We recently connected with Torera and have shared our conversation below.

Torera, appreciate you joining us today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

The best thing that I feel my team and I have done is to show our supporters how much we appreciate including interacting with them and asking for their input or feedback as regularly as possible! This has not only allowed us to improve our services and quality, but it has also helped us initiate an intimate connection with our viewers, readers, followers, and all those who support our outlet and overall visions.

I have also made it a routine to reach out to our followers on social media directly to thank them for their support! Sometimes I get my team to help me send out these messages, but I better portion of the time, I dedicate a week or two, to sending out the messages personally myself. I do this to not only open a channel of communication but to also express my gratitude on a personal level. This won’t always be an option, but now that I have the ability, time, and privilege to reach out to each follower, I think it is important to ease the opportunity and use it to tell our supporters how much we truly appreciate them, and how valuable they are to our existence and steady growth over the years! Oftentimes these features catch our supporters by surprise and typically help improve their mood or day, and I feel that those types of interactions draw us close to fulfilling our root mission as a media outlet devoted to adding light and joy in a world and society that is often filled with the opposite.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an Entrepreneur, Editor, and Singer! I’ve always been someone who enjoyed singing, acting, dancing, and creating things. When I was in elementary school my overall goal was to become a professional musician and actress. I did pursue acting during my elementary years, but nothing stuck. However, I still took part in school plays, and filmed skits at home that will probably never see the light of day! Middle school was the last time I took part in a school production, but I do hope to give acting another shot in the future, if possible. Aside from my interest in acting, I’ve always enjoyed singing. I have been singing for a long time and have been graced with numerous opportunities to perform within my community!

Now I channel my creativity through XBlaze Magazine a multimedia outlet focused on producing positive and inspirational content, which I also happen to be the Editor of! We share the stories of ambitious youth and adults! I started this outlet in eighth grade to combat my boredom. I had nothing to do that summer and decided to create a magazine that focused solely on positive stories to highlight diligent creatives (dancers, musicians, entrepreneurs, etc.) who weren’t getting enough recognition for their work! After sending out some messages and interviewing several talents, the first issue of XBlaze Magazine was published! After showing my work to a faculty member of my school, who was also like a mentor to me at the time, he told me that I had become an entrepreneur. From there I stayed dedicated and watched my magazine transform from a singular digital publication to a print and digital multimedia outlet and overall brand! Not only was XBlaze Magazine founded by a 13-year-old, but it is also one of the few media outlets and publications, at the time, run and led by a teen, and amongst one of the only teen ran publications within the D.M.V tristate area.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’m not sure if this would count as a lesson, but I have had to open my mind to the current business world and remember that some of the rules and customs that professionals practiced in the past have become a bit outdated. For example, though this “lesson” or “practice” is not completely outdated, I remember being told that it is unprofessional to make a business inquiry over social media. Best practice was to make a direct call or email the person you’d like to get in touch with, however, direct messages and comments have now also become a common mode of communication for professionals. Whether it’s between a business and another brand, or their audience. This is something I am still learning to get comfortable with because, as I stated earlier, the practice is not completely out of date. Therefore, I’ve had to learn when to use formal modes of communication to make my formal inquiries, and when it is necessary or appropriate to use informal modes to make those same inquiries.

Over recent years I’ve also grown to unlearn the common habit of not being worried about the person or people behind the business. I feel like personal presence and branding have become very important, especially in recent years with an influx of small businesses and an increase in access to social media. However, this is still something I am learning to embrace as an entrepreneur. An example would be this interview! I’ve decided to take a step out of my comfort zone and move forward with press opportunities so supporters who are inquisitive can learn more about XBlaze Magazine’s origin.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

XBlaze Magazine began as a hobby with no intention of transforming into a brand or business, yet it has become a brand recognized by thousands of consumers across the country. Years of resilience, determination, and perseverance have allowed XBlaze to grow from no credibility or repute to an outlet that has worked collaboratively with and for networks like Lifetime, STARZ, TV One, and Central City Productions while also being permitted to work in rooms with icons and legends such as Kirk Franklin, Latto, Kenny Lattimore, Marvin Sapp, Vivica Fox, and Mali Music, to name a few!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.XBlazeMagazine.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/xblazemagazine
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/xblazemagazine
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@xblazemagazine

Image Credits
Cover Photo: Kyle Pompey (Photographer) | @NiceShotKyle