We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Trenese McNealy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. Trenese, thanks for joining us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?
When it comes to friends and family support for small business owners, I can truly say that my village has been very supportive of both of my businesses. I believe that it is ok to ask for support from those you know, especially when you are first trying to get your business off the ground. Friends and family support is everything, but it should not be expected. I believe that it is appropriate to share your products and/or services with your friends and family through social media, an email promotion, or a text message link, but it should not be a constant thing. You do not want to overwhelm everyone with continuous messages about your business. After one or two direct messages, you should draw the line because they already know about your business and they will support you if they can.
As an author, my family and friends were so excited for my first book, Mommy’s Goals vs. Reality: Managing School, Work, and Family. I did an online marketing promotion where I requested for anyone who had purchased my new book to post a selfie on social media holding my book, which would be placed on my website. This promotion was a hit! I had so many family and friends to share their selfies and it was wonderful to see the love and support.
As an entrepreneur, I hosted my inaugural Women’s Empowerment Town Hall Forum in my hometown of Hinesville, GA. Since I live in metro Atlanta, I reached out to my mom and aunts to see if they would go around town and sell tickets for the event. As a bonus, I offered to give them a percentage of the ticket sales. Not only did my mom and her sisters supported me in my ticket sales, one of my cousins helped as well, and they declined the percentage. My goal was to sell 100 tickets and I had a sold out event, with additional tickets sold.
For my online fashion boutique, my family was there for me from day one when I hosted my first fashion show, when I designed my first Naturalista t-shirt line, when I relaunched my online boutique, and when I had my going out of business sale. I would share my many happenings on my social media pages, and my family and friends would support whenever they could or share my posts to their friends for support.
Having that family and friends support is a wonderful experience, but it should not be expected. They are not obligated to support your business, so business owners should not demand this support. Just make the initial request and see what happens.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a wife, mom, author, and entrepreneur whose mission is to help moms maintain a healthy, work-life balance to reach their goals, and to provide organizations with consulting services through successful Program and Project Management strategies. I have over 10+ years’ experience in Program, Project, and Grant Management with a Certified Associate in Project Management. My focus derived from my company, Dr. Trenese L. McNealy, LLC., a professional service, management consultation company, established in 2020.
There are so many moms out there who want to achieve their goals and dreams in life but may not believe they can do so because they are a mom. As a mother myself, I create content built with strategies that can help moms push through the everyday struggles by maintaining proper time management to fulfill not only the needs of their children, but their own passion in life.
I create books, e-books, worksheets, guides, webinars, luncheons, summits, and town hall forums. I create content that will help moms awaken the winner within them and power-up their goals. I also create content that will help moms embrace self-care for themselves and allow them to surround themselves with empowering women.
I have been seen on The Connect Show Texas, Black Connections, LLC, Business Talk Library, ShaibabyTV, and WTOC 11 Mid-Morning Live. She has been featured in Women’s Health, The Chicago Journal, New York Weekly, Entertainment Monthly News, New York Wire, US Reporter, ABC Affiliate KAKE.com, and many other publications. In addition, I have been heard on The Legendary KYOK 1140AM/92.3 Gospel Radio Station, the VoyageATL Podcast, and The Joseph Bonner Show Podcast.
I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design with a Minor in Management from Georgia Southern University, a Master of Business Administration degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and a Doctor of Business Administration degree in Project Management from Walden University.
I was also the CEO of LaShay’s DESIGNS, an online fashion boutique, which I operated for 14-years and closed in 2023. I am the author of Mommy’s Goals vs. Reality: Managing School, Work, and Family, the co-author of the Glambitious Guide to Being a Mompreneur in 2020, and I am currently working on a new book, A Mother’s Struggle to Success.
I am a Riceboro, Georgia native, currently residing in Hampton, Georgia. I am married to Mr. Brian McNealy, and we have three beautiful children: Brielle, Bryce, and Brayden McNealy.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Funding my businesses has always been done out of my own pockets. Because I had a full-time position with a good salary, I was able to use some of my salary to help start my business. As a small business owner, you have to be prepared to spend your own money to get your business going. Sometimes, especially for sole proprietors, it will be hard to secure a business loan, but you should not give up. During the pandemic, I too tried to apply for a PPP Loan, but I was unfortunately denied. I kept pushing and sought out donations from individuals who wanted to support the mission of Dr. Trenese L. McNealy, LLC. I also applied for grants that supported small business owners. With grants, you never have to pay them back. You just do the work and provide your data.
My business was started during the pandemic and I am taking it one-day at a time to get my capital where it needs to be. The first few years of starting a business are the hardest years, so I am grateful that I have the funding to move my business in the direction that meets my needs.
Have you ever had to pivot?
This year, I decided to pivot from my online boutique, LaShay’s DESIGNS. After 14-years of service, I proceeded with closing down the business to focus on my LLC. I held a closing sale for a few months to move out all of my inventory, and I donated products to family and friends. Any remaining products were donated to Goodwill. The entire process was a relief for me and I was extremely happy with my decision. I started LaShay’s DESIGNS Boutique after college, but as I grew into the woman I am today, I knew that part of my life was over.
In life, we will make decisions for ourselves that other people may not understand or may questions our why. Just remember, we all only have one life to live and we need to make the best decisions for ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drtrenesemcnealy.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dr.trenesemcnealy
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/dr.trenesemcnealy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-trenese-mcnealy-40ba1051
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LTrenese
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dr.trenesel.mcnealy4456
- Other: Pinterest: https://pin.it/2CwiGZa
Image Credits
Photographer: Jenisha G.