We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Diana Lawrence recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Diana, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
The three passions in my life are education, community service, and mentoring.
I was on my own at 16 years old. In high school, I was told I was not college material. I fought the odds with hard work and pure grit. Not only did I finished my bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate (at the time, only 0.5% of women in U.S. had this accomplishment), I did so while working full-time. This struggle and success with education provided the foundation for my dream….
Community service has been a part of my life for four decades. I believe we each need to try to make the world around us a better place. Over the years, I have donated over 20k hours to community service. The years of community service experience shaped my dream….
I began pageantry in my teens because I had a fear of public speaking and wanted to push myself to overcome it. As I grew in confidence and skill through the pageantry process, I gravitated toward systems with panel interviews, because they were the most difficult for me. In time, I learned to love the panel interview. I was blessed to win many national/international titles, and meet so many amazing women along the way. Because of large search committee panels, I know that I would have never have become a college dean or later a university provost, if I had not had this experience. The growth confidence gained through pageantry provided the vehicle for my dream….
I have used my experience in my career, education and community service to mentor others and to be mentored. So, I asked myself, “How do I combine pageantry and lessons learned with my passion for education, community services and mentoring to create a unique opportunity for myself and others?”
First, I believe a beautiful crown captures attention.
Second, I believe it is the titleholder’s role to use that attention as an opportunity to educate others, as well as mentor and be mentored. As a titleholder, it was my favorite part of the job.
Third, I wanted to know how DWP could open this ‘experience,’ this ‘opportunity,’ to women who want to make an impact, but have never competed in a pageant and do not necessarily want to compete in a traditional pageant because of the considerable expense (travel, hotels, food, etc.) and time away from home/work/family?
In the beginning, the focus was to provide professional development through pageantry in a new and interesting way to women with accredited, earned doctorates, which was a tiny, but powerful segment of the population.
When these individuals became members of Dr. World Productions (DWP), they attended virtual workshops throughout the year. The purpose was for them to develop themselves, get prepared for the competition and get to know the other members. This approach focused on the personal development aspect and the building of a sisterhood.
For the women who chose to compete for a title, a few of the areas of competition are unique, Field Presentation and Eveningwear. The Field Presentation segment is an opportunity to educate the judges about their field of expertise (via a 5-minute video,10% of total score), and at a location of interest. In the Eveningwear with Introduction segment (via a 45 second video, 30% of total score) is an opportunity to present themselves, share what is unique about them and at a location of interest. In addition, they compete in the traditional Photogenic (10% of total score), and live virtual panel Interviews (via 7-minute interview, 50% of total score). The Photogenic and videos are scored before the final segment, the live virtual panel Interview. For all segments of the competition, they are able to choose their location of interest. By choosing their locations, they are able to provide the judges with a glimpse into other aspects of their lives, not the same room and stage as in other competitions.
To help the judges prepare for the interviews, the contestants submit a two-page resume. The judges review the resumes and the contestants’ social media to prepare questions for the interviews and for the scoring of optional awards. It is a very wholistic approach. The goal is for the judges to know who the women are and the impact they have made on others through education, community service, and mentoring.
To take it to the next level, an attorney was hired to officially pursue the registered trademarks, which began in 2017 and the first queens were crowned in the fall of 2020. The three of the original titles, which are now registered trademarks, were Dr. World® (21+ years old), Dr. America® (21-45 years old) and Dr. United States of America® (46+).
And, because we received so many requests to expand the DWP impact, as of December 2020, we added the Ms. Achievement™ (World/U.S.A.) competition for women with other types of education and/or business ownership.
In addition, there are DWP owned Dr. Universe® and Ms. Achievement Universe lifetime achievement awards. Those individuals provide workshops and education during the year as well.
Dr. Diana, 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?
It started with a dream more than a decade ago, and I am so incredibly proud of what Dr. World Productions (DWP) has become since crowning our first queens in 2020.
In just three years, in the middle of a world-wide pandemic, these amazing titleholders have made it a reality. Because of their belief in me, the DWP slogan Because…Smart is Beautiful, and DWP’s three pillars of education, community service, and mentoring, I received the distinction of Disruptors Magazine’s Top Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs of 2022!
The women in my life, both DWP members/titleholders and supporters, made this dream…A REALITY.
I am so impressed with what our state, national, world and universe queens have done – before DWP, during their DWP reign, and after – to make an impact on the world around them!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
For me, there were five (5) factors I believe helped build Dr. World Productions (DWP) and its reputation.
First, research. Do your research!
Discover the who?, what?, where?, when? And why? What is missing out there??? Have a serious connection to what you want to do as it can be quite a marathon. Passion, grit and determination are absolutely vital for an entrepreneur.
Second, be unique!
There are so many “fill in the blanks” out there; so, you must have a very clear mission/vision/foundation. Everything must build from there. Without it, it is easy to get off course and waste time, money and energy, as well as confuse your potential customers, etc..
Third, be committed to quality!
Be committed to quality in all aspects of your business, even when it means losing money because of it in the beginning. No matter what you design, buy, do or associate with, it must be a perfect match. Anything else can get the organization’s reputation off course. I spent years researching, designing and perfecting before going live. In addition, I spent 10k making sure to work with an attorney to seek out and secure my registered trademarks (multiple are still in the works), etc.. Research, money, time and energy used in the beginning will pay off later.
Fourth, find the RIGHT people!!
It is SO important to surround yourself with the RIGHT people! They help you build your dream. Because they believe in you, they will pick you up when you have been kicked down and you will lift them to new heights as well. Eliminate those that do not, as they are a distraction. Be intentional, clear, and focused in the selection of your support system.
Thank you to all of my AMAZING DWP titleholders and winners who have brought my dream to life… Dr. World® (Angel, Michelle, & Jasmin), Dr. America® (Danika, Brandy & Hailey), Dr. United States of America® (Michelle, Dawn & Bekah), and Ms. Achievement™ (World-Tiffany, Stayc, & Esther; U.S.A.-Anna & Stayc), as well as our Lifetime Achievement Award winners who also provide professional development training – Ms. Achievement™ Universe (Stayc) and Dr. Universe® (Verena & Jacqueline). Without our membership/titleholders/queens, our amazing judges and board, this would have not been possible. Thank you for believing!!!”
Fifth, brand recognition.
Develop your brand wisely through: social media, aligned sponsors and the right advertisers. These relationships are very important. Do not follow the money. Remember, in the world of social media, just one bad connection can undo years of positive work.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
At Dr. World Productions, word of mouth and referrals are vital.
I believe it is about being intentional and spending the time necessary to make sure your organization and the “client” are a good fit.
It is impossible to please everyone, but try.
It is important to be transparent as possible on your website, social media, etc. It is very easy to miss something. So, address any hiccups ASAP. Also, remember, you (and your clients/supporters/staff/etc.) are human. No matter how hard you work to be transparent in every aspect of your operations, your client’s perception is their reality.
My advice for fostering brand loyalty…care more than you should, and strive for continuous improvement in all words and actions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drworldproductions.com
- Instagram: @drworldproductions
- Facebook: Dr World Productions – Dr World / Dr America / Dr USA / Ms Achievement
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/dr-diana-lawrence-presidentdwp-vpaccreditation
Image Credits
Bunny Photography D&D Photography Legnar Ekim Photography Obscura Photography Ronald’s Photography