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

Today in the guest chair we have Linda Spradley Dunn, a woman who is the epitome of knowing the value she brings to the table and who is not afraid to go out and get hers. She spent fourteen years at IBM, where she received numerous awards and moved quickly through the ranks but always knew that she would one day be her own boss. Armed with world-class training from IBM, Linda finally stepped out on her own.  Twenty years later, Linda commands the ear and marketing dollars of Fortune 500 companies that seek her advice on multicultural marketing strategies and want to connect with the powerful community of multicultural, affluent, and influential women in her Odyssey Media network.Odyssey Media is a unique organization that provides an unparalleled blend of programs and resources, including conferences, business retreats, boot-camps, philanthropic and community initiatives, digital forums, networking, and more.The Odyssey network of women includes senior corporate executives, seasoned entrepreneurs, attorneys,

Today on the show, I am introducing you to my best kept secret: the woman who has taught me to turn my knowledge into a valuable, premium course. Her name is Danielle Leslie and she founded Culture Add™ Labs to help companies and individuals uncover their Culture Add™ and launch profitable products online. She is also the creator of #CourseFromScratch, an 8-week online intensive that helps people create & launch their profitable & poppin’ online courses. She has been an online marketer in Silicon Valley for almost 10 years and helped personal brands & influencers, including Guy Kawasaki, earn collectively millions of dollars by launching their online courses. One of the reasons I wanted to have Danielle on the show is because her framework for course launches addresses our common human tendency to get stuck on the preparation part and delay your launch. She teaches people like myself to not fall into the trap of creating your course content all before you’re ready to launch and instead, focus on

Today in the guest chair we have Ade Hassan. Ade is the founder and director of lingerie brand Nubian Skin. Frustrated by the lack of skin-tone choices to go with her ever-expanding wardrobe, Ade decided it was time for a different kind of nude. She knew that there were lots of women out there like her who needed the same thing. Nubian Skin has redefined what "nude" means, offering essentials in different colors with current pieces include bras, underwear, hosiery, and shoes. When Ade set out to create skin-tone choices that actually matched her skin tone, she had no idea the level of interest she would generate. Today, celebrity-favorite Nubian Skin is stocked in leading stores such as Asos, Nordstroms and she even styled the Queen Bey herself, Beyoncé and dancers for the Formation World Tour as well as the cast of the blockbuster film Hidden Figures. On today’s episode, Ade shares how she transitioned from a career in finance to creating an impactful and highly sought after brand. Listen on Apple Podcasts,

Today in the guest chair, we have Mandela SH Dixon. She is one of the only black women who has navigated the tech space as a VC-backed tech startup founder, global startup ecosystem builder, and VC portfolio services director. Mandela began her career in Silicon Valley in 2011 as a startup founder backed by Kapor Capital, 500 Startups, and Imagine K12 (acquired by Y Combinator). Thereafter, she led a global entrepreneurial program called Startup Weekend Education (acquired by Techstars) that spanned six continents and empowered thousands of entrepreneurs to launch edtech startups. Most recently, Mandela worked at venture capital firm Kapor Capital, where she supported the success of over 120 tech startups and launched the Founders' Commitment, a first-of-its kind initiative teaching founders how to bake diversity and inclusion into the DNA of their early stage startups. To-date, Mandela has shared her frameworks for success on over 65 stages, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, and Face

Today in the guest chair, we have Shellye Archambeau. Not everyone with entrepreneurial instincts comes up with that million dollar idea. Sometimes, people are better on the execution front. You need that person who can take a vision, turn it into an actual viable business, and grow your company year over year. That’s Shellye’s story. Shellye is best known for being the Chief Executive Officer of MetricStream, Inc. up  until January 2018. She is somewhat of a legend in Silicon Valley, having grown MetricStream to what it is today. She has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career. In 2014 she was named one of the 46 Most Important African-Americans In Technology by Business Insider. In September 2015, Shellye was recognized as the 97th most influential business leader in America. When she’s not busy building software companies or sitting on Fortune 500 boards, Shellye is simply a family oriented, energetic, goal driven foodie. We can all stand to learn a lot from Shellye about living a f

Hi Guys, I’m back with a check-in. Hear how my very first month of entrepreneurship went. I’ll share some behind the scenes of launching my first premium product, dealing with anxiety, facing #adulting head on and making some small changes in how I’m thinking about my business. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Podcast Accelerator Work With Me Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is offering an unrestricted 30 day free trial for all my listeners. No credit card required. Visit FreshBooks.com​/​​SIDEHUSTLEPRO​ and enter SIDE​ ​HUSTLE​ ​PRO​ in the how did you hear about us section. Side Hustle Pro is now over 5500 members strong. If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook Social Media Info Connect

Today in the guest chair we have Tonya Rapley. Tonya is a nationally recognized millennial money expert and founder of the award-winning site, My Fab Finance. She has graced the cover of Black Enterprise magazine and was deemed the "New Face of Wealth Building". She was also selected as a Modern History Maker by TV One and has been recognized as one of the “Top 10 Most Influential Women in Personal Finance on Twitter”. Her mission is to help millennial women break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck and own their power. Because of her relatable personality and fabulous flair, Tonya is a highly sought after media personality. Her work has been featured in Glamour, Cosmopolitan, EBONY, and on CentricTV. Tonya’s expertise has also been recognized by popular media outlets such as Forbes, the NY Daily News, Yahoo! Finance, and Marketwatch. As a writer, Tonya has also contributed to Credit.com, Buzzfeed, and TheRoot.com, making a powerful influence on the financial lives of millennials. On this episode, you’ll

What happens when you pair a love for writing, travel, design, experience activations and more? You get today’s guest. Her name is Tracey Coleman, and she is a creator, writer, designer and visionary. She’s also a multi passionate entrepreneur with a myriad of hustles.Her main hustle is Show & Tell Creative, a boutique activation agency specializing in social media, event activation and multicultural marketing.Her various side hustles include being Event Director and Partner in Curly Girl Collective, the founders and producers of  the epic CURLFEST. She’s also the Brooklyn Travel Addict, a Witty storyteller and content creator through her legendary travel blog.   Finally, she’s is the Founder of Purpose Driven Passports - a nonprofit organization that identifies and creates opportunities for travelers to give back abroad. In 2017, less than 6 months after launching, Tracey won the WeWork Creator Award. In keeping with the theme of women who are redefining entrepreneurship, I’m happy to share Tracey’s jour

Today in the guest chair, we have Nicole Walters. By age 28, Nicole was a highly-paid executive at a Fortune 500 company, managing multibillion dollar accounts. But something just wasn’t right. She felt like her job was paying the bills and feeding her family, but not her soul. So, live on Periscope, Nicole quit her corporate job to focus on opening her own private business and product development consulting firm, The Monetized Life. Through her programs and consulting, she shares her secrets to earning “passive income” with other entrepreneurs, including in her popular online course, 1K1Day. Nicole has been on my radar for some time and I thought what better way to kick off 2018, than with a woman who is pushing the boundaries of entrepreneurship and redefining what it means to package your skills into services and make money on your own terms. As Nicole says, she teaches people how to add commas to their bank accounts and learn that they don’t have to trade time for money. On today’s episode, Nicole gets in

2017  was an amazing year for me (I got married, took my business to new heights, spent time with my family, was embraced into a new family and culture). I am so grateful for the lessons learned and blessings received. Something I may have shared less of is that it was also an emotional year and sometimes a downright stressful year. I pushed myself harder than I ever have, took on more responsibility at work, was challenged in unexpected ways, grew a lot and took a major leap and quit my job. Now, I enter 2018 with a new perspective and determination to do my best work and live my best life. On today’s episode, I share: How we can all adopt a fearless mindset What it really means to invest in yourself Why I’m committed to nurturing human connections   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is offering an unrestricted 30 day free trial for all my listeners. No credit card required. Visit FreshBooks.com​/​​SIDEHUSTLEPRO​ and ent

A year ago, I made the decision that I need to work for myself. Today on the show, I share how I spent the last year gearing up for my quit day. I got laser-focused on monetizing my content. I explored multiple revenue streams. I got busy learning to be a sales team of one. I studied, I worked, I tried, I failed, I stayed determined. And then, on November 29, 2017 - I QUIT. On today’s episode, I share: Why I’m betting on myself! What went into taking my leap of faith My plan to move forward   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is now over 5000 members strong. If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook Social Media Info Connect on Instagram: Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro Hosted on Aca

Today’s guest is Jewel Burks. As co-founder and CEO of Partpic, an Atlanta based startup designed to streamline the purchase of maintenance and repair parts using computer vision technology, Jewel and her team built groundbreaking technology poised to change the way people everywhere locate products. Partpic raised over $2 million in seed funding to integrate its proprietary technology into mobile apps and websites of parts distributors and retailers. And then, something incredible happened, Partpic was acquired by Amazon. Currently Jewel serves as Team Lead for Visual Search at A9.com, an Amazon Company. In addition to this role, Jewel is a proud board member at Amplify 4 Good, and spends much of her free time working with startups. On today’s show, Jewel shares: How she came up with the idea for Partpic How she recruited a smart and talented team and Co-Founder What it was like to juggle working for Google while building Partpic And what it’s like to have your company be acquired. Listen on Apple Podcasts

Today on the show, we have a real boss. Her name is Dawn Dickson and she is a serial entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in marketing and business development. She has launched four successful cash flow positive companies since 2002. Her most recent ventures are Flat Out of Heels (which provides rollable flats for women) and Solutions Vending International, recently renamed Pop Com, which provides a software solution to make vending machines more intelligent. Dawn has received numerous awards and accolades for her Business savvy and pitching skills, including being awarded First place in the PowerMoves NOLA Big Break pitch Competition and second place in the 2016 SBA InnovateHer Challenge.   Additionally, Dawn was selected to participate in some of the nation’s top accelerator programs for entrepreneurs including the NewME(San Francisco),Canopy Boulder (Boulder,Colorado) and Techstars(Los Angeles). On today’s episode, Dawn gets into:   How she went from living her best life with her first business

Today on the show, is the one and only Claire Sulmers, the founder of FashionBombDaily.com, and the industry’s leading fashion blogger chronicling fashionistas of color. Her pioneering work ushered in a new wave of digital journalism that fed and fueled an underserved community of African-American and Latino style lovers. Claire’s body of work and online following- has allowed her to partner with major corporate brands who want to reach her audience including Toyota, Verizon and others. In 11 years, Claire has accumulated over 1.2 million followers, written a book “The Bomb Life”, and is now hosting on Revolt. I first learned about Claire when I started reading the Fashion Bomb blog 11 years ago. Like other readers, I have followed Claire’s evolution from blogger to brand ambassador to business woman.   One of the reasons I am always so intrigued by Claire, is that at first glance, just looking at her instagram feed, you would have no idea of her story. But she has made some humbling moves  and missteps on he

I’m answering your questions on all things side hustle. On this episode I get into: What tips and tricks do you have for managing your spare time after the day job is over and hubby is fed? How and when did you decide to convert your personal social media pages into public brand/company profiles? Do you have a finsta for your friends and family? I’d love to know how you deal with family and friends who want your service for free! What tips do you have for those who feel they have plateaued in growing their IG with engaged shoppers? What are your tips for finding networking events? What’s your favorite piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about being a black female entrepreneur? How much money did you invest into your side hustle before it was profitable? What do you look for when searching for people to interview? I swear you have the most interesting people on! What is your long term goal as it relates to turning the wonderful work you’ve done with the podcast? What will that look like for you? What do you wa

Today in the guest chair I have online coach and personal trainer Tameika G. Tameika’s story is far from ordinary. Over the course of ten years, she completely flipped her lifestyle and her long term career path as a result. Years ago, she was overweight, living in her home country of Canada and just generally unhappy. But she decided she didn’t want her food addiction and obesity to be what defined her story and her end game. So she made drastic life changes to rewrite her own story. She lost 90 lbs and has kept it off for 10 years. Since losing 90 pounds, she has devoted her time to helping others achieve the same happiness she's found on this journey.  As a Certified Personal Trainer, she has helped over 400 clients, both in person and online, lose a cumulative total of 3000+ pounds. And she did this all while side hustling. After several years side hustling, working in corporate and being a fitness professional on the side, she was finally able to build a life she no longer needs a vacation from.  On toda

Today in the guest chair is Brooklyn-bred and Baltimore-based entrepreneur, Kalilah Wright. Kalilah is the Owner and Creative Director of t-shirt company, Mess in a Bottle. Through Mess in a Bottle, a cutting-edge brand with timely and to-the-point messaging, she hopes to give voice to the voiceless. Kalilah has always had a business spirit and, in 2016, quit her job and hit the ground running with a fierce work ethic and grind mentality. As an accomplished designer and trained architect, she used her Master's degree from Morgan State University and Bachelors of Arts from Penn State University to establish her brand in Baltimore City, Maryland. I met Kalilah at the Rise Empowerment conference in DC in 2016. All I remember is her dressed in her Mess in a Bottle Gear and handing out free product to the conference speakers. Almost immediately, when I checked the conference hashtag one of the conference speakers had already shared Kalilah's gift on Instagram. I was impressed by her guerilla marketing and hustle m

Today’s guest is Nailah Ellis Brown. I first heard about Nailah from my roommates, Nydia and Stefanie at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. They supported her business as part of the MBAs Across America program that the participated in (and you’ll hear more about this in the episode). I’ve been fascinated by Nailah every since. A Black Woman from Detroit with Jamaican roots, Ellis-Brown has made a name for herself as part of the Detroit manufacturing renaissance. Her distinctive hibiscus Ellis Island Tea, based on a family recipe and bottled in an urban 4,000 square foot plant, has expanded sales into six airports and locations across 12 Midwestern states along with shelf space in regional retailer Meijer, Whole Foods and most recently Sam Club stores. She’s been named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30, has been featured on MSNBC for a small business makeover, and she’s only getting started. Her plan was to go to school, work on wall street then quit and be an entrepreneur But when she realized t

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair is leading celebrity stylist, Felicia Leatherwood. Felicia’s hair styles have been featured on such high profile stars as Issa Rae of HBO's Insecure, Oscar Award nominee Ava Duvernay, Grammy winner Jill Scott, as well as a host of other celebrities, entertainment executives, rising stars and beauty entrepreneurs. With over 26 years of experience, Felicia also conducts hair care workshops for audiences around the globe under the brand "Loving Your Hair with Natural Care". Felicia's solutions and work have garnered her the "Hair Whisperer" title, as she is known for miraculously restoring health, beauty and vitality to her clientele's hair. She went so far as to conceive and manufacture her own Detangler Brush that allows easy detangling of all natural hair types. On today’s show, Felicia gets into: How she got her start doing hair How she started working with celebrity clientele And the biggest and most expensive mistake she made in her business Today’s Episod

Today, I’m happy to welcome into the guest chair, a woman who is changing lives in her community. Her name is Jerri Evans, and she is the Owner of Turning Natural Juice Bars.Growing up in SE Washington, D.C. she watched her mom and others struggle to find healthy options, while carry-outs and corner stores were readily available. Today on the show, we get into how she transformed a tragic life event into an impactful business that’s ensuring better health for underserved communities.She makes it a point to transform areas that historically do not have access to fresh produce and tries to eradicate food deserts (areas that do not have access to such healthy options). Now with catchy names like Swizz Beets, Green Latifah, and Mi’Kale Jackson, Jerri has initiated creative ways to invite customers to try out to cold-pressed juices they’ve never had. You can find her spreading the good health vibes and mission everywhere she can.   This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. With ZipRecruiter, you can post yo