Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Denya Hamilton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Denya, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I have an interesting story behind the name of my business, Sow and Tell. Given my passion for social media marketing, I initially considered naming it “Show and Tell.” I thought it was a brilliant choice since much of my work involves showcasing my clients’ services and products while sharing their stories with the world. My co-founder and husband, however, wasn’t entirely convinced by the name, but he went ahead and filled out the business application anyway. During this process, his “h” key malfunctioned, and the name box ended up typing “Sow and Tell.” He immediately sent it to me, saying, “This is it, this is the name!” I became really excited because we saw it as a sign from above, and it made perfect sense. Our goal was to invest our skills and time into our clients to help them effectively convey their stories.

As our journey continued, a new opportunity came our way – our annual faith and work conference. We launched it as a virtual event in 2020 under the name “Believers in Business.” Although I discovered another event in NYC with the same name but a different concept, and they hadn’t trademarked it, I decided to proceed. After a successful conference, a representative from the other “Believers in Business” conference contacted us, expressing interest in learning more about our event and suggesting a name change. Given that they had been using the name for a longer time, we decided to accommodate their request. This led us to change the name of our conference twice, but we believe we have now settled on the final one. Stay tuned for the upcoming rebranding!

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.

Sow and Tell is a marketing company that emerged from the passionate collaboration of two creatives, myself and my husband, Marcellius. Recognizing the abundance of exceptional brands and artists lacking the opportunity to share their narratives with the world, we committed ourselves to sow our talents, experience, prayers, and services to facilitate their storytelling journey. Our primary avenues of support encompass social media marketing, artist development, and curated events. In a crowded digital landscape, we champion impact over mere influence, striving to empower our clients in discovering their distinctive ‘wow factor’ within their industry, allowing them to unlock their full potential.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During my sophomore year of college, I found myself on a path I didn’t truly desire. Despite having no personal interest in nursing, I pursued it to please my Filipino-American family, particularly my mother, who was a nurse. However, a strong, unexplainable urge to change my major to Business Administration suddenly gripped me. At the time, I had no business aspirations or clear reasons for this shift.

Upon making the decision and sharing it with my family, I faced their rejection and disappointment. They even voiced concerns that I would fail. Almost a decade later, I am proud to have followed that inexplicable feeling, which I now attribute to the grace of God. This decision led me to become a successful business owner of a small marketing company in NYC. While the journey wasn’t without its challenges, it has been immensely rewarding.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Before starting Sow and Tell, I worked at Habitat for Humanity International, overseeing team deployments to the Asia-Pacific regions. While I enjoyed my work there, my true passion lay in social media strategy and management. Alongside my 9-5 job, I began freelancing my social media services on the side. In 2018, I made the decision to relocate from Maryland to New York and requested remote work, but unfortunately, my request was denied, leading me to resign.

Upon arriving in NYC, I found myself without a job, which pushed me to take on more social media clients. I eventually secured a part-time position at a marketing company as a project manager. After a few years, I took a leap of faith and transitioned to running my business full-time, a decision I consider one of the best I’ve ever made.

My experiences in various roles taught me valuable lessons that have greatly benefited me as a business owner today. Additionally, I leveraged my professional networks from previous jobs to help expand my client base.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sowandtell.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denya.hamilton/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denyahamilton/

Image Credits
Jessica Hughee