Side Hustle Pro: Women Entrepreneurs | Black Women Business Owners | Solopreneurs

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my entrepreneurship journey, it’s that “no one is going to ride harder for you than you will for yourself.” That’s a fact. In this episode, I’m giving you the real on Side Hustle Pro becoming an LLC after months of side hustling and landing my first podcast sponsor. We’ll also take an inside look into my business process for goal setting and accomplishing tasks, step-by-step. Get your pen and paper ready because you’re going to want to take notes! Click here to grab your 12-Week Goal Getter Worksheet (as I mentioned in this episode). Listen to this episode and others on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher.     This episode is brought to you by: Gusto Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/shp. Acuity For a limited time only, you can get 45 days of Acuity Scheduling absolutely free - no credit card required - by going to acuityscheduling.com/hustlepro.   Links ment

It’s May! And that means it’s time for a rewind. Every week this month, I’m resharing an episode that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how I turned my side hustle into my main hustle. In this first episode, I talk about how when I started my side hustle, I didn’t read business plan books or follow a business plan template. I just started. Shocking, I know! I share the six steps you can take, now, to start building your business as a side hustle. Let’s jump in! Click here to grab your recap (as I mentioned in this episode). Listen to this episode and others on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher.   This episode is brought to you by: Skillshare Get 2 free months of Premium Membership at skillshare.com/sidehustlepro.  Gusto Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/shp. Causebox  Go to causebox.com/hustlepro and use the code HUSTLEPRO to get your first box for 30% off. Links mentioned in this episode

Imagine being neighbors with the same person in multiple cities for the majority of your life. Well, that’s the story of the women behind Neighborly Paper—Robin Beck and Carmelle Kendall. Neighborly Paper is a paper goods brand dedicated to, in the founders’ own words, serving all the realness for all the occasions. Carmelle is an art director, illustrator, and filmmaker. She now resides in Atlanta where she’s working as an art director and growing the Neighborly business. And Robin is the writer behind Neighborly Paper cards. In the daytime, she creates content for Salesforce and at night, it’s all about Neighborly. These ladies took their experience in the workplace and used it to create a business together that is successful and thriving. Take a listen to how these lifelong friends became business partners, and are taking over the greeting card business in such a #BlackGirlMagic way! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher.  This episode is brought to you by: ACUITY For a limited time

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair, we welcome Monique Greenwood, owner and CEO (Chief Enjoyment Officer) of Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, a collection of upscale B&Bs in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; Cape May, NJ; Philadelphia, PA and a boutique resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.  After graduating from Howard University, Greenwood became a fashion journalist, eventually becoming an intrapreneur while working for Women’s Wear Daily by launching her own magazine about children’s fashion. And after a six-year stretch at Essence, leading her to Editor-in-Chief, Monique took on her side hustle, Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, and made it her main source of income. After 25 years, she’s expanded, now, with five locations, and hasn’t looked back since. In addition to talking about her journey to being a successful entrepreneur, we also talk about her journey from experiencing early professional success in magazine publishing and overcoming difficult moments like opening a Bed & Breakfast

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair is Dionna M. Dorsey, a gifted designer and brand development strategist and the creator of apparel line DISTRICT of CLOTHING.  After graduating from Villanova University in 2002, Dionna moved to Italy to study fashion design and pursue a job in the fashion industry.  She ended up relocating to New York City and designed outerwear for Oscar de la Renta and men's apparel for several other licenses. After rocky times hit the retail industry, she was eventually laid off from her job. She applied for job after job, but no one would hire her, so she made a decision to hire herself.  She went on to open Dionna Dorsey Design, a design boutique that specializes in being creative – from graphic design to art direction, brand strategy, and website development. Then, she launched DISTRICT of CLOTHING, a signature apparel line developed with the conventional and avant-garde dreamers and doers in mind. The rest is HERstory. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair we welcome Lorraine West, the Founder of Lorraine West Jewelry. Lorraine developed an affinity for creating and donning unique jewelry at a young age and says she’s been an artist since she was in the 1st grade. Her mother's love for ornate pieces was the inspiration for her to delve into jewelry design while studying Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After teaching herself how to manipulate various metals into beautiful original jewelry pieces, and with the increasing demand from family and friends to create custom designs, Lorraine West Jewelry was conceived. Understanding that she needed a steady income to support herself as she grew her business, she worked for 4 years as a full-time employee then another 6 years freelancing as an illustrator, as an assistant fashion and prop stylist on video shoots and through other part time gigs besides selling her own work on the side. She became a full-time entrepreneur in 2010. Lorraine met Erykah Badu, ear

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair, we welcome Petrushka Bazin Larsen, the Co-Founder of Sugar Hill Creamery in Harlem, NY. Sugar Hill Creamery is Harlem's only family-owned neighborhood ice cream shop.  Petrushka’s Co-Founder is her husband, Nicholas, and prior to opening the shop, she worked as Vice President for Programs & Education at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Program Director at the Laundromat Project. Even with her successful career, she had dreams of being an entrepreneur that started when she was in the 3rd grade and those dreams remained with her as she got older.  The opportunity for entrepreneurship eventually presented itself when her husband unexpectedly lost his job in the culinary industry. They began thinking about how to develop a business based on foods they love, and it was an experience at a pop-up ice cream shop while on a trip in Washington, DC, that sparked the idea to open an ice shop in Harlem. Petrushka and her husband went all in and found a location, secured a lo

Today in the guest chair we welcome Kesha Watkins, a true side hustler! Although she has a successful 13-year career in the Human Resource profession, she is also passionate about entrepreneurship and being her own boss. Her latest venture, BPolished Beauty Supply offers an array of hair care needs and provides an unparalleled level of beauty experience to customers in Arlington, TX and online. Kesha’s hope in opening BPolished Beauty Supply is to provide representation as an African American Owner in the beauty supply industry and promote entrepreneurship to other women.  Prior to opening, Kesha didn’t have any experience in beauty retail, so she decided to work at Sally’s Beauty Supply to learn the ins and out of running a store. She knew she was heading in the right direction because she loved the in-store experience, especially interacting with customers. Only a few months later, she was able to leverage her learnings and open a store that her community loves.  Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundclou

Today in the guest chair we welcome Kyara Uqdah, the Co-Founder of Charm City Buyers. Her Co-Founder is also her husband, Khalil Uqdah and they started investing in real estate only one year after graduating college.   They had an idea that they wanted to build their own empire, so they developed a plan to do it! They’ve gone from that first investment in a property in a depressed neighborhood in  Connecticut to investing in over 20 properties in Baltimore. They are literally buying the block. Almost eight years later they have been able to officially retire from their jobs and focus all of their efforts on maintaining their empire and helping others to build their own, in addition to being loving parents to their beautiful daughter.  They aren’t just keeping the knowledge to themselves, they lead a coaching program that teaches fellow Millennials and Gen Xers how to build a tremendous amount of wealth in a very short period of time as well. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, Stitcher,  This episo

Today in the guest chair we welcome Brittani Allen, a Professional Home Organizer, and CEO and Founder of Pinch of Help-Home Organization based in Atlanta, Georgia.  I came across Brittani’s business on Instagram and was instantly hooked! She is passionate about creating environments her clients love living in, with her expert ability to match functional organization with aesthetically pleasing solutions.   The entrepreneur bug hit her while she was studying biomedical science in graduate school and substituting teaching. It was an overheard conversation between high school students that sparked the idea for her first business, Strategic Academic Planning. She eventually pivoted to blogging but was still feeling stuck until she read the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Would you believe that Brittani used to struggle with keeping her house clean and organized? She used the processes and tips from the book to declutter her home, and friends started t

Today in the guest chair we welcome Mattie James, a full-time content creator and the influencer behind MattieJames.com.  After being crowned Miss Liberia USA in 2009, Mattie started her blog as a hobby, but it was consistency and a great first hire that helped her grow her blog into the business it is today. She now creates lifestyle content for her blog, podcast and YouTube channel while working with brands like Samsung, TJ MAXX and J. Crew.  In addition to blogging, she has taught over 1,000 bloggers and entrepreneurs the business of blogging with her online courses and masterclasses.  In this episode, Mattie shares a ton of information about how to approach brand partnerships, the difference between a content creator and influencer, and how to share your story. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, Stitcher,  This episode is brought to you by: Zip Recruiter  Side Hustle Pro listeners can try ZipRecruiter FOR FREE at ZipRecruiter.com/hustle. Skillshare Skillshare is offering Side Hustle Pro liste

Today in the guest chair we welcome Tammeca Rochester, the owner and founder of Harlem Cycle, Harlem's 1st and only indoor cycling studio.  Tammeca's journey to opening an indoor cycling studio in Harlem started when she was looking to find a workout that would both get her back in shape while putting her in a positive frame of mind. After exploring the various workout options, she found herself drawn to indoor cycling. Her entrepreneurial spirit and her passion for all things Harlem inspired her to start researching how to open a cycling studio. Her entrepreneurial spirit and her passion for all things Harlem inspired her to open the doors to Harlem Cycle in 2016.  In episode 189 of Side Hustle Pro, Tammeca talks about:  How her academic background and career helped her secure the space for Harlem Cycle  What it took for Harlem Cycle to become profitable  How she brings in new clients and strengthens brand loyalty   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and Spotify!  This episode is brought to yo

As a busy working mom and wife, Chantel Powell found herself shuttling her son Kameron between summer basketball camp and football practice. She quickly noticed that he was starting to smell like a grown man because he was sweating buckets under his armpits, and that’s when her innovative mindset kicked in. Chantel decided to develop an all-natural deodorant for her son. And so Play Pits the brand was born.  Play Pits is a 100% all-natural deodorant for active kids. It’s free of aluminum, parabens, synthetic fragrances and other harsh chemicals. While it can be used on the most gentle skin types, it also packs a strong punch against odors.  In today’s episode, Chantel breaks down: How she tested out Play Pits on family to get feedback How customer demand led her to evolve from children’s deodorant to an adult deodorant component as well How she did it all while side hustling Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify This episode is brought to you by: Skillshare Get 2 free months of Premiu

Today in the guest chair we welcome Imani Ellis, Imani Ellis, the Founder of CultureCon and& The Creative Collective NYC (TheCCnyc), a community and creative agency dedicated to facilitating brave spaces for multicultural creatives.  Born in Imani’s one-bedroom apartment as a means to foster meaningful connections, TheCCnyc has since become the fastest growing community devoted to creatives of color in NYC who are looking to cultivate relationships that go beyond the business card.    TheCCnyc’s marquee event is CultureCon, an incredible conference that celebrates the influence creatives of color make on society and the culture that fuels it. Previous speakers have included Tracee Ellis Ross, Will Smith, Regina King, Spike Lee, and John Legend! Through all of this, would you believe that Imani is still a side hustler? Yes, she still has a full-time job as a publicist! Let’s get right into the episode to find out how she’s juggling an impressive career and a game-changing side hustle. Listen on Apple Podca

Today in the guest chair we have Tracey Pickett, Founder of Hairbrellal. Hairbrella is an innovative rain hat combining fashion and function to protect women's hair from the rain. Hairbrella was launched on Kickstarter and was successfully funded in December 2016. Since then, this passionate entrepreneur, attorney, inventor, and speaker has invested her money, time, blood sweat and tears into bringing Hairbella from an idea and prototype to fully developed product on the market. In today’s episode, you will hear how Tracey began her legal career at a Fortune 5 technology company working in the areas of corporate and intellectual property law. She was an attorney by day and spent nights and weekends developing her passion for entrepreneurship. In 2014, Tracey launched her first entrepreneurial venture, Eboticon – a media design company with a mission to create dynamic and culturally relevant emojis for niche social groups.  In November 2016, Tracey left her job to lead Eboticon full time and to launch her seco

Today in the guest chair we have Chris-Tia Donaldson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thank God It’s Natural (tgin), a manufacturer of natural hair and skin care products.  Prior to starting tgin, Chris-Tia, a two-time Harvard graduate, worked at a top law firm in Chicago.  It was there she realized that she wasn’t receiving the support she needed to advance in her career. She wasn’t willing to play the game anymore, so she decided to get out and create her own game.  Like many of us, Chris-Tia struggled with her hair while navigating the corporate world. There weren’t a lot of products for kinky, curly, and wavy hair, so she set out to create a product that made her feel confident about her curls.  Tgin is currently sold at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Sally’s Beauty, Walgreens, and now Ulta.  Chris-Tia is so transparent in this episode, especially when it comes to the money required to scale and maintain a business. I’m excited for you to hear!   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spoti

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair we have Tanya Sam. Tanya is a tech-savvy investor who has made it her mission to empower the next generation of minority entrepreneurs. You also know her from TV. She appears on one of my favorite guilty-pleasure shows, The Real Housewives of Atlanta!  She is currently Director of Partnerships at TechSquare Labs, Co-leads the Ascend 2020 Atlanta program that supports minority and female founders, and Co-founded BuiltxWomen, a business accelerator for female entrepreneurs.  It may come as a surprise that Tanya didn’t always have the desire to pursue entrepreneurship in technology. She actually studied to be a nurse and had a 10-year career in the industry.  She started helping her fiancé with his business on her days off and eventually decided to start her own business. With her background as a side hustler and as an entrepreneur, she has mentored over 60 companies with women and minority founders and helped invest in over 50 companies that have generated a total of ove

I’m back with a solo episode to share how to make money podcasting. Consider this your definitive guide to having a profitable podcast. I’ll be breaking down: How you actually make money from podcasting How and when I started earning revenue from the Side Hustle Pro podcast I am providing a recap, including a sponsorship calculator for this episode. If you would like it, simply visit: sidehustlepro.co/183 And if you would like to attend an even more detailed training where I’m teaching you LIVE and you’ll be able to ask me questions LIVE, sign up for my “How to Build Your Brand Through Podcasting” MASTERCLASS at podcastmoguls.com. Register here: podcastmoguls.com Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and Spotify  This episode is brought to you by: Skillshare Explore your creativity at skillshare.com/sidehustlepro and get 2 free months of Premium Membership. Gusto Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/

I’m back with an Entrepreneur Diaries episode to share some updates and kick-off 2020. This episode is divided into three parts: 2019 lessons, 2019 wins, and how I’m preparing for this mompreneur life. 2019 was an excellent year (The TODAY Show, Side Hustle Pro Live, and O, The Oprah Magazine!) because I saw a lot of my hard work pay off. But as you may have noticed, I experienced some burnout after my live show in October. I share some of the most important lessons I learned that will be so helpful to seeing Side Hustle Pro continue to grow.    And as you can see from the episode title, I’m going to be a mompreneur soon! Muoyo and I are very excited to experience parenthood. There are a lot of exciting changes coming in 2020 and I’m really looking forward to learning and growing. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and Spotify  This episode is brought to you by: Skillshare Explore your creativity at skillshare.com/sidehustlepro and get 2 free months of Premium Membership. Gusto Gusto offers m

Today’s episode is a REWIND with Sakita Holley, Founder, and CEO of House of Success PR. Sakita started her own PR company when she was 23, but faced a number of financial struggles as she figured out her business model. She has since grown, scaled, and gone on to be featured Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise, Women’s Biz Journals, xoNecole, and was named as one of PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 honorees.   Sakita breaks it down and gets real about how to start charging for your expertise and stop doing things for free. After listening to this episode, I want you to have the confidence to start making money from your side hustle and get rid of the intimidation and fear that can come with setting rates and charging people.  Let’s get into it!   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify This episode is brought to you by: Gusto Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at gusto.com/shp.  Links mentioned in this episode House of S