We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexandria White a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexandria , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Taking the Risk: How the Pandemic Pushed Me Into Entrepreneurship

In 2020, I was furloughed from my job and my income was uncertain. As a single mother, I was scared, defeated and anxious. How was I going to take care of my. household? The uncertainty, the fear, and the constant news updates about COVID-19 painted a picture of an unpredictable future. For me, the stakes were even higher. I was a single mother, solely responsible for my child’s well-being.

Panic wasn’t an option. Survival was.

I remember sitting in my living room, scrolling through social media and watching the news, one thing became clear—people needed essentials. Face masks, gloves, sanitizers, disinfectant wipes—these items weren’t just products anymore. They were lifelines. In Oxford, they were becoming harder and harder to find. Walmart and Kroger were wiped out, online orders took weeks, and a lot of people I knew were scrambling to keep themselves safe. That’s when it hit me: I could be part of the solution. I created the Corona Cartel.

With my last bit of savings, I took a huge risk—I started my first business selling pandemic essentials. I found reliable wholesale suppliers, placed orders for masks and sanitizers, and started selling them online and locally. Every dollar counted, every sale mattered. I used my networks, spread the word on social media, and before I knew it, I was getting more orders than I ever expected.

It wasn’t easy. I had to navigate shipping delays, supplier shortages, and the pressure of making sure my customers got what they needed in a timely manner. But the biggest challenge? The fear of failure. What if I invested all my money and no one bought? What if I couldn’t make enough to sustain my family?

But with each passing day, my confidence grew. The Corona Cartel took off. I was able to supplement my income, keep my family safe, and even help others in my community gain access to essential supplies. The risk I took during that chaotic time didn’t just help me survive—it showed me that I was capable of so much more than I had ever given myself credit for.

That leap into entrepreneurship became a turning point in my life. It taught me that resilience, resourcefulness, and the willingness to take risks can turn even the darkest moments into opportunities. And though I never could have imagined it at the time, that business was just the beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur.

Because of that risk, I now know one thing for certain: I am built for this.

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?

I’m just a little Black girl from the South side of Chicago with familial roots from Winona, Mississippi. My life motto is simple: “Be scared, be brave, but do it anyway.” It’s the guiding principle that has shaped my journey as a serial entrepreneur, author, educator, and consultant. I believe in taking risks, pushing boundaries, and creating spaces that inspire, empower, and transform lives.

I’ve always been someone who seeks opportunity in every challenge. My entrepreneurial journey began out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has since expanded into multiple industries. Today, I own businesses in various professional sectors, each designed to serve, uplift, and empower people in different ways.

Retail: I am the proud owner of We Like Nice Things, an online boutique that curates stylish and high-quality clothing, jewelry, and home décor. This business was born from my love for clothes and my belief that everyone deserves to surround themselves with beautiful things that make them feel good.

Consulting & Coaching: Through Alexandria White Consulting, I work as an executive coach, speaker, and educator, helping professionals reimagine their careers, set transformative goals, and step into their most authentic selves. Whether it’s leadership development, personal branding, or career coaching, I help my clients unlock their full potential.

Author: Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I am proud to say I have completed my fourth book! My latest project is an edited volume featuring over 60 mothers who work on college campuses, sharing their stories of balancing motherhood and student affairs. This book is deeply personal and one of my proudest accomplishments because it provides a long-overdue resource for working mothers in higher education.

What Sets Me Apart?

I don’t just start businesses—I build communities and create meaningful impact. Whether it’s through my boutique, my coaching, or my books, my work is centered on helping people live authentically, courageously, and unapologetically. I bring a unique mix of experience, insight, and passion to everything I do, and I pride myself on offering real solutions, real conversations, and real empowerment.

What I Want You to Know

I want potential clients, readers, and followers to know that I am here to inspire action. Whether you’re looking to redefine your career, step into entrepreneurship, find stylish and empowering products, or gain insight from real-life stories, I have something to offer. I believe in growth, resilience, and the power of taking risks, and I want to help others do the same.

At the end of the day, I am living proof that you can be scared, be brave, and still do it anyway.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

You often hear these phrases ” Move in Silence” or “My family or friends are not supporting my business”

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that moving in silence was the key to success and that I needed to worry about who was—or wasn’t—supporting my business.

When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I took the quiet approach. I believed that if I just worked hard behind the scenes, stayed low-key, and let my work “speak for itself,” success would naturally follow. I also spent too much time focusing on who was supporting me and who wasn’t—expecting certain friends, family, or colleagues to rally behind me.

But reality hit me fast.

I quickly realized that being a quiet entrepreneur does not work—especially when you’re building something from the ground up. Entrepreneurship requires confidence, visibility, and the ability to market yourself. It’s not enough to just “work hard”—you have to tell people about what you’re doing, network, and put your brand out there.

I also had to unlearn the emotional weight of expecting support from everyone I knew. Some people wouldn’t support me—not because they didn’t believe in me, but because they simply weren’t my target audience. And that’s okay. The more I focused on connecting with the right people instead of worrying about who didn’t show up, the more my businesses grew.

I also let go of the fear of someone taking my ideas. Ideas don’t make businesses—execution does. I stopped worrying about competition and started focusing on building, learning, and showing up with confidence.

The moment I stepped out of the shadows, started sharing my journey, and embraced being visible, vocal, and unapologetically confident, everything changed. My businesses grew, opportunities opened up, and I connected with the right people.

The lesson? Silence doesn’t build businesses. Confidence does. Not everyone will support you, and that’s okay—because the right people will.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Growing an audience on social media wasn’t something that happened overnight—it took consistency, strategy, and a willingness to constantly learn and adapt. Today, I have over 25,000 followers across all my social media platforms, and that number continues to grow. But getting here required showing up every single day and being intentional about how I connected with my audience.

My Social Media Growth Strategy

1️⃣ Posting Every Day—Multiple Times a Day
I knew that visibility was key, so I committed to posting daily—often multiple times a day. Social media moves fast, and if you’re not consistently showing up, your audience will forget about you. Whether it was motivational posts, business updates, behind-the-scenes content, or testimonials, I made sure my audience always had fresh content from me.

2️⃣ Engaging With My Followers
Social media is not just about posting—it’s about connecting. I made it a priority to respond to comments, DMs, and questions. I engaged in conversations, supported other entrepreneurs, and created content that encouraged interaction. The more engagement my posts received, the more the algorithm pushed my content to new people.

3️⃣ Leveraging My Audience to Build More Audience
One of the biggest growth hacks I used was asking my followers to share testimonials and tag me. When people post about their experience with my brand or services and tag me, it gives me instant credibility and exposes my brand to their audience, bringing in new followers. Word-of-mouth marketing is powerful on social media.

4️⃣ Setting Daily Social Media Reminders
To stay consistent, I set reminders in my phone to post at specific times throughout the day. This helped me stay on top of my social media strategy and ensured that I never went a day without showing up online.

5️⃣ Be Ready if Social Media Fails
A lot of people panicked when TikTok went dark for 24 hours. Be ready if one of your popular social media platforms no longer exists. Create an email list for followers and prepare for unforeseen issues.

My Advice for Those Just Starting

✅ Be Consistent – You can’t post once a week and expect to grow. Show up every day and provide value.
✅ Engage With Your Audience – Social media is a two-way street. Respond to comments, DMs, and support your followers.
✅ Leverage Social Proof – Ask your current followers to share their experiences, tag you, and recommend you.
✅ Use Reminders – Set notifications on your phone to make posting a habit.
✅ Keep Learning – Social media is always changing. Stay updated, test new strategies, and adapt.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alexandriawhite.com
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/dralexandriawhite
• Other: https://www.studentaffairsmoms.com

Image Credits

Alexandria White