For those of you who don’t know, D.C. is one of my FAVORITE
places to visit! I use any excuse to hop in the car and go; however, because
there’s literally ALWAYS something going on there, I never have to think very
hard for an excuse. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of traveling up to my
favorite place for two awesome events with my roll dawg (shout out to Meeka).
In one day, we attended the Ubiquitous Women’s Expo and the Dream Village Tour,
and in the midst of these events, we also survived the insane driving of D.C.
Lyft drivers and residents (another story for another day LOL); so, we had a
very busy day!
During the Dream Village Tour stop in D.C., I had the privilege of listening to a panel of INCREDIBLE boss women as they discussed the pros and cons of their entrepreneurship journeys. Each of these fabulous women had very different, yet extremely similar paths to owning their own brands and businesses.
The Panel: Dominique Broadway (IG: @dominiquebroadway), Personal Finance Expert and Founder of Finances Demystified. Erika Totten (IG: @toliveunchained), Spiritual Life Coach. DeannaRobinson (IG: deannarobinsonfit), Health & Fitness Expert and Owner of the Fab Body Factory. And my FAAAAVE… Alexandra Elle (IG: @alexelle), Author & Self-care Advocate. The panel was moderated by Gia Peppers (IG: @giapeppers), Entertainment Journalist and 1/5 of the Black Girl Podcast. I encourage you to check out ALL of these fabulous women because they are all incredibly dope!
sidenote: the pants I'm wearing are from TARGET. shoutout out to wild fable.
So, here’s what I learned about entrepreneurship from
the brilliant women listed above at the Dream Village Tour:
- Entrepreneurship is NOT for everyone! Be PROUD of your 9-5. Be content with where you are called to be right now.
- Entrepreneurship is a spiritual journey. The journey is not all about you, it is much bigger than you!
- Remember that your validation is the work that you’re doing in the world, NOT on the internet. It’s not always necessary to share things with the world as they happen…give yourself permission to share your progress or your wins when it feels right!
- Allow yourself the grace to know and understand that you don’t have to be touching everything all at once. Be okay with the fact that things shift and change and that things won’t always get done when you planned to.
- Know that there is no GLORY without the GRIT! You will have to work TEN TIMES harder for yourself than you do with everyone else.
- It’s important to plan some sort of “Happy Hour” for yourself everyday so that you can celebrate the work you’ve put in at the end of each day!
- Self-care is STILL vital on your journey to owning your own brand/business. Now, it does NOT have to be expensive; but, it needs to exist.
- Stop feeling guilty for charging what you and your services are worth (this guilt comes from being accustomed to giving away emotional labor for free).
- You MUST establish business hours for your consumers AND yourself!
- Remember that you are not “bossy” simply because you are not afraid to take the lead and cultivate your leadership skills!
- You are worthy of EVERYTHING. Stop internalizing rejection and know that what is meant for you will not pass you. Proverbs 18:16 - A man's gift(s) makes room for him, And brings him before great men.
If you are considering pursuing entrepreneurship, ask
yourself this question: what sacrifices are you willing to make in order to achieve
your goals and see that your dreams come to fruition? Trust your gut with the
answer to this question.
If you are currently an entrepreneur, what tips do you
have for others who desire to build their own brand/business?
With Blessings & Imperfections,
Bre
