We recently connected with Shamek’o Barren and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Shamek’o thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers?
I’ve had a few crazy things happen to me in business. I would say the craziest positive thing that has happened to me in business has been sponsorship and donations. I have a HUGE support system for my business near and far. The craziest thing is that they are from all over the United States and some I don’t know. I remember a gentlemen reached out to me and said he values the work I do with youth girls. He stated he would love to contribute. That day he sent $500 to help sponsor girls. He would continue these contributions every 4 months. I get this often from strangers and definitely often. So I` m always in disbelief. The craziest negative thing I’ve seen is how manipulative people can be when it comes to growing their business. I’ve met a few women that befriend you to steal your ideas or actually just use you to grow their own. I had a young lady that actually blocked me on social media because I didn’t play her game. Everyone is not a business bestie or colleague, they are opportunists looking to see what they can gain.
Shamek’o , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Shamek`o Barren and I’m the C.E.O. of New Mindz Mentorship Program established in 2017. New Mindz Mentorship Program is a youth girl program that serve girls ages 10-17. We thrive on building girls up from the inside out. Our goal is that each young lady that come through our program blossoms personally, socially, mentally, and emotionally. We do this through mentoring, outreach, workshops, and memberships. I’m most proud of myself for staying consistent and going after my dream. I’ve had to pivot and try different things in my business and I can actually see the fruit of my labor. It is also great to receive feedback from the young girls that I work with, their mothers, and my community. I believe what sets New Mindz apart from other mentoring gjrl groups is our consistency and our dare to be different. We focus on the whole person and start with the mindset. We don’t want our girls to look good, but to feel good as well. My mentoring program has opened up opportunities to become an author, a youth speaker, and connect with other girls across the United States.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I’ve built my audience by staying CONNECTED to them. When I started New Mindz Mentorship Program, I went live every Monday on my FB page. I hosted a segment called ” Mindset Mondayz ” where I discussed issues that were affecting our youth. Through this I started to gain more followers and people became interested in my program, I also have an email list where I’m in constant communication with my subscribers. My advice to build an audience is to STAY VISIBLE AND CONSISTENT! Why would someone engage with you or your business if they don’t know you? Where I’m from people may not know my name, but I guarantee you, they know my face and logo because they see me often.
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 had to unlearn the mindset that people won’t pay for your product or service. I had some limiting beliefs and had to change that. The beginning of this year I started watching many YouTube videos and reading articles about poor and growth mindset. This really changed my mindset and how I ran my business. People will value you as long as you value yourself. They approach you differently. I’ve learned to run my business with confidence and serve the people for me. I don’t CHASE clients, I ATTRACT THEM!!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://solo.to/shameko
- Instagram: newmindz17
- Facebook: facebook.com/newmindz17