We recently connected with Dwayna and Donna Williams and Morris and have shared our conversation below.

Dwayna and Donna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Our mission is to foster a vibrant community of moms who aspire to extend their influence beyond their roles at home, ensuring they are recognized and heard. We aim to empower them to define their identity beyond motherhood, proving that they can pursue fulfilling careers while being intentional about family life.

As mothers of two boys, we’ve come to appreciate the crucial balance of showing up for our families and, equally important, for ourselves. Navigating the complex terrain of motherhood and business, we understand the challenges – the feeling of overwhelm, the struggle for balance, the need for guidance, and the occasional outward appearance of a ‘hot mess’ in our day-to-day lives. We’re wives managing children’s activities and the carpool line, often juggling multiple roles and feeling scattered.

We recognize that many women share these sentiments – unsure about navigating the ever-changing digital landscape, discovering their identity, and finding where they truly fit. We aim to support women ready to grow, reclaim their identity, step into new spaces, target different markets, and cultivate confidence, alignment, and inner peace. We are here to guide them on a transformative journey towards a more fulfilling and empowered life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

TGND Consulting® is a full-service PR agency created to help women juggling motherhood and the challenges of running a business be seen in spaces and stand out from the competition through strategic brand development, media relations, image consulting, kick-ass public relations, and digital marketing tactics. Simply put – we turn emerging brands into influencers through innovative ideas.

Our approach is to get clear, get organized, and get started. Our clients have passion and hustle but may feel overwhelmed and unbalanced. They need direction in defining their goals, creating their look, and developing PR strategies that get results. We are a highly skilled team of mompreneurs specializing in media pitching, influencer marketing, brand development, and increasing brand awareness and exposure. We can help our clients succeed because we know first-hand the challenges of wearing multiple hats at home and work. We work with our clients to help them discover their identity and find confidence and peace.

We view ourselves as an extension of our client’s brand and members of the team, and we take pride in being involved not only in the PR aspect of our client’s business but also in understanding how the brand image and digital presence drive marketing goals and company growth and strengthen sales. For our clients who are ready to grow, we have the resources, contacts, and experience of a more prominent agency with the personalized service of a boutique firm.

Founded in 2016, TGND, which stands for “The Girls Next Door,” is a passion project turned into a full-time career. Together, we have over ten years of experience in sales and marketing, public relations, media relations, social media management, image consulting, and strategic brand development, earning clients featured in nationally recognized and syndicated media outlets such as NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS, iHeart Radio, Tom Joyner Morning Show, Black Enterprise, Sheen Magazine, Rolling Out Magazine, and more.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

We had the privilege of assisting Morris Brown College on a historic project, the college’s first commercial. The Trade School and 22Squared also played a significant role in this project. Dr. Kevin James, who needed marketing help for the college, was referred to us by one of our clients, the Academy of Creative Coaching. From the beginning, Dwayna, who was the lead on this project, was confident that she could help the college achieve its goal of promoting its “hard reset” story to attract more students, partnerships, and opportunities.

Morris Brown College is an HBCU serving the educational needs of the best and brightest young minds since 1881. It also provides academic support to students who might otherwise be unable to compete at the college level. The college needed brand awareness and exposure assistance to achieve its fundraising goals for restoration.

We created a campaign with a brand strategy and an influencer marketing plan. We secured a regional commercial through the campaign and spearheaded the distribution plan. We also secured media placements, including interviewing Morris Brown College and airing the commercial 50 times on WAOK – Atlanta, WVEE (V-103), Cox Media: Kiss 104.1, and Praise 102.5. The college also participated as a sponsored vendor at the annual Praise in the Park event. The commercial aired throughout the southeast on syndicated shows.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Over the past seven years, our journey has been

marked by significant pivots in response to the dynamic nature of life, including personal, economic, and professional factors. The world experienced an earth-shattering shift with the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, forever altering how businesses operate. In 2022, a pivotal moment unfolded as Donna joined the business full-time, pushing us to refocus on our target audience and offerings.

As we navigated into 2023, the world underwent further transformations, witnessing the impact of AI and a major economic shift that significantly increased the cost of living. Simultaneously, our personal lives underwent a beautiful change with the addition of a second child—transitioning from one child to two boys. This major shift has redefined our day-to-day operations.

In the face of these crucial events, each requiring a strategic response, we embraced the art of pivoting. Adapting to change became essential to our journey, allowing us to navigate the complexities and uncertainties of our lives and business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tgndconsulting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tgndconsulting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TGNDConsulting/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tgnd-consulting/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTJ4fXlM1v14CLLNS0uFgpw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tgndconsulting

Image Credits
MaxRes Photography, MADISON TRUSCAN