by Solange Lopes | Nov 14, 2017 | Start Your Business
Starting a business is a dream for many working women and men. The prospect of being your own boss and creating a legacy that outlasts us is indeed very attractive. It also means having more control over your hours, more flexibility and the possibility to create the life of your dreams. Most importantly, you are in control of your income, instead of letting someone else decide what you are worth.
However, one of the reasons why so many of us don’t realize this dream is because we may not know how to even get started. If you’re wondering how to put all the pieces together to start and launch your own business, here are 7 things to get you going:
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An Idea Targeting a Need in the Market
Great businesses start with great business ideas. But what makes a business idea great? Target a need in the market of your choice. What do your target or ideal clients need that they can’t find in the market? You can start by identifying a need that you may have and know others have as well. If you can fill a need in the market, you’ve identified a potential business.
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A Business Plan
After identifying your business idea, having a business plan is the next step. While a business plan may sound like a complicated concept, it’s really about understanding the purpose of your business, as well as your product(s) and how you will promote and market them. You will also need to determine who will be part of your team. Last but not least, clearly understanding how you will make money and achieve a profit is crucial. One of my favorite resources to create a business plan is provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
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A Legal Setup
It’s important to ensure that you have the appropriate legal resources and paperwork in place. When setting up your business, you want to Having your business properly and legally registered, and ensuring that your legal filings are completed accurately and timely. A great resource to use to set up your business structure and complete your required filings is LegalZoom.
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Some Money
Starting a business can be costly. While you may be able to save on a few expenses by working from home and opting for the DIY way, you’ll still have to invest some money into your business.
You may need money to build a website, print out business cards, or even to get some basic materials and tools. However, I always recommend starting as inexpensively as possible. Don’t spend money on an expensive website or fancy working space. Instead, start building your network and business presence first.
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Some Space
As mentioned earlier, you can save by working from home. However, you may want to dedicate a specific and separate area of your home for your business. This is so you can actually focus on your work and not be victim to distractions around you.
If you must invest in a working space, make sure that it is within your budget in the medium to long-term. You can also opt for co-working spaces if it’s too challenging or impossible to work from home.
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Online Presence
In the age of social media, having a business online presence is important. However, do not spread yourself too thin by spending too much time online. Pick two to three social media networks you are most comfortable with and that provide you with the most exposure and influence.
However, you should also focus on building a strong offline presence. One of the best ways to do this is to build an email list to reach out to your followers directly via email. Remember that when social platforms like Facebook or Twitter change their algorithms or disappear entirely, you stand to lose all your following, so act accordingly.
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Some Support
Starting a business is challenging, and it can also be lonely. While few people may understand what you’re trying to do, strive to build a supportive network around you. It may be your family and friends, or other business women and men who understand and share in your mission.
What else would you add to this list?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 10, 2017 | Start Your Business
Ronne Brown, Entrepreneur, Coach, Writer, Speaker
Our Woman of Impact feature presents women who are breaking barriers in their careers, businesses and lives. These women are inspiring us to do our best work and live our best lives.
Our Woman of Impact is Ronne Brown, a wife, mother, coach, author, speaker, entrepreneur and overcomer. Hailing from Washington D.C, she has influenced thousands of entrepreneurs to live big, dream big and achieve success on their own terms. She went from being a janitor while pregnant to building a 7-figure salary through her entrepreneurial ventures. She teaches women to build successful businesses through her Millionaire’s Academy organization and her non-profit High Heels High Goals. Read her entire bio here.
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Tell us a bit about you and what you do. I understand you’re a multi-preneur with many businesses and income streams
I’m a full-time mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I’m at a place in my life where I’ve leveraged the things I’m passionate about. I’m also an influencer. My passions are beauty, fashion and teaching entrepreneurship to people all over the world. I endorse a product line that I believe in, which is a beauty line. I also have my own boutique, called HHGLuxxe. In addition to that, I’m a speaker and I teach and educate a lot of women on how to leverage their gifts.
Ronne Brown – Founder of HHHG Luxe – Courtesy: ronneb.com
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What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
It was really tapping into the things I love. As I grew up, there wasn’t really anyone saying: “Do what you love”. It was always: “Do what pays you the most money, do what everyone else is doing, do what people have experienced success in.” So I wanted to see if it was possible for me to do what I really enjoyed, instead of settling working in Corporate America and living that cookie-cutter life. I was fired because I had kids and had to go to doctors’ appointments and things like that, and I really could not keep a job. I got tired of giving someone else control of my life, my future, my income, and putting them in a position where they could determine if my children would be able eat or have a roof over their head a month or two down the line if they felt as though I wasn’t a good fit for their business.
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What does a typical day look like for you?
My days are different. It really depends on the day of the week, because I’m a mother of four, so my days can really change. Traditionally, I read my Word late at night. I’m different from most people, as most people read their Word in the morning. If you follow me on social media, you’ll see me posting the Word I read later at night. When I get up in the morning, I map my day out. I look at my agenda, and start with of my income-producing activities. I try to get my workout in, then I make myself breakfast, start smashing my goals, you know, my honey-to-do list. That’s how I tackle my day.
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Do you feel like your faith is an integral part of your business? What do you advise other women in terms of combining their faith with their business or career?
I believe my faith is an integral part of my success. I know that God is 100% responsible for where I am. I also know that His Grace has been super sufficient when it comes to my life. I’ve overcome so much, and He has literally brought me through some of the things that I’ve never thought I could overcome. In addition to that, He’s given Me Grace and allowed me to start over, and really excel in my life. So I think that including and continuously giving Him the Glory for everything is very important. I think in the traditional days, people were taught not to express their religion and their faith in their business. I think that as this revolution happens, we have to be able to stand up and say what we stand for and who we stand for. I know Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, I know that and if someone doesn’t want to do business with me, He will send me the people who are right for me.
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Can you tell us about the challenges and hurdles you overcame before being successful in your business?
I went through many things that almost every woman goes through, in life and in business. It’s not just a business thing, it’s life. In life, we go through so much, and it’s truly just a way for us to learn more and more about ourselves, and how to respond to different things. I’ve gone through losing my job, and just really being on the verge of giving up. I’ve settled in my life for things and positions that I knew I deserved better and more in. I’ve dealt with heartbreak and betrayal, that so many people go through. I think the most important thing is knowing that you’re not the only one, I’ve been there.
Ronne Brown – Courtesy of RonneB.com
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Now that you’re on the other side, what’s the best part about what you do?
The thing is, you’re never really on the other side. Your income may increase, but so do your responsibilities, so does people’s dependency on you, that increases as well. All of it never goes away. The tests get harder, the obstacles come, the hurdles get bigger, and you have to work harder to overcome the things that you were struggling with when you were making $30,000 a year. And now you may be making a couple of hundred thousand a year…
I want to make this very clear in this interview. Just because you start making more money, doesn’t mean the problems go away. The more money you make, the more obstacles you have to overcome, the more people you start to question and begin to reveal themselves. You’re at a place where you have no tolerance for the bullcrap, for procrastination. So the problems don’t go away. The more money, the more problems. But God won’t put you in any situation that He doesn’t feel you can handle. What happens is, the more money you make, the more problems you have to overcome.
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How do you face these challenges and the uncertainty of being an entrepreneur and having your own business?
I think about going to the grave without doing the things that I’ve always wanted to do. Taking all of this to the grave. Are you really going to take all of this greatness to the grave?
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What resources would you recommend for other women looking to emulate what you do and get into entrepreneurship?
I recommend the Holy Bible, and if you’re new to it, I definitely suggest that you download it in the ERV(Easy-to-Read) version. Another thing I recommend is peace and quiet, meaning taking the time to get in a quiet place and clear your mind, because that helps me often.
I also suggest social media, making sure that you’re on the most popular social media channels. Right now the top two are Facebook and Instagram. I also suggest email automation, that you can use to build a list and keep your contacts. You can be on Mailchimp or Aweber for instance. In addition to that, I also suggest to anyone listening that you start providing quality content to your followers. What are you giving them that keeps them coming back to your page every day? Making that connection and finding out what your audience wants to hear and see, is very important. Study your following, study the people coming to your page, ask them what they want to hear and see, and deliver accordingly.
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What do you do for fun, after you put in all this work and push through your limits?
I love to dance, I love music, and I love trap music as well. You can probably find me somewhere listening to some rap music, some 90’s R&B music. I’m a dance machine, I love to have parties at my house. I’m that person.
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What do you have on repeat these days?
I have Kendrick Lamar on repeat right now. I’m really falling in love with this young lady Sza. I love Solange, I’m getting in that peaceful place where I like to play it. I love 2Chains as well. And then, you’ve gotta have a little praise and worship, I’m old school. I always have the WOW 2017 Gospel Hits. It’s really mixed up in here (laughs).
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What kind of services do you provide women entrepreneurs?
I do an event called “Round Table with Ronne B”. I also have a non-profit called “High Heels, High Goals”, so sometimes we do events and give back to women’s businesses. Mostly, you will see me marketing and sharing products I love.
You can also check out my GirlCEO planner, because I’m rolling out a lot of tools to help women be more successful with their business ventures. That’s really what I’m working on right now, in addition to sharing the beauty and wellness products I believe in.
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What advice would you give your 20-year old self?
Keep your legs closed (laughs). The reason why I say that is that getting intimate is such an emotional decision. I’ve seen it upset so many women, myself included, in their lives and work. I would definitely tell myself to dream bigger, and not to put any limitations on my life. This is not the end, there is so much more ahead. At any given moment, you can rewrite the book. There were definitely times when I said to myself: “It’s over. I screwed up.” This is when you have to tell yourself: “It’s not easy, get over yourself!”
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Where can we find you?
You can go to ronneb.com. You can also go to my Instagram: @ronneb. In addition to that, you can check out my new GirlCEO planner, at Iamagirlceo.com. Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Speaking to Ronne Brown was such a pleasure and a breath of fresh air. Her authenticity and the genuine advice she was willing to share filled me up with such gratitude and purpose. Y’all go check her out!
Thanks, Ronne B!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Oct 31, 2017 | Find A Job You Love, Find Your Purpose
This is THE question, right? When it comes to your career, or even your life in general, the big question mark is this one: Pursue what you love or be safe and go for the job that actually pays the bills? The more you advance in life and acquire things (read: mortgage, cars, shoes and purses you don’t need), and the more people you’re responsible for, the more it seems you should settle for the latter option.
Some of you may not even be sure what your passion really is, or if you even have one. Others wouldn’t know where to start to tap into their passions, skills and talents. And for the rest, well, they may just be too tired to even begin the whole process of answering this question.
I know I’ve asked myself the question countless times, and at times, I still do. I was raised in a conservative, single-parent household run by my single mom in Senegal. My siblings and I grew up with a clear understanding that if we wanted to make it in this life, we’d have to go for stability. Forget the big adventure of following our passions.
Why do so few of us take the time to figure it out?
In college, I was always looking at other students taking a sabbatical year or a year abroad with a mix of wonder and envy. How could they even afford to take some time off to explore their wants, or take some time to reflect? There were degrees to be had, jobs to be held, money to be made, bills to be paid…And shoes to be bought occasionally too…
Especially as an immigrant, I never thought there was room, time or space to devote to anything else than working and building a stable nest. Pursuing talents, skills and passions was for rich kids with trust funds, or those who roamed freely on the surface of this Earth with no sense of obligation or duty. For the rest of us, there were responsibilities, commitments and obligations galore to attend to. From making rent to making our families proud, it was all about doing the “right, sensible thing, and making money in the process.
Is Money All There is?
Money was the big equalizer, that financial equilibrium that could bring us closer to our dreams. After all, if you didn’t have money, how could you find fulfillment on an empty stomach? Yet, as the reality of daily started to settle in, it felt like no matter how materially satisfied we may be, that didn’t necessarily equate with fulfillment. Actually, the more materially satisfied we are without pursuing what really matters to us, the more depleted we tend to feel.
So What Makes Us Start Thinking Differently?
Then, as close friends and family members leave this life, the reality that we’re not going to be here forever hits us in squarely in the face. We start understanding that time, and not money, is our most precious commodity. That there may very well be a reason why we were put on this Earth, and are given the privilege to wake up and keep breathing every single day.
Should we just forego all idea of stability?
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in stability. Stability is good. Safety is comforting. I love the idea of a full bank account, a prolific retirement account and the security of having more than enough. Yet at some point between losing people I dearly love and realizing my own mortality, I started believing more in actually enjoying life. Not in a desperate, “let-me-get-all-I-can-while-I’m-here” kind of way. But in a purposeful, intentional way that says “I know I’m here for a reason. I know I was created for a purpose, and I need to find out why and go do that.”
So maybe more of us should be taking that year off in college to travel the world, or just think about what we really want out of life. Maybe it’s not a luxury just reserved for the trust fund kids, or those who roam freely on the surface of this Earth. Maybe taking the time to know who we are and why we are here is actually a necessity.
This doesn’t mean that we should quit our jobs tomorrow and go sailing on the Mediterranean seas. Or that we shouldn’t worry about stable incomes, debt repayment and keeping our credit scores intact. What this means is that as we make a living, we should also make a life. That money is important, but should not be the ultimate priority of our life journeys.
What should we do then?
So should you pursue what you love or keep a stable job? If you’re asking yourself the question today, you should do neither right away. What you can do is stop, take a deep breath and answer the following questions for yourself:
- Are you fulfilled?
Really fulfilled, as in, waking up with this sense of being full and overflowing of the goodness of this life. Or are you heavy, burdened with responsibilities, and dreading the day/month/year ahead?
No one other than you knows the answer to this question, and no one can help you answer it. This is where you look inward and be honest with yourself about how you feel.
- Why are you here?
Purpose is not an illusion, it’s a reality. I believe we all have a purpose, a reason to be. Or many for that matter. What’s yours? Why are you here?
This is a tough question to answer, unless you have a vision and goals for your life. If you don’t, take some time to explore the activities and things that bring you the most joy and peace. You’ll find your answer.
- What do you need to get there?
It’s one thing to realize that you are or are not fulfilled enough. Or to take hold of what your purpose is. However, we live in a practical world that requires you to devise a plan to get to wherever you may be going.
What will you need to achieve your purpose and find fulfillment? What does that mean for you spiritually, emotionally, relationship-wise and financially? Determine if it will require you to save more money, leave some relationships, address some gaps in your personality, and start tackling these one at a time.
Now your turn: Do you believe you should pursue what you love or keep a stable job?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis
by Solange Lopes | Oct 23, 2017 | Career, Find A Job You Love
Being a woman of color in the workplace comes with many challenges. One of these is the almost constant tendency to be uncomfortable at work. When you’re the only woman of color in the room, when others may not give you the credit you deserve or you may be overlooked entirely, it can be easy to shy away from being your best self at work.
Remember the scene in Something New, when Sanaa Lathan, who works as a corporate finance manager at a top Fortune 500 company, gets overlooked by rich, white clients because she happens to be a Black woman? This scene is one that many women of color face, and live, on a daily or at least frequent basis at work. As a result, we may start internalizing this fear of putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations by speaking up or even being noticed in the workplace.
It takes tremendous effort to keep showing up as our best selves in environments in which we may not be valued or overlooked, especially in professional ones. We may want to go above and beyond to prove our worth, or on the very contrary, recede in the confines of our cubicles or offices and remain quiet. Many times, I chose the latter. I know I’m not the only one…
Instead of beating ourselves up, accept the status quo or burn ourselves out to prove our worth, here are a few ways we can beat our fear of being uncomfortable as women of color at work:
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Acknowledge the fear
The struggle is real, and so is the fear! The first step to challenge your fears is to acknowledge them. You’re not imagining things, neither do you need to beat yourself up for feeling the fear of facing uncomfortable professional situations. Recognize how you’re feeling and make peace with where you’re at professionally, mentally and emotionally at the moment. Instead of putting yourself down for it, accept it and be open to challenge it!
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Stop taking it personal!
Taking things personal at work doesn’t help solve them, in the very contrary. Your career is more important than personal considerations, so resist the temptation to take uncomfortable settings and situations personal. Instead, take your focus off of the people involved and start asking yourself what YOU can do to go beyond your own fears and turn the pain into lessons.
Every challenge we face is meant to teach us something about ourselves, and help provide us with the inspiration to create solutions. How are your professional challenges motivating you to beat the fear of being uncomfortable? Once you start answering this question, you’ll be on your way to turning your fear into progress.
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Do one “small” thing every day to challenge it!
The concrete walls we tend to face as women of color at work can make us feel powerless. One of the reasons for this, is that we may try to solve all the issues we’re facing all at once. There are too many existing systemic and organizational challenges for us to be able to address them all.
Rather, it’s a matter of asking ourselves how we can chip at these issues, one day at a time, starting with ourselves. You know what they say about eating an elephant, one bite at a time, right? What is the smallest thing you can do to address your fear? Can you speak up once during the meeting today? Can you volunteer for a challenging opportunity in the next 30 days? Identify the smallest step you can take today, tomorrow and in the future and act on it!
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Speak up and Tell your truth
It can be hard to face your truth as a woman of color at work, let alone sharing it with others in the workplace. Yet without telling our stories and letting our truths be known, others around us may not be able to understand what we’re going through. In order for better communication to take place around the challenges faced by women of color at work, there must be a conversation taking place.
This is not about making a litany of complaints to whoever wants to hear. Neither is it about confronting every issue at work. What this is about is being willing to clearly articulate, in a constructive yet firm way, our desire to understand and minimize the obstacles in our way.
It’s about saying that you wanted the promotion and do not understand why you didn’t get it. Are you following up with your management to obtain the feedback you need in order to advance? Are you clearly sharing your expectations, even when they’re being overlooked over and over again? Are you asking the difficult questions rather than shrinking back out of fear?
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Stop hiding!
Is the fear of being uncomfortable as a woman of color at work keeping you hidden in your cubicle or office? Are you avoiding strategic meetings or shrinking in the back of the room for fear of being judged? Are you not making your voice being heard because the cost may outweigh the benefits?
If you’re invisible, silent or both, then your power to effect change for yourself and others is seriously diminished. Overcoming your fear as a woman of color at work also means coming out of hiding. It means making your contributions known, advocating for yourself as you ask others to advocate for you.
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Keep showing up
Don’t just show up once or twice, keep showing up each and every day! This means sitting at the front of the meeting room at every meeting. It also means asking for opportunities over and over, long after you’ve been told no the first time. The more you keep showing up, the less fear you feel, and the more you can start turning the tables around you.
This is about persistence and continued effort, at all levels of your career. It’s also about making sure you have the right mindset and stamina to keep showing renewed effort and vigor on a daily basis.
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Encourage another woman of color
Sometimes, the best way to address a fear we have is to help someone who may be experiencing the same fear. Encourage another woman of color who may be going through the same issues silently. This is not about creating a new “complaint department”, but rather using each other as a source of inspiration, strength and motivation.
How do you overcome your fear of being uncomfortable as a woman of color at work?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis
by Solange Lopes | Oct 16, 2017 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
By Lauren Smith Brody
In honor of National Boss Day, The Corporate Sister is pleased to share this article by Lauren Smith Brody, author of “The Fifth Trimester”. In this article, Lauren Smith Brody has partnered with Total Wireless to share her tips for successful working moms.
Did you know that today (October 16) is National Boss’s Day? Here’s my take: The bosses who should be celebrated with the most cupcakes and flowers today are Boss Moms—working moms who do it all and get it done at all hours of the day, and with only a fraction of that time rewarded with an actual paycheck. In fact, according to a recent survey by Total Wireless, 95 percent of moms say that the most stressful part of being a working mom is the pressure to juggle work and family responsibilities to perfection. Do they always get it done without ever losing their cool? Au contraire, ma mere.
In my version of this national holiday, being a Boss Mom means you bless the mess, celebrate the journey that got you to where you are today and realize that a satisfied life is rarely a balanced one…but a happy one. That’s why I’m teaming up with Total Wireless to celebrate Boss Moms and how they do it all on National Boss’s day and beyond.
- LEARN THIS TERM: “MENTAL LOAD.” The mental load is the reason that I know how many eggs are in our fridge right now and how high the temperature has to be in order for my boys to be allowed to wear shorts to school (love that dress code). It is also the reason that I occasionally forget to sign a check that I put in the mail (thank you, payment apps for helping me out here). The mental load is the labor we do in our minds keeping track of 1,273,038 things even when we aren’t technically working or parenting. And that work deserves to be acknowledged.
- HOLD THE JUDGEMENT, PLEASE. Here’s something wonderful about 2017 (an otherwise complicated year, to say the least): We are officially no longer living in a society where it is socially appropriate for working moms to judge stay-at-home moms, and vice versa. I’ve interviewed hundreds of moms for my book and company, and the general consensus was this: We are all just doing our best to raise the next generation. And yet, so many mothers still admitted to judging themselves. Enough, I say! According to the same survey by Total Wireless, 95 percent of moms know that the journey to success hinges on having the confidence to make the necessary choices…and often those choices include sacrifice. Do not feel guilty. Instead, celebrate your accomplishments. It’s all part of the journey of satisfaction we’re modeling for our kids.
- SKIP SOMETHING. Want to know the best feeling in the world (better than the candle-lit bubble bath you’ve been meaning to take for three years now)? Open up your calendar and delete one thing from next week. Here, I’ll even give you your excuse: “I’m looking ahead and realizing I’ve overscheduled myself for next week. Let’s please cancel/move our lunch/meeting/obligation/endeavor/commitment.” Another option if it’s something you can’t miss entirely: Downgrade an in-person meet-up to a phone call. Everyone’s more efficient that way, and you can order groceries online at the same time if needed.
- CALL YOUR OWN BOSS MOM. Better yet, FaceTime her (because you know she won’t mind if you’re not wearing any makeup…or if you have to leave her staring at the ceiling while you attend to the 2-year-old’s bloody nose). Whether your mom worked out of the home or not, the list of skills you learned from her is surely long and mighty. (The same survey I reference above found more than half of working women consider their own moms the ultimate “total boss.”) Did she teach you to drive (thus ensuring you can do that last conference call of the day while in the privacy of your own car)? Did she force you and your sister to “work it out between you two” (and give you team-building skills that you use to this day?). It’s vital to acknowledge that stuff, not just because it makes her feel appreciated…but because it makes you realize how much wisdom you’re imparting to your own kids that they’ll use one day. Oh, tell your mom that part too!
This National Boss’s Day, join me and Total Wireless in celebrating working moms for everything they’ve accomplished—including the choices and sacrifices they’ve made to get where they are today.
With great coverage on America’s largest and most dependable 4G LTE† network, Total Wireless gives you the confidence to plan and celebrate the ‘total boss’ mom in your life—all from the palm of your hand with your smartphone. Learn more at TotalWireless.com.
Lauren Smith Brody, author of “The Fifth Trimester”
Lauren Smith Brody is the founder of The Fifth Trimester movement to help businesses and families improve workplace culture together; she is the author of the best-selling book, The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom’s Guide to Style, Sanity, and Big Success After Baby. Prior to launching her own business, Lauren had a 16-year career in magazine publishing, most recently as the executive editor of Glamour magazine. She’s partnering with Total Wireless to share her Total Boss Mom strategies—hectic schedule, two little boys, messy home, and all. Check out TotalWireless.com to learn more about the latest phones and the best deal in wireless.
*The 30-Day cycle for Shared Data Family Plans begins on the day the first line/device is activated. Any line(s)/device(s) activated later in the first 30-Day cycle will receive only the number of days remaining in that cycle. A month equals 30 days.
†To get 4G LTE speed where available you must have a 4G LTE capable device and a 4G LTE SIM card. Actual availability, coverage and speed may vary. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Please always refer to the latest terms and conditions of service at TotalWireless.com.
This survey was commissioned by Total Wireless and conducted by Survata, an independent research firm in San Francisco. Survata interviewed 1,069 online respondents between September 29, 2017 and October 4, 2017. For further information, visit www.survata.com.
