We recently connected with Diahni Sample and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Diahni thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
The craziest thing that ever happened in my 5 years of entrepreneurship was my 3 month networking event being cancelled on me the day it was supposed to take place.
I am originally from Roosevelt New York and I moved back home at the age of 15 and graduated from the same high school as my parents. Because of the low belief in potential or going far in life that kept my small community stagnant, I always dreamt of being able to give back once I graduated and got my businesses off the ground. After 2 years of graduating & being an entrepreneur, I was inspired to host a pop up shop event for mothers in the community that owned their own businesses. Everything seemed so perfect from the planning, to the date being on Mothers Day weekend and being able to host at my alumni middle school gym!
Many amazing women were interested in the event & sent their money in to showcase their businesses! I followed all venue procedures with my school district to make sure I had a secure place to host this event. 2 days before the event, I received a phone call about a board meeting that needed to vote on for approval of my event which wasn’t something I knew prior. I was confused on why it took so long for me to know about this protocol they had in place. I missed the meeting because it already started before I was prepared to attend. The next morning (the day before my event) I received a call stating I was denied of hosting this event and they couldn’t change their mind. My mental state was crushed at that very moment. I broke down in tears not knowing what would come next. My mother called everyone in the community and gathered all of our alumni resources to advocate on my behalf. After waiting all day for a revote, I was still denied The pain, embarrassment and state of shock I went to was unbearable for me at the time. I thought my career as a business owner would be over as well as my image because this was the most unprofessional situation that could take place. People paid their money to vend, I sent so many invites to everyone in the community & I had been planning this for 3 whole months! Why me? Is all i could think of. What do they have against me? Was my next question. My sadness turned into rage and I wanted to expose the entire school district for their unprofessionalism in communication about this voting protocal. People were fighting so hard for me, looking for backup venues indoor and outdoor. Calling the school on behalf to share their thoughts on my work and why I didn’t deserve this treatment. I spent the whole night calling 30 vendors to tell them that we lost our venue, the event was cancelled and i couldn’t return their money no time soon. Many understood, some didn’t want to hear that kind of news which was understandable. I wasnt the only one taking a loss. Everyone who invested in me felt this devastation too.
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
5 years ago, I took a risk on myself! took a semester off after graduating HS to find my purpose! I started as your favorite resume writer; then I was a dance teacher; then I was an essay editor; then I was an event host; I found my purpose in inspirational speaking! 3 years later, I became a webinar host, an woman’s healing event host, an author & business mentor! By the age of 22 I became a business mentor, travel agent & rebranded my company @femalebosscollection for the third time! Fast forward to August 7th 2021, I found myself in a dark place mentally and emotionally so I took a 6 month break and shut down everything to humble myself and remember why I started at the age of 18! For the first time in 2021, I got a REAL job as a residential specialist at a group home, moved into my own place and truly asked for a normal life where no one knew me as me! It was the best decision I ever made even when I wasn’t sure I would be understood by all for my transformation, I rediscovered my purpose, my creativity as an speaker, travel guru, entrepreneur & creative director🔮
What sets me apart from others is that I will bet on myself everytime no matter how many times the risk presents itself. I believe I am not meant to work for anyone else’s dreams but my own. my belief that everything we do must come solely from the heart for it to be a success in business. I don’t have one client or supporter in my 5 years in entrepreneurship that I haven’t taught that too in many forms. I’ve seen my own businesses fail and not be to their highest potential when I pursued them in an unauthentic, scarce and unintentional mindset.
I am now a short films creator, bnb host, travel group host, authentic speaker, 3x author, charlotte event host and travel agent!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media is a game in itself. You have to know how to balance the real world and the social world to have any kind of true impact. For me, I feel I was born to naturally gravitate an audience into anything I do because honestly I didn’t do anything technical to receive the social media support I have now. I’ve had the same social media accounts (Instagram & Facebook) since I was in 7th grade. Im 23 now so you do the math lol. Many of my followers have seen me rise from that 12 year old girl to the woman I am today. I tell people all the time I know most of my followers in person from friendship, school, neighborhood and events. I’ve shook most of their hands in real life. So the main thing Im trying to say is don’t treat your followers as just followers/fans. I like to see my social media engagement as a chance to connect with those all over the world at once, but I also feel like its a benefit to know these people offline because they can truly advocate for the impact you have when to know the unfiltered you. I used to read ebooks for hashtag tips, drain myself trying to keep up with facebook groups or trying to post 7 times a week to stay relevant. It wasn’t fun at all. So when I decided to start having 6 month breaks for my mental, I realized that everytime i kept it real with my followers about my journey thats when I received the most support so now thats all I plan to do on these apps.
For anyone whose new to the social media world, I would say ignore the number of views, likes, followers and attention you think you need to have or currently have to be great. The numbers don’t matter. Its about making sure that every time you log into social media you are uplifted, learning and showing up as the real you. It took me 5 years to learn this lesson.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn what professionalism means for a young black woman as a business owner like me. I spent the last 4 years of my entrepreneurship journey trying to maintain an image to be liked. I would deny my true self to make sure no one thought that I was unprofessional or unworthy of the business name. It truly took alot of personal healing, isolation and acceptance of my self within myself to be as confident in what I post and who I am on social media today. I always feared what others were thinking of me and lived with the trauma of people pleasing. When I deactivated all of my accounts for 6 months and moved to a new state, I told myself my comeback was personal. It was time to start pleasing me. Proving my worth in business to me. It took alot of mental work and affirmations to not care what others would think or say when I came back into the world but it was necessary and the best decision I ever had to make. There is no such thing as perfection or one type of professionalism. We all bring our own unique style of how we handle the work, time and clients in our fields. So now I am me all across the board. If you’re even interested in doing business with me then thats because you know I have nothing to hide. There’s nothing anyone can blog or gossip about within my personal life and my business life because I have balance in both and I only move with intention, so everything I do i’ve already made peace with in my own mind and heart. Thats what matters most. As long as your show up for your dreams, organize your duties in business and handle everyone with love and care then you’re professional to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/diahnisample
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diahnisample/?hl=en
- Facebook: Diahni Sample
Image Credits
Photographer: @zamoitheboy @shayshotit @tayathevisionary @deonjphotography