We recently connected with Abena Charity and have shared our conversation below.

Abena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think in order to be successful at anything whether it’s your career, business etc you have to be willing to Pivot. Every single success I’ve had has come from big pivots in my life. I think we all sometimes think we have a plan, sometimes even a goal and a lot of times things to do not go the way we hoped. Being willing to show up even when you don’t want to, putting in the work and remaining consistent. When starting my non profit organization The Ladies’ Room NJ 2 years ago I never thought we would have so much success. In the beginning it was hard to get women to show up even to our free events. Often times I questioned if we could fill a room after having multiple events with 3 or less people. But it was because we remained consistent, continued to show up for our community, and put in the work that we’ve been able to build something incredible. A community of over 600 women entrepreneurs in NJ.

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?

My name is Abena Charity I’m a 32 year old mom, NJ based entrepreneur and someone who’s always had a heart for being a leader in my community. I wear a few different hats, but at the core of everything I do is a passion for building community, uplifting other women, and showing up as my full, authentic self.
Throughout all my years of working in retail, managing stores, leading teams, and building customer connections I always had this quiet voice inside me saying, “You’re meant to create something of your own. You can do more” I didn’t know exactly what that would look like at the time, but I knew I had something to share. In 2017, I finally decided to listen to that voice and took a leap of faith by launching my YouTube channel. It was my very first step into creating content that reflected my real life,my style, my personality, and my journey. A couple years later, in 2019, that creative outlet evolved into my personal blog, abenacharity.com. It became a space where I could truly express myself, connect with other women, and document the many layers of who I was becoming. Now here we are in 2025, and what started as a little passion project has grown into a full brand. I’ve stepped into the influencer space in a way that feels really natural sharing my everyday life, connecting with women, and building a community that feels real and personal. It’s been a slow and steady journey, but everything I’ve built has been rooted in faith, intention, and a whole lot of love.

Through my personal brand, Abena Charity, I share what it’s like balancing work, motherhood, and this beautiful (and sometimes chaotic) journey of being a woman chasing her goals.

And to now be working with brands I’ve admired for years, building real, long-lasting business partnerships that started simply because I believed in myself—that’s the full-circle moment. It reminds me that confidence, community, and staying true to your voice can open doors you never imagined. I’m still learning and growing every day, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come—and even more excited about what’s next.
Services Offered

1.Sponsored Instagram Posts & Reels
Lifestyle, motherhood, fashion, or business content featuring your brand or product.

2. Brand/Product Features in Daily Vlogs
Organic mentions or dedicated content in your “day in the life” vlog series.

3. UGC (User-Generated Content) Creation
High-quality videos or photos brands can repost across their own channels.

4. Event Hosting or Brand Representation
Attending or co-hosting brand activations, pop-ups, or community events as a local NJ influencer.

5. NJ-Based Brand Collaborations
Partnerships with local businesses (retail, wellness, food, mom-focused, etc.) for campaigns or giveaways.

6. Unboxings & Product Reviews
Honest, relatable reviews that build trust with your community.

7. Social Media Takeovers
Hosting content on a brand’s IG stories or feed for a day, sharing your authentic voice and audience.

I also serve as the Vice President of The Ladies Room NJ, a nonprofit that’s all about empowering women entrepreneurs. We host events, share resources, and create spaces for women to grow both personally and professionally. Supporting first-time business owners, especially women who look like me is something I’m deeply passionate about. We are always looking for people to donate to our organization or local NJ businesses to partner with.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I was very mindful about how I shared in social media. I didn’t wait for a “perfect” platform or moment. I started with what I had, leaned into my strengths, and used storytelling to connect, not just to sell. And little by little, people started showing up. They resonated with my honesty, my style, my journey, and my hustle. That’s how the Abena Charity brand grew. Also I paid attention to the details: using keywords, creating shareable content and staying consistent even when it felt slow.

My biggest advice is simple: keep going and don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Social media can make it easy to feel like you’re behind, but what a lot of people don’t see is that many influencers have entire teams behind them, people on payroll handling content, editing, strategy, and partnerships. Some of these creators have been in the game for 10 to 15 years. So don’t measure your Day 1 against someone else’s Year 10.

Take it day by day. Focus on building strong systems that work for you. Whether it’s batching content, staying consistent with your posting schedule, or checking in with your goals regularly. And most importantly, be willing to pivot. The landscape is always changing, so stay flexible and keep learning. Authenticity, consistency, and adaptability will always go further than trying to copy what everyone else is doing.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I think the best way to keep in touch with clients is through email marketing. It’s a way to directly access people who are interested in you with real analytics behind it. I use Flo desk for my email marketing and it’s been game changer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abenacharity.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abenacharityy/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/ladiesroomnj/
  tik tok:https://www.tiktok.com/@abenacharityy

Image Credits

Rashid Tholley