We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charmaine Moss. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charmaine below.

Hi Charmaine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Tell us the story of how you came up with the idea for your business? Paint the picture for us so we really understand the context, circumstances, the emotions etc. Walk us through how you knew this was a worthwhile endeavor – talk to us about the logic of why you felt this would work?

The idea was a vision given to me by God. It was through an encounter I had with a young woman named Marie. Marie was going through a dramatic time in her life where she was diagnosed with HIV/Aids and had been abandoned by her family. She was homeless living in a shelter where she had been sexually abused on several occasions. My encounter with her came in the midst of me going through a financial crisis.

Were you solving a problem that no one else was solving? Were you offering a unique approach or what about this idea got you most excited?

Marie’s story changed my perspective on life. It helped me to appreciate the important things in life. As I listened to Marie tell her story, I knew that Marie’s story had to be told. and I knew that there were other Black women who had incredible stories that no one would ever hear.

Charmaine, 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?

For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, what type of products/services/creative works you provide,

My name is Charmaine Moss, Founder & Publisher of (RWAM) Real Women Atlanta Magazine. After my encounter with Marie, I decided to do an internship with a local newspaper in the Atlanta area to learn the business.. RWAM offers marketing and advertising for business owners through our digital and social media platforms.

What problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.

We provide a way for business owners to get their message before an audience who are mostly the decision maker in their home. We are one of very few magazines who tell the stories of the ordinary Black women who are doing incredible and extraordinary things.

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

I am most proud of the selfless Black women who share their stories to help other Black women.

Please provide as much detail as you feel relevant as this is one of the core questions where the reader will get to know about you and your brand/organization/etc

RWAM Real Women Atlanta Magazine was created to tell stories of ordinary Black women doing extraordinary things. We provide a platform for those who no one knows. We give a voice to the voiceless. In doing this, we provide marketing opportunities for business owners to have their brands seen .

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In the beginning, finances for the business simply wasn’t available. But I trusted God and believed in the vision and mission for the magazine, so I carried it for several years before I saw any return. I believe that you must first, believe in what you do enough to do it for free. I believe that you must love it enough to make sacrifices to see the vision through.

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

Wow! I had to unlearn friends and family. I had to learn that you don’t have to have your family or friend’s approval to do your business. In the beginning, I thought I needed validation from those who were close to me. I had people telling me I needed to change the mission to be inclusive of other cultures and races when I know clearly, what I heard God say, which was to tell the stories of Black women. I also had someone suggest that I needed to include celebrities as well. The vision was clear not to include celebrities simply because of all of the platforms that are already available to them. This platform was created to share the stories of the everyday Black woman whose name was unknown. I had to be alright the others having their opinion but staying with the vision that was given to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.realwomenatlanta.com
• Instagram: @RealWomenAtlantaMagazine
• Facebook: RWAM Real Women Atlanta Magazine
• Linkedin: Real Women Atlanta Magazine
• Twitter: Real Women Atlanta Magazine

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