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

Dianna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

As a kid, I always had the passion for creating something I could call, “my own.” But, like most, I didn’t know how to start my own business and had no clue on what my niche would be. Due to these dilemmas, I put a pause on pursuing my small business dream and took the safe route and went to nursing school.

I became a Licensed Vocational Nurse, a career I grew to love. Yet, during my time with becoming a nurse my passion for creating my own business never faded away.

After 2 years of working in the medical field I finally got tired of asking myself, “what if?” and was ready to start my small business journey.

While on vacation from work during the peak of COVID season I came across this book called, Don’t Keep Your Day Job written by Cathy Heller. A phenomenal book written to help anyone struggling to find their niche or purpose in life (career wise, that is.) The book helped me to answer questions I initially struggled with. For example, “If I could do anything and get paid for it, what would it be?” and “What makes me feel most aligned with myself.”

After reading the book I sat with my mom, who I would refer to as, my lovable harsh critique. My mother would support any ideas I had but would make sure I addressed the good and bad of what could come with starting something new.

An hour into our discussion, this is when Applauding Women was created. Initially Applauding Women started off as a blog. I used this blog as an outlet for me to speak about things I’ve experienced as a woman and initially felt alone on, to create a safe space for women to connect on a personal level and highlight the positivity of what women were doing around the world.

Since creating Applauding Women, I have received nothing but positive feedback from women who I personally know and strangers who have become friends through social media. This is what kept me motivated to continue on with my small business journey.

Dianna, 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 a proud woman of color, a younger sister, a daughter to two dedicated and hardworking parents, a full time Licensed Vocational nurse by day and now a small business owner 24/7.

In 2020, I created Applauding Women, a brand designed to empower, uplift and inspire women. It initially started as a blog.
A platform for me to connect with women by sharing my personal life experiences. My stories were either deep and personal or fun and creative. My purpose in creating the blog was to make a safe space for women to connect with my stories, bring positivity into a world of chaos to showcase the beauty of what women are doing around the world and encourage women to love themselves both mentally and physically.

Until this day, Applauding Women continues to empower, uplift and inspire women. But, it has expanded to become much more than what I had planned for. I’ve changed my blog to a website. My stories have opened the door for other women to share their stories . I’ve designed and handmade merchandise to go along with my brand. For example, I currently sell crewnecks, shirts, pajamas, keychains, stickers, a mug and journals. Each product is handmade with love to remind all women to be proud of who they are as women. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and signed up as a vendor at local pop up events to help promote my brand and products. I’ve used my social media platform to continue to share my personal experiences, help promote women owned businesses and collaborate with both men and women who have supported my brand. At last, I’ve organized and hosted small and intimate events for women; such as, Friendsgiving and “Let’s Talk About Business” (an event designed for small business owners to connect and collaborate.)

Now, is Applauding Women just for girls and women? Not at all! My brand is from a woman’s perspective since it’s what I know best. But, I encourage anyone who can relate to my content to engage and participate.

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

Trying to “aim for perfection” was a lesson I had to unlearn real fast. I remember the moment I started my small business journey I tried so hard to be a perfectionist at everything! For example, I would spend hours making sure my instagram page looked esthetically pleasing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe you have to put some effort into your social media platforms to engage and attract your audience. But, the amount of time I spent trying to perfect my page had stressed me out! Looking back, I know I wasted valuable time.

It took many failures for me to realize perfection is not always key. Even ideas I come up with will not always work out. But, that’s okay! I am “imperfectly perfect” and I believe that to be true because my most successful stories are when I made the most mistakes.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Motivating, self-help or self-growth books were my go to resources prior to starting my small business journey. Self doubt was my biggest barrier between me and believing I could start my own business.

So, if you need a little motivation to get you started on doing something you’ve always wanted to do then I suggest reading the following books: You Are A Badass and You Are A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero, Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis and The Middle Finger Project by Ash Ambrige.

Contact Info:

• Website: applaudingwomen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/applaudingwomen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063562082247
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj2N74lm5UjhLYWh6E9_QQ