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

Alright, Angelica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I started my first business at 19 years old. No knowledge, no “know-how”, just passion, determination, and fear. I started my business while in college studying Premed. I was also a mother of 2 at the time. In my mind, I knew I didn’t want to spend all my years in college and being a mother… especially one of an autistic child. So, I switched majors to Marketing. I didn’t know anything about marketing, but it sounded like it went with what I was already doing in business which was management and consulting individuals. I also figured that marketing was going to be something they needed since they were branding themselves. The road was rocky, but I always had this determination that I couldn’t fail because I needed it to work. I had two kids at that time and with my son in the early stages of autism I needed to be flexible for his sake and a job was not cutting it. In 2008 though, when the recession hit, I had to pivot my business, doing so meant getting a job. I worked in a few different places over the next couple years, none of which was in my degree field. However, I knew I had to make a living, I knew I had to provide, I knew that the job was temporary and would help me fund my business. The last job I worked at was in nursing at a family practice, somehow, I ended up managing the other nurses, I enjoyed it and the pay, I almost found myself getting comfortable. That was until the practice was shut down due to accusations of fraud with the owner (another story for another day). Being that I grew up in church I found myself asking God okay now what? At this point I had 3 kids to provide for and things didn’t look well! He pointed me back to my business, I started networking, posting on Facebook, reaching out to the clients that use services previously and before you know it, I was back at it. Consulting brands, authors, entrepreneurs on things like marketing, business startup, scaling, etc. All this that I had to research for years to have the right solution. In the last 16 years I have opened several businesses, have helped clients open businesses and grow them and I’m always asked when you got the idea what was next. The next was the plan. Once you create the plan, don’t always feel as if you must adhere to said plan. Meaning give yourself some grace! Things will happen unexpectedly, you may take a few detours, you may even fail, but overall, you take each one of those instances, see what you can learn from it and keep moving forward. I think one of the biggest problems we face as business owners is we have this image in mind of everything and when it doesn’t pan out that way, we panic and want to quit or shut down; but remember this:

 -Starting afraid is better than not starting at all.
-Do all the research you can on your business idea
-if you have to take a detour, always have a plan to get back on track
-if you make a mistake, learn the lesson and KEEP MOVING FORWARD!
– Don’t compare yourself to others, stay in your lane and watch how much work you get done
-Don’t be afraid to pivot, sometimes seasons are up and we have to know how to move with the times
-Being uncomfortable means you are growing and evolving. Don’t get comfortable while pursuing what you set out to do.

I know everyone may not be a believer, but for me above all these other things, I kept God first in everything that I did/do. Think positive even when things may not look so good.

Lastly, always remember your business idea may be the solution to someone’s problem, the answer to someone’s prayer, if you eat, sleep, and breathe that idea, don’t let anything stop you until you EXECUTE IT!

Angelica, 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?

All my life I have been told I was smart, beautiful and would be going somewhere. Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor or lawyer, and in high school I decided I wanted to be a doctor, a pediatric doctor at that, mainly because I love children, and had a passion for helping people. However, in high school I faced my own battles, low self-esteem, low self-worth, as smart as I am I just wanted to be like everyone else, and fit in. At the time though, I didn’t know I was different or that my path was different because I was trying so hard to fit in. A lot of the girls in my school had boyfriends and I wanted one too just to feel beautiful. At 16 I got a boyfriend, and not too long after, got pregnant… I thought life was over for me because I was pregnant. Somewhere during the pregnancy, I found the strength and drive to push for my greater good. I had my son going into my senior year… and I was determined to finish… I took AP/Honors courses… was offered academic scholarships to many universities but because of my son and support system being home, I stayed and attended The University of Florida, while in college… I went through many lows, because I was pregnant at 19, and it was then I switched my major to Marketing and Business Administration and started my first business A.W. Management where I provided event planning and management for artists. I was in school, working my business, a job and raising 2 kids, which I later found out that my oldest was autistic which made me go harder… When the recession hit, I made my transition into helping small businesses, brand, start, grow and scale their businesses. I’ve helped over 200 business owners start and grow their businesses. I joined the SBA/SCORE to help the disparities many small businesses face… while with them, I mentored nearly 100 small businesses owners, as my workload changed in my personal business… I shifted from mentorship to teaching monthly workshops about marketing, social media marketing and more. Once the pandemic hit… that all ended. I came to the conclusion what my calling truly was, which is helping people particularly women. So, I went back to what I knew full force… helping others launch and grow their businesses. During the pandemic I added coaching to my existing businesses, and in the depth of the pandemic (2020), I helped 9 women launch their online or brick and mortar businesses. I also started coaching, offering online classes, and mentoring more through She Has a Boss Hustle which the audience is women. While I don’t necessarily like to identify with women’s empowerment, but that’s what I do, I empower women through fashion with my boutique Style Sevyn, financial freedom with iW.I.N Tax Group (all woman tax and accounting firm), and business through iW.I.N Consulting Group. Being a serial entrepreneur, going through the failures, lows, and losses, I am able to inspire and help other entrepreneurs to be their best and encourage them to push to the limit despite what’s going on. Every day in my businesses I get to fulfill my heart’s passion empowering others, particularly women.

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

The one thing we should understand about anything in life is that we should stay focused on our goal and stay in our lane. The same applies to social media. When I started building on social media, my main goal was to show up as my authentic self. Before social media we were able to physically introduce ourselves to a person and they get to see our body language and how we communicate as our authentic self. So, I took that same concept to social media. I show up as my authentic self every day, consistent with my content, making sure it targets my audience. Although we may not see the results, we want each and every day we still have to push and show up.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My most effective strategy for growing clientele is being authentic, building my email list, and staying true to my word. Being authentic, open, and honest with your current clientele will prompt them to refer other clients to you because of those qualities. Everyone wants someone they can trust and depend on. Building my email list has been my gold mine as I was able to take followers and turn them into supporters. Through email there are no algorithms, no limit on what you can put in your emails, etc. And you can captivate your audience with your story, products, and why. Lastly, I’ve been an entrepreneur for 17 years now… and being true to my word… keeping my word has taken me a long way. It has caused existing clientele to refer more clientele because I always deliver when I give my word.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.angelicaawwilliams.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/angelicaawwilliams
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awthesolutionist
• Youtube: YouTube.com/shehasabosshustle

Image Credits
Trav Mullins @exklusive_photo