We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chastity Alford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chastity below.
Chastity , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?
From my days in Corporate Leadership, I have always had a passion for helping others. In 2015 I made the big transition to switch gears from my 9-5 to the world of Entrepreneurship. If someone would have told me I would go from working 40 hours a week to 80 hours a week to start my business, I would have laughed. In 2015 I birth The Classic Maven Boutique, which is now The Maven Factor, an award winning Plus Size Boutique for women that has partnered with celebrities’ such as Cynthia Bailey, TS Madison, Eva Marcille and countless others. But having a clothing brand was just not enough. I wanted to teach others the concept of business ownership. In 2020 I began mentoring new and emerging entrepreneurs. Showing them step by step what was needed to successfully bring their vision to life. During this time, I begin to receive invitations to speak and teach others how to become motivated to exit their 9-5 and launch a profitable brand. Within 2 years I knew speaking and facilitating is where I was truly needed the most. I noticed Jacksonville did not have a platform that was geared towards educating on different levels of business ownership. With estimate 582 million entrepreneurs worldwide, it was time to hone in on bring my city to the forefront of advance knowledge and opportunity. In 2022 I launched The Acceleration Hub; A curated think-tank for Business Owners and Nonprofit Professionals.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Through the years I have learned the art of mastering my pivot. With a 20 year background in mortgage servicing, I have successfully opened and maintained a brick and mortar fashion brand converted it to a booming e-commerce store along with becoming certified public speaker all while being mom to my 3 beautiful children. When you think of entrepreneurship, you think of the glitz and glam of it all but this journey is not easy. Often times there’s costly mistakes, unexpected failures and tons of rejections if you. The best strategic move you can make is understanding your core audience and that comes with a lot of due diligence. Knowing who and why you cater to particular demographic is vital to the growth of your brand and customer retention. In 2022 I was named Orator of the Year (ACHI Magazine) and Motivating Speaker of the Year (Best Society Group) I knew it was only by God’s grace that I was able to shift and continue my passion for helping others. The process to self start a business needs a strong support system and I can honestly some of your biggest support will come from people that are complete strangers who believe in your vision and with the birth of The Acceleration Hub, I am thankful for those who have shown continued support.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Becoming a single mother to my 2 children at home Tayvin 13 and Trinity 11 was probably one of the hardest yet scariest moments in my life. I was in such a dark place full of doubt and uncertainty but one thing I knew, God did not bring me this far to watch me fail. Being in such a dark place really made me re-evaluate my life and everything attached to me. Suicide was something I thought about everyday. I had my letter written to my kids, my financial affairs were in order and I knew where I was going to end my life. It was one night I was lying in bed and I heard this voice say to me “your children needs you more than you know” I cried out and begin to pray. Divorce is such a hard process but I braced myself and knew it was time to close the chapter on my marriage. I begin to seek therapy, I prayed daily and begin to really focus on my spirituality. The few friends that knew what I was facing, did not leave my side and continuously encouraged me. This moment became part of my story of RESILENCE. I wanted to walk away from it all; the business, my kids, my friends and yes life but God said Chastity you will turn this tragedy in to TRIUMPH and because of his grace I am still here.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Growing up in a household of 6 in a 3 bedroom apartment where verbal and physical abuse was prevalent, I had a hard outer shell and always felt like I had to fight for everything. This way of thinking carried over into my adulthood. It took me a long time to understand how to fully forgive. Not forgive and still hold a grudge but understand that you forgive to free yourself from pain and heartache. God gave me grace so why would I not extend that same grace to others. Therapy has helped me recognize that I needed to set healthy boundaries and change my way of thinking. A mindset shift is what I needed and I can honestly admit it has given me much clarity. Learning that somethings have to be retaught scared me at first but now the release has brought so much peace to my everyday walk in life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: the_speaker_maven
- Facebook: Chastity Chanel
- Other: email: [email protected]
Image Credits
I own the right to all of the pics provided