We recently connected with Ciara Corbett and have shared our conversation below.

Ciara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

It was a wild way to jump into the field but after being harassed and not protected at work I went on leave and hit ‘YouTube university’. The podcast consulting and management was an easier transition because of my experience podcasting. Social Media Management came with some unforeseen challenges that required me to invest in a master with The Agency Edit.

Knowing what I know now, I would’ve invested sooner. You can get a general idea for ways to build your agency and things you’ll need from a general search, however the knowledge you gain with a coach is invaluable. Everything from knowing how to work CRM’s, how to properly format my contracts and creating my marketing funnel, etc have transformed my agency. Having a good knowledge of CRM’s so far has been most essential. The only obstacle in my way was myself. Any business requires an investment in self.

Ciara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Ciara Shanta owner and operator of A Working Progress LLC. I’m from Atlanta born and raised but know that I’ve lived in the Bean and travel enough for the both of us!

A Working Progress w/ Ciara Shanta was originally a podcast. Im still streaming on several platforms including Apple, Spotify and Google podcasts. Going into the podcasting world I knew that I wanted to create a safe space for Black folk, especially Black women, to unwind, laugh a little and invest in their mental health. I felt like a lot of the podcasts out there were culture forward, followed the trend of pitting men & women against each other and didn’t pour into mental health. I aimed to change that. I was doing everything on my own, my fellow entrepreneurs know the hassle of wearing multiple hats. Fortunately for me it paid off and paved the road for me to learn about media entertainment and management.

I help local Black-owned businesses increase their online visibility so they can foster organic connections with their communities. The services I offer include social media management, podcast consulting/creation, artist management and community management. I love supporting local brands, creatives, artists and podcasters. Networking is my jam, as my peers put it “I’ve never met a stranger”.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my humble opinion, society can best support artists and creatives by allowing them to freely create (trust their process!) and crediting us properly. With the rise of AI art and the decrease in hiring actual artists, that simple solution would help recreate the once thriving creative ecosystem. There’s nothing like art from the heart.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Absolutely! The books that have impacted me the most are the FireBible NLT version, Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach, and Woman Evolve by Sarah Jakes Roberts. I know, I know. You were probably expecting “business management for dummies’ or something a long those lines but once I became more self aware and increased my faith, a lot of the resources I needed just seemed to come to me.

I am a founding member at The Gathering Spot ATL and while visiting one day I was blessed to meet Ericka. Ericka is owner and operator of The Agency Edit. I let her know that I was building my social media management company and we stayed connected but she also directed. me to her Youtube channel.Her channel provided me so much insight and tips on social media management! It gets better, she let me know that she hosts masterclasses for social media management and had one coming up soon. That was by far my best investment! Shoutout Cohort 6! It literally provided me with all, and I do mean ALL, the information, guides and side by side assistance to build a phenomenal company with the mindset to match.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://a-working-progress-llc.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kissescandycoated/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheeOfficialCiaraShanta