(Photos Courtesy of Click Images Inc. )
What comes to mind when I think about building an empire? First and foremost, hard freaking work! Being a #girlboss has it’s ups and downs. Seeing so many young girls thinking that it’s “so easy” to build a brand, build presence, and build your company, always makes me laugh and roll my eyes.
I started SassyGirlPR in 2008. At first it wasn’t SassyGirlPR it was just me, Stephanie being a freelancer. I wrote for many blogs, many websites, and even did some ghost writing for celebrities and others. Then of course I started to write my own stuff and have a voice. My goal when I write, is not to have others know MY opinion, but to THINK about the other side of the story. Then of course I wrote my first book, “A Bird’s Eye View” which was a nonfiction book and talked about many topics. Once I got my feet wet, I guess you can say the rest is history! I got offered to write for many other sites, one being Blogher. Not only did I write for Blogher and have one of my pieces go viral,
“This Woman Does Not Support The Women’s March” but I was a third-party consultant for them and this is where I got my start with #SocialMediaMarketing –
I did campaigns for JcPenney, American Idol, AT&T, just to name a few. And I instantly fell in love with the concept and the idea.
Now I started to learn and teach myself all about social media and how to use it to market businesses, books, blogs, etc. And I have to say, I had very good success at it – I mean, my books and blogs were being read in other countries and it was just amazing on how I connected with so many people. This by the way, is the purpose of social media: to connect with others on a positive note, not like it is used today to spread hate and misinformation.
In the meantime while all this was going on, I was teaching Preschool, Pre-K and writing toddler programs for schools. I presented at the NAEYC in 2000 and loved teaching the little ones. We’ll get into this at another time, but I built my business Sassy Productions Inc, as a side job, and let me tell you, I tried to incorporate a lot of other businesses, but those failed. Those failures are what helped me grow, helped me understand business, and helped me become who I am today. I learned so much from the failed business attempts that is why I took eight years of building SassyGirlPR – now known as Sassy Productions. I wanted it to work. I wanted to be my own boss and play by my own rules.
Timing is everything in life, as is having patience. Life is process for that matter. We learn as we progress. So today, I not only run a social media marketing company, handle PR relations as well, write blogs, write books, and help other businesses, I did it all on my own terms.
2016 I became an Auntie. That was the perfect time to step away from teaching and focus on myself and my nephew. And things have just taken off from there.
So you see, life doesn’t always work out the way you think it will. There will be turns, stops, obstacles, at every corner, but with patience, perseverance and never stopping enthusiasm, you can start to build your own empire- one piece at a time.
Find The Diary of A Social Gal Parts 2 and 3 here:( Friday and Saturday)
Welcome to April, or as I like to call it; the best month ever! Okay, so I am bias to this because my birthday is in this month and it is about 4 days from today. Yippee!
And with my birthday approaching, I started to think about this past year; where I was and where I am heading. If you never read any of my books, then you don’t know that I have had experiences in my life that have been life-changing. Some experiences broke my heart while others just made me stronger and wiser. That’s the thing though, about life- every opportunity, every experience either makes you or breaks you if you let it. And in this past year of my life I have learned some major lessons that I would like to pass on and share with you.
1- There is almost always more than one way to accomplish something. There are always those folks that go for the traditional way, but there are usually multiple alternatives. The alternatives aren’t always better, but some folks don’t even want to know that they exist. You don’t have to do it the way everyone else does. That’s where out of the box thinking comes into play. Some people may be threatened by doing things a different way, but your life shouldn’t be determined by what other people think.
2- Make peace with money. Money doesn’t change people, it unmasks them. There are folks that only care about getting their share of it at whatever the cost. They don’t care about people, they only care about money. I’ve always said that money is evil because it makes people do things that they shouldn’t do just for a piece of it. By all means, make your money, but create your own definition of success when it comes to money. Don’t let it rule your life!
3- Love the process. Everything in life is a process. Everything that you do should largely be about the process, not the outcome. Memories are made because we see every moment of life as a gift. Not everything is going to happen for you overnight. Clients of mine sometimes drive me crazy with this one because they think social media is going to get them success overnight and it NEVER does! Same can be said for relationships. People rush the process of getting to know someone. They focus on that “happy ever after” instead of the “once upon a time.” Every friendship, every romance, every business relationship is a process. When getting started, just get started. Enjoy the process.
Life isn’t perfect and sometimes things will happen that are horrible, but if you remember that everything happens for a reason, it’ll give you a sense of hope. And there’s always hope. To be hopeful is to look on the future positively, to see opportunity in challenges. It’s looking at life as the glass half full rather than the glass half empty. Life is hard and will kick you in the butt if you let it. But hope gives you the strength to keep going. Hope is that voice inside that says, “Yes, you can.” And when you believe that, anything truly is possible.
1 Wake up feeling fearless:
You set your goals and finds ways of achieving them because the person they should take care of first and foremost, it the one they see in the mirror.
2 Beauty Sleep
There’s such a thing as getting your beauty sleep. 8 hours a night is what you need to wake up refreshed and ready to go. For some reason, women will spend money on beautifying their outer self but resist when it comes to the inner self. Unless you are planning on being on the cover of Vogue – please invest on what matters most to your success.
3 Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
. The path to reaching further into your potential is getting out of the same old comfort zone you’ve been in. You cannot expect different results by being the same year after year – now that’s crazy! But go ahead and expect a little chaos in the midst of change. You can handle it.
4 Ready? Set? Go!
There’s no doubt that excising will make you feel and look even more badass than you are while reading this! So get up off the couch and start exercising.
5 Cinderella Lives
For a woman, having a great pair of sexy high heels not only makes you look badass, but it changes how you feel. When you have your sexy pair you also walk with higher confidence.
6 March To Your Own Drum
March to your own drum. The one that beats to your rhythm. Refrain from following the crowd like sheep or doing everything exactly as someone else does to be successful.
7 Badass and Fearless Women Never Play the Victim Card- Ever!
It’s time to take off the superwoman cape. Stay away from victimhood and martyrdom. While most women are searching social media for acceptance, fearless women are out there living life to the fullest, not giving a rats ass about what others think or say.
8 Your Past is Just That- Your Past
Badass women get to be badass because they don’t dwell on their past, they use it to create their futures.
9 A Badass Woman Needs A Badass Man
Fearless and badass women like their partners to be present and accounted for; texting and using social media are great for quick communication, but she wants a man that shows up and is real. She doesn’t play games.
10 Fearless Women Have No Time To Care About Things They Shouldn’t
Fearless women don’t spend time worrying about how others are shaping up – they are too busy getting their lives in order. Celebrities? who cares. Folks social media posts? She doesn’t have time for that. She’s got things to do and people to see.
11 Make a Statement
Fearless women are not afraid of saying what’s on their minds, they do it and they aren’t sorry for how they feel. A badass woman will never ever let anyone treat her like she’s below them. She’s sexy, fearless, empowered and she knows it.
12 Surround Yourself With The Right People
When it comes to friendships or relationships, she isn’t going to surround herself with people who can’t appreciate her for WHO she is. She knows what she brings to the table, so if someone is treating her unfairly, she knows when to move up and move on.
13 Want A Piece Of Me?
Fearless and sexy women never shy away from going after their dreams. They fight for what they want and believe in no matter what their haters say. It’s taken years of building herself up in a world that is constantly trying to knock her down so she’s not going to stand for anyone that doesn’t respect her.
It’s February- can you believe it?
To make the shortest month go by faster, let’s have some fun with a fan of the month contest.
Here’s how it will work:
Go to my Facebook page: Click here to go to it.
Like the page or just click Follow.
Share my posts and comment on my posts. And that’s it! That is how you are entered into the contest.
You can also purchase a book from me and write a review for extra bonus points.
Winner will be chosen at random.
Comment
When a consumer supports their local business owners, they enjoy the
benefits they can’t possibly get from shopping at national chains.
When you personally know the people behind the business where you’re buying
local products and services, you enjoy a connection you would not
otherwise have. You celebrate their ups and also encourage their downs.
This personal investment isn’t present with a big corporation or chain
store. Local businesses give a community its flavor. My brand is
different from any chain or corporation out there. I know the products
you buy or the services you request on a regular basis and can tailor
those services to make your experience even better.
Being a female entrepreneur, and being passionate about what I do, makes
me want to reach my brand, ideas and products outward to a bigger
audience. I put myself into my work and create something that’s
enjoyable on multiple levels. I want to create a connection with my
audience not only through my podcast, but through my books, my social
media services and the products I will sell. Sassy Productions is owned
and operated by your neighbor! I care about and invest in the
well-being of my community and its future. Local businesses are more
accountable to their local communities and donate more money to
non-profits. Besides having my company and brand donate to local
charities, I also want to be able to reach a greater audience and help
in any way I can through having my brand supported with your help.
This is why this kickstarter is so important to me. It’s more than just
having a dream fulfilled. It’s also being able to reach out and knowing
that small businesses do not always stay small – hence why corporations
are developed through the priceless support of local and small
businesses. We need to make sure we publicize and highlight the
successes of female entrepreneurs. Role models are a motivators and many
women who own a small business, are seeked out by young girls and offer
them mentorship and investment in their ideas. Nothing would make me
happier than to help other women reach their potential too.
Stephanie 's Corner 