We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Antionette Blake. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Antionette below.
Antionette, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
In 2009, I lost my grandmother, who was 98 years old. My grandmother had raised my sister and me, and I literally “raised her” for 16 years as she lived with me, my husband, and my sons after the death of my sister in 1992.
A few years later after 29 years of employment at IBM, I was laid off. However, I was quickly rehired by IBM’s contracting firm, but that meant returning to an office with a 3-hour round-trip commute.
Initially, after the death of my grandmother, I felt a deep void which I tried to fill with activities outside of the home. so I started a blog, about shopping and saving which is something my grandmother and I loved doing. The blog, “DeDivahDeals – Fashion and Fun after Fifty” was a great place to share outfits of the day, food recipes, events in Delaware, and other lifestyle content. I learned about Affiliate Marketing and social media including Facebook and YouTube elevated my brand. I was flown to Los Angeles to shot a commercial for Walmart/Depend.
My blog and writing skills were discovered by the Executive Director of the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute (DFLI) who asked if I would be interested in teaching others how to start a blog. As an educator by nature and trade having received my BS Degree from Delaware State College in 1983, it was a natural fit because I loved to write and teach.
I started teaching blogging courses at local libraries for FREE, joined the local Chamber of Commerce for networking opportunities, and started helping other small business owners with their social media marketing all for FREE. That changed in 2015; I registered the business, A. Blake Enterprises, and started charging for my training and social media management.
In 2018, I was laid off again but never became an employee and worked my business full time. Things were initially slow, but once I narrowed my niche to service small business owners things took off and my blogging skills improved, I also learned more about podcasting and started coaching others which is still one of my offerings. My motto, “Do what you love, love what you do and success is inevitable” is how I live my life. I have clients who I love working with, I teach others how to blog and podcast, I speak at conferences and events, and currently shifted my focus to boomers and beyond, those of us in the 55+ community and am loving every minute of it!
Antionette, 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?
Antionette Blake, more commonly known and widely recognized as the multi-award-winning “Delaware Blogger” is also a podcast host, author, social media strategist, educator, and professional speaker. Antionette taught blogging classes at local libraries and then began coaching others on how to start a podcast. Antionette is the content creator of the DelBlogger blog and hosts 3 podcast shows: Out & About with Antionette, The Delaware Blogger Podcast, and Boomers and Beyond.
As the CEO of ABlake Enterprises, Social Media Marketing and Consulting she works with industry leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs assisting them with strategies to help them broaden their brand and expand their exposure online. Antionette creates and curates content for their targeted audience and works to ensure that they are engaging on the correct platform with consistency and creativity.
As a professional speaker Antionette was the Keynote at the “Grow As We Go” Power Brunch in Washington, DC; was a featured Breakout Speaker at BLK Pod Festival in Atlanta, spoke at the BloggerWeek UnConference in Washington, DC, presenting the “Power of Podcasting”, and was a panelist at the “Helping the Entrepreneur Experience” in Middletown, DE. She is also a featured speaker at the Social Media Day Delaware 2024 on October 30th.
Antionette is a sought-after workshop facilitator who has partnered with numerous organizations such as Helping the Entrepreneur, Nepris, BrandSwan Design, Dover Rotary Club, DFLI, DEDO, DEBCC, IAAP, YWCADE, WBC, NCCCC and others conducting social media marketing and podcasting workshops and seminars.
Antionette is an alum of Delaware State College, Class of 1983, a native New Yorker who currently resides in Smyrna, Delaware; and was previously employed by IBM for 32 years, she has been married for 34 years, and is the mother of 2 adult sons.
To learn more about Antionette, head over to https://linktr.ee/ablakeenterprises
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.
As a social media manager, I am always learning as social media can change literally overnight. Depending on my client’s demographics, I can advise them on the best platform for the greatest ROI. I do however, have to learn each platform as was the case with TikTok. This platform started as one used by many in the younger generation, however, because of this, I advised an older client to use it to get the eyes of the kids who may share the content with their parents. This advise was first dismissed, however, he now understands that it worked and has increased his client base as a result.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
As an Encore Entrepreneur, my best sources for new clients are networking and word of mouth. My business started as a side hustle, then turned into a main hustle, but never a must-have business so I can grow slowly and at a pace I am comfortable with and most of all enjoy the ride.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ablakeenterprises.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delblogger
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antionette.blake
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antionetteblake/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/delawareblogger
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelawareBlogger
- Other: Delaware Blogger Podcast https://delawarebloggerpodcast.buzzsprout.com
Boomers and Beyond Podcast https://boomersandbeyondwiththedelawareblogger.buzzsprout.com
Out & About with Antionette Podcast https://eliteconversations.com/out-and-about
Image Credits
Antionette Blake