People trust my brand because…
I am authentic and upfront with my readers. I will take them on a ride through my triumphs and shortcomings. I feel my readers trust me because it’s more of a conversation with a guy that knows a lot of random things.
The biggest mistake I ever made in business was…
Not trusting my writing and [being] perplexed [about] why more people weren’t coming in the beginning.
What I learned from that was…
When you start a blog, it’s a false sense that people will just show up. No, you have to build that house and keep tinkering with it.
Networking is important in the digital space because…
We are a society that has a short attention span; so building great relationships is key. The blogging community can be very cliquish. It’s the relationships you build with everyone in the community that builds you up.
The biggest lesson I learned about branding in the digital space was…
Your brand is something you have to live and breathe. Everything you put on your site is attached to your brand. I have turned down certain deals because it didn’t align with the From Ashy to Classy brand.
The best piece of business advice I ever got was…
The ability to be able to recognize that you can’t do everything and being able to say no. I actually read it in this book called The War of Art.
I measure my success by…
[Facebook] shares and by Google Alerts to see where people may be talking about my posts. I used to be a comment whore, but I realized that a lot of people just aren’t going to comment, but that doesn’t mean your content or presentation is bad.
None of my success would be possible if not for…
My ability to never settle for good when greatness is right around the corner.
Next on the horizon for me is…
Constantly expanding the From Ashy to Classy brand and creating more content that can spark a thought or educate. I have a podcast with comedian Jovan Bibbs called Straight Outta Locash, more public speaking, finishing up my book, Loose Ends, and beginning to start writing my book, Confessions of a Runaway Corporate Slave.
The advice I have for anyone who wants to follow in my footsteps is…
Keep writing and think about creating something that people haven’t seen. Promote and network with people to get your brand out there.
Be sure to check out the rest of the digital thought leaders as they’re revealed each day by logging on toBlackEnterprise.com/BlackBloggerMonth.