Her Agenda. A digital media platform that tells the stories of professionally ambitious millennial women of color. In 2017, Rhonesha was honored on the Forbes 30 under 30 list and before transitioning to run Her Agenda fulltime, she also received an Emmy award for her work as a journalist. While a platform like Her Agenda is a great way to expose women to the possibilities of a career in different industries, its great...
Feb 20, 2020•34 min•Season 3Ep. 61
In today's episode, we meet Ardre Orie, also known as "The Queen of Storytelling". Ardre is the CEO of publishing company, 13th And Joan where she helps everyday heros and celebrities alike write books. By the end of this year, her publishing house is on track to release 200 book titles. During our conversation, she shared the numerous business pivots in her entrepreneurial journey. She went through nine different businesses in nine years before landing on 13th and Joan. Ardre also broke down wh...
Feb 13, 2020•47 min•Season 3Ep. 60
In today's episode, we meet Pauleanna Reid. When I first came across her online, it was her transparency that reeled me in. As a writer, speaker mentor and master networker, she has made a business of helping politicians, senior executives and celebrities tell their stories and build their platforms through her company Writers Blok. Through her mentorship program, New Girl on the Block, she has also mentored over 200 women in 9 countries. As if that wasn’t enough, she is also a senior contributo...
Feb 06, 2020•39 min
In today's episode, we meet Dominique Fluker. About a year ago, I started seeing Forbes articles with her byline. Her articles covered some amazing milennial women of color and I started following her. Dominique is a true example of someone who is grinding with purpose! She signed her contract as a contributor with Forbes in January of 2018 and by August, she had already been promoted to Senior Contributor. Most recently, she has interviewed the likes of Serena Williams, Taraji P. Henson, and El...
Jan 30, 2020•39 min
In today's winter refresh episode, we revisit an episode that aired earlier this year with Influencer, Mattie James. Mattie is a full-time influencer who has booked over 500 brand campaigns over the course of her career. She is also one of the few black influencers who also educates other influencers on how they can grow their platforms. Since we last had Mattie on the show, she shared that she and her husband are expecting their 3rd child, they moved into a beautiful new home and she is continu...
Dec 12, 2019•47 min
In today's winter refresh episode, we revisit an episode that aired earlier this year with the CEO of Coloured Raine Cosmetics, Loraine R. Dowdy. When she was last on our show, Loraine alluded to a big collaboration she was launching soon and it turned out to be a new collection with the hit Starz show, Power. Even more recently, a preview video of their upcoming foundation launch has gone viral to the tune of 7 million views in 3 days. Her company is on track to hit 10 million dollars in revenu...
Dec 05, 2019•42 min
