Side Hustle Pro

Today on the show, we have a woman who is a millennial CEO shaping Black digital media. Her name is Morgan DeBaun and she is the Founder of Blavity, one of the fastest growing digital media startups and a top destination for black youth culture. In March 2017, she launched a new lifestyle brand called 21Ninety, a website focused on beauty, health and wellness for women of color. She is one of only 12 Black women to raise over 1 million dollars in venture funding and has been featured on Essence, New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and was a finalist for 2016 TechCrunch Founder of the year. I first encountered Morgan at the Blavity EmpowerHer conference back in 2016. I was already impressed enough with Blavity to buy a ticket, but what Morgan created in that room, really sealed the deal for me. I needed to start Side Hustle Pro. As a matter of fact, when the emcee asked, I forget what the question was, but she basically asked who wanted to share a new initiative or something, I raised my hand, got on stage and announced to this room full of black women creators and entrepreneurs that I was starting Side Hustle Pro. And there was NO turning back after that. So it's a pleasure to welcome Morgan to the guest chair today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today in the guest chair, we have Lisa Price, Founder of multi-million dollar hair and beauty company Carol’s Daughter.I am really honored to have Lisa in the guest chair, as hers is a product that transformed my personal journey to loving my natural hair and natural beauty. When I learned about Carol’s daughter’s back in the day when I was in college, I used to have it shipped to my dorm room. And this is when I was a broke college student and had no business ordering anything online. But that’s how crucial it was for me to obtain a product that could actually moisturize and nourish my kinky threads. And since then, I have followed Lisa Price’s entrepreneurial journey. If you don’t know, Lisa Price and Carol’s Daughter has been in business for over two decades. In the early 1990s, Lisa began experimenting with making her own fragrances and perfume sprays when she wasn’t busy working at her full-time job in TV production.In 1992, Price dedicated herself full time to creating beauty products. With $100 in cash, her own kitchen, and the simple notion that people should follow their hearts, Lisa started building the collection that would become a beauty revolution. In August of 1994, Price officially established Carol’s Daughter (the company lovingly named after her mother). Initially starting out with a handful of steady customers, those numbers grew in leaps and bounds as women outside her neighborhood and circle of friends began to take notice. Today, Carol’s Daughter sells millions of dollars’ worth of products, having launched an exclusive collection in Target stores nationwide and on Target.com in March 2014 as well as extending into select Walgreens in March 2015. As a culmination to the Carol’s Daughter business trajectory, Lisa sold her company to L’Oréal USA in November 2014. Today on the show, Lisa walks us back through the journey of building Carol’s Daughter to what it is today. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, and Stitcher Links mentioned on this episode Carol’s Daughter Success Never Smelled So Sweet: How I Followed My Nose and Found My Passion Girl Boss Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is now over 3000 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: Lisa Price - @iamlisaprice Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One year ago, June 22, 2016 to be exact, I created Side Hustle Pro podcast with a microphone and a dream. The road to Side Hustle Pro really started when I graduated with my MBA, but no job. I was feeling pretty dejected, especially after I kept going on interview after interview and getting rejection after rejection. Then I started to wrestle with the idea of doing my own thing, but for some reason, I just couldn’t pull the trigger, because I  didn’t see myself as an entrepreneur. And the reason I didn’t see myself as an entrepreneur is because...the narrative of entrepreneurship was of white men. I wanted to gain confidence and motivation from women who look like me. And particularly women who started as side hustlers (because, let's face it, these student loans are not going to pay themselves). So I started a series of "Side Hustle Pro" interviews on my old blog while I was unemployed and trying to find my way. The rest, is herSTORY. I didn't know all the blessings and challenges that would unfold as a result of launching Side Hustle Pro. Today, on my one year anniversary, I pause to look back on year one. I don’t come up for air often enough to take notes and reflect on how this all came to be (I'm too busy working to release an episode each week!). SoI'm grateful to have had some time to look back. On today’s episode, I get into:   The "secret" behind Side Hustle Pro's first year growth My hits and misses What I would do differently if I had to start it all over again My biggest lessons from Year 1 My goals and what's up next!   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud or Stitcher Links mentioned on this episode How To Start Your Own Podcast With No Experience How To Write A Killer Cold Email [COURSE] Master The Gram: Build An Engaged Audience On Instagram [Case Study] The Simple Social Media Challenge That Helped Triple Side Hustle Pro’s Business Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is 3000 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 Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today in the guest chair, we have a woman who has literally redefined the fashion industry. Her name is Monif Clarke, and she is the Founder of Monif C. Monif C. is a fashion forward, plus-size designer brand specializing in clothing and swimsuits for women sizes 14 - 24.  Monif had no prior design experience, but grew frustrated with the lack of trendy plus size clothing and  n 2005, teamed up with her mother to bring Monif C to life. Monif’s story is the perfect example of not letting one person’s no discourage you from continuing on your journey. In fact, Monif received a lot of No’s on the way to success, often being told that her designs were too sexy and that “plus-size women preferred not show off their bodies." But Monif refused to take No for an answer. Today, Monif C. is sold not only on MonifC.com, but in Asos.com, Forever21.com, as well as specialty boutiques throughout the US, London, Canada, and Australia just to name a few. In September 2017, Monif C. will celebrate 12 years serving plus size women. On today’s episode, Monif gets into: How she funded the business in the early days, before she was profitable That time she wouldn’t let Jill Scott have Monif C clothing for free Why press doesn’t automatically equal sales The investments she makes in her business Plus how she’s continuing to grow her brand   This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. If you're looking to hire  top talent for your business and take it to the next level, go to ZipRecruiter.com. Try ZipRecruiter for free today at ziprecruiter.com/hustle Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode MonifC.com LaunchOfAFashionBrand.com Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is almost 3000 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: Monif C - @monifcplussizes Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My final check-in with Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Meiko Drew.   When you first joined me on this journey in June of 2016, I introduced you to Meiko. We checked in with Meiko throughout the year to learn how her journey was going. Meiko is a Corporate America retiree as she has coined herself, who jumped ship from a lucrative career in marketing to venture out on her own.   In the last year, she has founded the blog Meiko and the Dish, she’s launched an online store of food related merchandise, she’s partnered with major brands, learned more about the food blogging industry and today  she shares the latest business that she is getting ready to launch.   Meiko has always been transparent about her bumps along the road, including when she’s been low on funds, gone through a breakup, slept on the couch of her friends, she’s shared it all.   So today, we see what she’s been up to since the last time we spoke.    On this episode, Meiko reveals: How she’s continuing to grow Meiko and the Dish the brand How she’s keeping income coming in Why she decided to partner on new website, Hitch Hatch How she’s growing her new business from scratch How she’s managing entrepreneurship, life and love + what’s next   Listen on Apple Podcast, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Meiko and The Dish The Hitch Hatch Upwork Filmora   Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is now over 2200 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: Meiko and The Dish - @meikoandthedish Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show, we have a woman who’s hustle inspires me.Her name is Denequa Williams and she is the maker and owner of luxury soy candle company, LIT Brooklyn. Every candle is candle is hand poured, packaged, and shipped from Brooklyn. Within a year of it's existence, she has been featured in some of your favorite publications, Essence, Ebony, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, BuzzFeed & more.Now LIT Brooklyn is still a young company, but it seems like for the past year, every event I was at, she was at. Not only that, but she would make sure that her candles were in the hands of guests attending that event. Lo and behold, people would go home, use the product and before you know it were sharing on social media and talking about this amazing product.What better way to round out the theme of How to create, sell and market your physical products, than to talk to an entrepreneur who is learning on the go, making it work and pushing through real, life personal challenges to make it by any means necessary. On this episode, Denequa dishes on: Not being afraid to ask for help Networking the smart way Creating a product that people would be proud to own and share How she found the strength to keep going through personal tragedy    This episode wraps up our theme for the month, which is How to Create, Sell and Market Your Physical products.   Listen on Apple Podcast, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode LIT Brooklyn Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is now over 2200 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: LIT Brooklyn - @litbklyn Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Myleik Teele has revolutionized the way women address their curly hair needs. As the founder of curlBOX, an exclusive monthly subscription box full of amazing products, she has garnered partnerships with Procter & Gamble, Carol’s Daughter, Walmart, Target, SheaMoisture and more. On Today's show, Myleik shares:What led her to be an entrepreneurThe most surprising part of starting curlBOXHow we as entrepreneurs can push past the need for approvalHer thoughts on taking that leap even when you're not readyPLUS, get ready to hear a special listener edition of lightning round, where she answers questions from listeners in the Side Hustle Pro communityThis episode is brought to you by Freshbooks. You can get a free, unrestricted 30 day trial of Freshbooks, just go to FreshBooks.com/SideHustlePro ​and enter SIDE HUSTLE PRO ​in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google PlayLinks mentioned on this episodecurlBOXClick here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsSide Hustle Pro is now over 2100 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/facebookSocial Media InfoMyleik Teele's podcastConnect on Instagram:Myleik Teele - @myleikcurlBOX - @curlBOXSide Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro#mytaughtyou#myleikteele#myleikteelepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today in the guest chair, we have a woman by the name of Agatha Achindu. Agatha is not only a dedicated mother and entrepreneur but also a chef and as a child growing up in Cameroon she ate only the freshest organic foods from her family's Gardens and local markets. But after her son's birth in 2004 she struggled to find meals for him which were just as delicious and nutritious. So that set her on her journey to create yummy spoonfuls. Determined, she took to her kitchen to create meals packed with healthy organic ingredients—and nothing else. Soon, she began filling casual orders for friends and—in 2006— Yummy Spoonfuls® was born. On today’s episode we get into the details of that journey. Agatha shares the real deal about:   What went into creating a food product Getting the license to sell it Finding a place to manufacture it in bulk Getting her brand into major retailers Plus, she’ll share how she partnered with fellow mom and entrepreneur, Camila Alves, to expand Yummy Spoonfuls® and fulfill their collective vision of providing fresh, organic foods to babies and tots. This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks. If you want to create and send branded invoices in no time like me, Freshbooks has a special offer for my Side Hustle Pro listeners. You can get a free, unrestricted 30 day trial of Freshbooks, just go to FreshBooks.com/SideHustlePro ​and enter SIDE HUSTLE PRO ​in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section   Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Yummy Spoonfuls Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is now over 2100 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: Agatha Achindu - @AgathaAchindu Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s show, is all about the Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship. A few episodes back, I opened up the show for Q&A and many of you had some burning legal questions that you were dying to get answered. So today I’ve invited attorney Art Steele to the guest chair. Art Steele is a tax lawyer who founded her own law firm in 2014 with practice areas in: small business counseling, international trusts and estate planning, immigration, and foreign tax compliance. Before launching her law firm, Art began her legal career as a transactional tax associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP in Washington, D.C.  She later worked as Tax Counsel for Global Tax Planning at Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, M.D.  Her international tax background brings a unique perspective when advising clients regarding small business formation, estate planning and immigration. Art is also an Adjunct Professor of Wills, Trusts and Estates at American University Washington College of Law and is barred in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. This episode is brought to you by FRESHBOOKS. Freshbooks has a special offer for my Side Hustle Pro listeners. You can get a free, unrestricted 30 day trial of Freshbooks, just go to FreshBooks.com/SideHustlePro ​and enter SIDE HUSTLE PRO ​in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show, we have a woman who dived into an industry she knew absolutely nothing about and with sacrifice and grind, has been able to grow a profitable company. Her name is Kim Lewis and she is the Creator of CurlMix. I first learned about CurlMix when I went to a conference where Kim was a vendor. I saw her table set up and the eye catching CurlMix boxes and I remember thinking, what a cool idea, I wonder what goes into producing those. Later, we connected on Facebook and through her daily updates, I really get to see the behind-the-scenes of building a new, young company from the ground up. One of the reasons I was and continue to be so in awe of Kim, is that she has accomplished so much under the age of 30. And that’s not to say us over 30 peeps aren’t as impressive when we start companies. I’m just always fascinated by people, especially black women, who are starting companies at an age when I was having a quarter life crisis and still figuring out my next career moves. On today’s episode, Kim gets into: What starting her first (and unprofitable company) taught her about being a business owner The importance of validating your idea How she secured press coverage BEFORE her launch Why if you're completely happy with the first version of your business, you waited too long to launch Tips on saving money to ship your physical products and much more I really love what Kim had to share. Bonus Freshbooks has a special offer for my Side Hustle Pro listeners. You can get a free, unrestricted 30 day trial of Freshbooks, just go to FreshBooks.com/SideHustlePro ​and enter SIDE HUSTLE PRO ​in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section Listen on Apple Podcast, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play Links mentioned on this episode Brand In Color Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Side Hustle Pro is now over 2000 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: KimandTimLewis - @KimandTimLewis Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.