My biggest influences are…
My parents. I think my mother did a really good job of making me see that you can indeed have it all. She was a Mary Kay consultant when I was growing up, so she really was like this entrepreneur, this wife and this mother, and I can’t name a time when my mom has missed anything that I’ve been a part of, whether it was a pageant or a dance recital. My dad as well. I’m first American generation in a Liberian family and, pretty much, my parents moved to this country because my dad got a full-ride [scholarship] to Ohio State. They started out in this like 400-square foot efficiency and by the time I graduated high school, we were living in a five-bedroom house, so they’re literally the American dream. They really instilled that in me at a young age, just by example. Not even necessarily by anything they said, just watching them.
In terms of blogging, absolutely, Claire [Sulmers]. People like Claire from Fashion Bomb Daily, Parice [Yursik] from Afrobella. Not only are they inspirational, and I’ve gotten a chance to meet the both of them, but they were the first ones that had gotten really big endorsement deals as Black bloggers.
Networking in the digital space is important because…
No man is an island, and that means on the Internet as well. You want people to support you, and then also you want support. It’s full circle so that way when you do have things like conferences, or you do a big brand campaign, those types of people–meaning fellow bloggers–can come in and support you and then their audience can follow you.
The biggest mistake you ever made in business was…
Underestimating my value. I’ve been a part of a few blogger campaigns and brand campaigns that they’ve asked me to join in as a style blogger.  Maybe because I’m in a smaller market, or for whatever reason, I’ve just underestimated myself and then when I calculate the number that I’ve asked for…in certain instances, I’ve downplayed myself and I certainly don’t plan on doing that in the future now that I’ve worked with other bloggers who are in different markets and from different demos. Obviously, if we’re all on the same campaign, I’m just as worthy as you. If not, then they wouldn’t be asking me.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned about branding in the digital space is…
Being consistent. One of my favorite sayings, because it’s so true, is ‘content is king, consistency is queen.’
Next on the horizon for me is…
In the fall, I’m launching two new sites: Â HauteAfricana and TheCurlNextDoor.
Be sure to check out the rest of the digital thought leaders as they’re revealed each day by logging on to BlackEnterprise.com/BlackBloggerMonth.