My company’s goal is to empower and educate women to be the strong & fearless Lioness that they were born to be, by creating online support groups & month long challenges to inspire change. I work & consult with women and help them to become more self aware and knowledgable in the areas of their lives that traditional more traditional teaching skips over. Our personal development and growth.

I have probably been working on this Brand for about 7 or 8 years. That’s including another online business startup I tried but ultimately decided wasn’t the right path to take, and wasn’t what I wanted to do, all day everyday. But I was on the right track! I just didn’t know it yet. This business has been a long time coming for me, I just in the past 2 or 3 months have been able to dedicate more time to it because I am normally teaching at a Junior College for my “day job.” However this summer, I was unable to teach any classes because of low enrollment where I teach. So I decided that this summer was my time to take a chance at this! Its scary starting something new! Especially when it requires you to put yourself out there!

MONEY of course! There’s the old saying, “you have to spend money to make money” and that’s the truth! You don’t need a ton of money to get started and going (with an online business) but you need it in the long run to keep you afloat and to fund new projects, and to advertise and get yourself in front of the right people.

Social media is my business! I’m completely online with my business, so if it weren’t for social media, The Smart Lioness would not exist! Networking and building relationships with people are the two main things that my business requires me to do, and social media makes that SO MUCH EASIER!! You can reach so many people with one video on Facebook, its crazy!

What makes me unique to other professionals in my space is that I’m real, genuine, honest, goofy, and far from perfect and proud of it! My story and my journey to where I am now are also unique. For about 4 years of my life (while in college and high school) I was in an abusive relationship with someone that totally destroyed me from the inside out. I didn’t realize I was even being abused until I was in a class at Auburn University and looking at a handout that was describing “healthy and unhealthy” characteristics of relationships and I realized that my relationship at the time was being perfectly described in the column of unhealthy characteristics. I did NOT immediately understand and get out but it did cause a light bulb to pop up over my head, which sparked my transition to finally work up the courage to leave him. After I finally did leave him, and thought it was over, it wasn’t. He tried to ruin every part of my life that he could get his hands on, any new guy I dared talk to, he would scare away with threats of violence. After a lot of therapy and intensive work on myself and with the love and support of my family and my husband now (he didn’t let the threats of violence & crazy drama scare him away, yes I’m lucky) I made it through to the other side. Which by the way, is SO much more colorful than being locked in a life that feels black and white.

I think that my story and experiences make me unique and stronger for having survived and if I can do it, anyone can do it. And if you don’t believe that you can, I will make you believe it!

Gosh I don’t think I’m really in a place to give other people advice on how to start a business, I’m still figuring it out myself! But I guess if you’re forcing me 🙂 I would say to just take that first step, quit saying you’re going to do it someday and do it today! The sooner you start, the more time you have to learn.

Well my comfort zone is pretty small and probably just includes my home and in small groups or one on one conversations. So this whole leap into the business world has been a step outside my comfort zone. I won’t even go into the distance outside of my zone I am when I have to do Live videos, good Lord, talk about anxiety! But, I’ve been teaching college classes for almost 4 years now and that has prepared me and made me grow in ways I never thought were possible! I never thought I would ever be teaching! For multiple reasons! My whole family is made up of teachers, like seriously, everyone teaches except maybe 2 members of my family. Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncles, Cousin, all teachers and me being the rebellious type of person that I am, I didn’t want to be “just like everyone else,” I wanted to do something different. At the time I thought that was to open a clothing boutique, but I was 18 and didn’t know what I wanted to do. I obviously eventually figured it out but I would say that a series of events and faith in God lead me here today versus having a real plan. And I didn’t think I would ever be a teacher because I hate being the center of attention, hate talking in front of people! BUT, I LOVE Psychology and it was worth the challenge!

My biggest influencer and inspiration is definitely my Mom! She is an amazing woman who I just whole heartedly admire and strive to be more like her all the time. When I was a kid she was finishing one of her degrees at Auburn University and teaching middle school English, and had two kids. When we were older she worked 2 jobs to help provide for me and my brother. I’m not a Mom but I teach Human Development so I kind of understand the work that it takes to be a mother (emotionally & physically); and I can’t imagine having 2 jobs and having to come home to two kids after working both of those jobs! Gosh! I would be so exhausted! So anyway she has always been the perfect example of a Bossfidence Babe for me to grow up watching.

Other than that two very different and very random people inspire me in different ways, Wendy Williams because she is unapologetically herself, and I love and respect that quality in people because it has always been a struggle for me. And Sophia Amoruso because she is just a bad ass Boss! And I think we are similar in some ways, in that she does what she loves but kind of goes with the flow (to an extent). And her story is so interesting and inspiring in general!

I am promoting my newest Challenge starting in August Lioness Lady Self Esteem Challenge & have my W.O.R.T.H. program available for sign up as well! I also provide Online Journaling where the client will write in an online shared document between the two of us in their “journal” and I provide them with notes and feedback! Its pretty cool and working out really well! People are really enjoying it and I am too!

If you or someone you know is a millennial entrepreneur and you want to be interviewed, please email press@bossfidence.com