Some people think that the key to success lies within their daily routines. Do you agree with this, and if so, what is your daily routine?
I do agree with this. At first, I was not into routines because I’m an artist and a creative person and things come up. The sun comes up every day and the moon comes up every night, and with that it shows love and it shows consistency. If you love your business and you want it to grow you have to have be consistent with what you do at night and in the morning. My morning routine is I wake up around 5, pray, meditate, then wash my face. I am supposed to do a cold shower but I am not big girl enough for that so I just do a cold facial wash. I also write 3 pages of all my feelings and everything I am thinking. Then I do everything I’m supposed to for the day. I just started teaching so I prepare for classes. I think grounding in the morning is the most important. If you don’t ground in the morning, then your day is just very haphazard. Then after that, it’s a reality t.v show. But in the morning, I definitely have a morning routine.
Looking back at your teenage years, did you have any entrepreneurial interests?
I always wanted to be an artist, singer, poet. Throughout high school, I was doing poetry and activism.
Is there a specific time of day when you feel most productive?
I feel most productive in the evenings between 12pm and 6pm. There’s something about sitting down and just focusing on whatever it is that you need and you come alive in the night time.
Do you think there is one character trait/skill that is important to have in order to become a successful entrepreneur in today’s world?
You have to have faith in yourself. If you don’t have faith in yourself especially as a woman, they are going to destroy you. People are going to try to make you feel like you can’t do things and make things difficult for you, they’re not going to be kind about it all the time. There’s like this boys club where the boys don’t want you to do certain things. If you don’t have faith in yourself or your vision, or faith in God it’s not going to work. And when you don’t have faith in yourself, you have to lean on something bigger like “what’s the purpose” and “why are you doing this?” You have to have a why and you have to have faith in that why. Those are the two main things- having a why and having faith in yourself. People are gonna try to break you down but you can’t let them do it.
Has being a woman in the business world affected you positively or negatively, and how so?
Both. Being a pretty woman is awesome. I know there’s a lot of people that talk about pretty privilege- praise God that I have it. People are more willing to help you because they want access to powerful, beautiful women. Sometimes they can underestimate you due to that beauty, which is perfect because sometimes you need people to underestimate you to put you in different rooms to put you around different people who think you are just eye candy. But really, I have things to contribute and I have things to do and I have ambition, you know? So there’s a beautiful thing about being the unsuspecting person in the room that everybody wants around just for the look of it, but when you have something to contribute idealistically, it rocketships you to a whole other space. At the same time, people can hypersexualize you and a lot of times relationships can be around the fact that men decide whether or not they’re going to sleep with you. Sometimes men will also have you do a lot of the grunt work but you won’t get any of the credit which is the most wild thing. One of the things I am learning is playing the game, and that being a woman is a super power. You let people think what they want about that because women are always in control of everything that is happening and we have to be very strategic about how we use other people’s desires or objectifications to push us forward. They are trying to exploit feminine power but if women understand their own power, it can’t be exploited.
What is one major goal that you wish to achieve by 2030?
I am going to be a signed and multi platinum artist that owns a business where my brand is something that many people buy into. Whether that is event spaces, experiences, or music that is healing for people. I want people to associate healing, unconditional love, unconditional fun and dopeness with me and my brand. Primarily through the ways I entertain people through music. 2030 is going to be so sexy I cant’ wait!
Who is your biggest influence, and why?
My godfather is the first person I thought of. He is a real estate agent out in Brooklyn. Top 5 black realtors in the state of New York in Brooklyn. He handles his business but he has this swag about him. He is a multimillionaire and probably has been for a long time but he is so grounded and he attracts many good people around him because of that gratitude. Even though he is about business, he always respects and gives space for the arts. I love the balance of it. I love his soul and it makes me want to be that person. I can be at the top of whatever I put my mind to and people can still always feel the love.
If you could pick one female entrepreneur, who would you say is your biggest inspiration?
Cardi B. I love her. I love how unapologetically she is and I love her business strategy. Being able to build your own brand, build partnerships, make music, and bring together a team is amazing. I look up to her as an artist and and entrepreneur. Another one is my cousin, Keisha Wagner. She is the founder of Peach Fuzz, a laser hair removal company in Brooklyn New York. She and my sister created this company over the last four years. They are the premier laser hair company and have been in Beauty Insider, Target, and all over Fox 5. I was one of their models so I’ve been all over the media and their press run. I love the fact that they take style and the concept of dealing with black women. They are very specific about their niche. Obviously they help everybody, but a lot of times in the laser hair removal space, the treatments were not created to assist people who are melanin or melanated people. Their whole brand is around that and it is just fly. It is tasteful and beautiful. We are Balizian in our heritage, so they always kind of incorporate the culture within their business.
What has been the most formative advice you have received and why?
Seeking first the kingdom of heaven and everything else is going to be added unto you. The whole concept of seeking God and the excellence and beauty of everything first. Whenever you seek that, you are always blessed. It doesn’t matter who is against you or who is more qualified. Secondly, we have the most powerful thing in the world as women. People are going to try to exploit that. When you are a powerful person, people are going to want to have access to your power and access to your essence and they are going to promise you the world. You need to make sure people back up their promises and make sure they write it down. Don’t let men or anyone exploit your dreams and ideas and promises because you are beautiful and naive. You are the most important, precious entity in your life and you need to make sure you don’t exploit yourself just on dreams that people sell you. You need to make sure that these things are in writing and that people are about their word and their business. You are your own business before you get an LLC or corporation. You can’t just let people say they are going to do stuff and not pay for it and not show anything for it. Don’t interact with people unless they are bettering your business.
What has been the most impressive/memorable question anyone has ever asked you?
One of my most transformative questions was a person who kept asking Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? And I kept getting frustrated because I was like, what do you mean who am I? It was in that explanation of who I am that I was able to truly define myself. Everything was so clear for me that if anybody else were to ask who I was, I already had it written down. My brand is clear. The simplicity of having to really say who I am with confidence is probably the most important question I have been asked.
If you have siblings, are they also entrepreneurs?
I’m the oldest of seven children. One of my siblings is an entrepreneur. She is 15 and she makes beads and bracelets and rings. Her and my sister are putting together a website to sell them. My mom and my dad are entrepreneurs which is kind of where we got it from. They may not do it the best but they’re doing their best and that’s good enough.
Do you think the drive to become an entrepreneur is born with or is learned?
I think it’s both. I think there are people who have that hustler mentality and get it no matter what. I’m gonna make this happen, I’m hungry for it. I think some people are just born with that hunger and I think some people realize later that they can learn it. They can learn to be hungry and to be involved because if not then they to have to do it for somebody else. There is nothing wrong with doing it for somebody else if that brings you comfort. But people realize later that they may not like the comfortability of making somebody else’s dreams come true.
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