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

Gerreanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I took was walking away from my 9 to 5 and completely stepping out on faith to follow my dream of becoming an entrepreneur. This was the biggest risk that I could have taken in my life. I am a single mother and I was in school working on my bachelor’s in elementary education to become a teacher. One day I woke up and said if I don’t take a chance on myself who else will? Sometimes in life we get stuck and we think that we are just meant to work and pay bills but there is more to life. I told myself that I was not just going to work but I was going to fulfill my purpose and enjoy life to the fullest. My life has not been a fairytale but I have learned to make the best out of what I have. I have been through trials and tribulations which we all have but I refuse to dwell on the losses. I know a lot of people say that they have the faith but the Bible tells us “faith without works is dead”, so I have the faith the next thing to do is put in the work and watch God do the rest. I prayed about it and received confirmation multiple times. I will tell you that it was the scariest most fulfilling feeling that I have ever felt in my life. I will tell you this it has not been easy but nothing worth having ever is. I have been back to my 9 t0 5 and I have revamped my business twice. Nobody ever said it would be easy but they said it would be worth it, so I continue to press forward until I see the fruits of my labor. Being an entrepreuner is not for the weak hearted and it’s not for everyone but if God gives you a vision you have to go after it because He will give you provision for ite. I have had late nights, I have cried, and I have given up (multiple times) but I always go back because I know that God has called me to help others and that’s exactly what I want to do. I even added a twist by adding my character from my comical career. Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board until you get it just right. Nothng happens over night and you have to keep working at it until it’s exactly what you envisioned. I know that my purpose on this Earth is to help others prosper and give them hope that regardless of what it may look like or feel like that it will all come together in the end and it will definitely be worth it. To sum it all up my biggest risk is betting it all on myself so that I can build a legacy for my son and build the life that I always dreamed of and that I know that I deserve. I just want people to look at me and know that if God could do it for me He can do it for them too.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is a very tricky thing. The algorithm is very important and it is always changing. You have to be consistent with social media just like anything else you do in your business. I began to sharing other businesses on my page and then it took off from there. As I began my business I learned that social media was my friend because that is the way that most people communicate and that most people shop on the internet. I believe that social media is a great tool for any business owner because it allows you to communicate with people all over the world. Sometimes your biggest customers will not come from your city but from across the country. As I began to start my business social media was the first place that I went. I was able to connect with people that I already knew and people that I had never met in my life. I always tell people post things that are relatable to your audience. You are trying to sell your brand not just your business (there is a difference). I tell anyone who comes to me about social media marketing that you have to be relaxed because social media is supposed to be fun. It allows you to let your customers and potential customers get to know you and your business. Another tip that I tell clients is to never take anything personal because you won’t always get good feedback from people and that’s okay (it’s apart of the learning process), but always keep it professional because you always have potential customers watching. You have to learn your audience and who you want to cater to for your business/brand and once you get the right audience you take off from there. I have changed up multiple times on my social media platforms because you have to keep up with the latest trends and topics (it’s not always easy but it gets easier with time). Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone but don’t lose sight of what your goal is for building your audience. I have added my comedy life to my advertising and marketing business which has really helped out a lot. Once last tip is take advantage of all the tools that come with social media such as making reels, scheduling post (the best thing in life), and joining other communities so that you can network with other entrepreneurs and potential customers. The best advice I can give about building your social media presence is that you should go in with an open-mind and just have fun everything else will fall in place.

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

Last year was one of the most trying times of my life. I was ending a 4-year relationship, I was taking care of my grandmother with dementia, I was teaching, I was a full-time mom, and I was running multiple businesses. I had a lot going on but I kept pushing no matter how much I wanted to give up. As the year was coming to an end I knew that my whole life was about to change and for the first time in my life I was about to fly on my own without any help. I was so afraid of how great I could be that I started to doubt myself in every way. I was willing to stay in a relationship that I knew neither one of us was happy with just so that I could continue to be comfortable. Little did I know that God was about to show me what walking by faith and not by sight really was. Right before Christmas I ended the relationship and moved me and my son in with my sister, my grandmother who raised me passed (which I’m still grieving), and on New Year’s Eve, I got into a wreck and totaled my car. At this point, I was ready to throw in the towel but I knew I couldn’t because I had my son depending on me and my students who were watching and counting on me to be there for them. I was in a place in my life where I had to pivot into the woman God had placed me on Earth to be. It wasn’t an easy turn but God got me THROUGH it all. I tell everyone that there comes a turning point in your life where you have to decide whether you want to live a “what if” life or you pivot into what you truly are meant to be in life. As I entered the year 2022 I felt defeated but I knew that I was walking into a new chapter of my life which turned out to be one of the best yet! Everything is not how I want it to be but God is very humorous and all I can do is laugh and trust His process that everything will be just fine. I know that in life we will go THROUGH trials and tribulations but we must continue to press forward because trouble doesn’t last always. As I continue to go through 2022 I am thankful for all that I have been through because it has made me stronger, a better mother, a better teacher, and an amazing entrepreneur. I believe that sometimes we have to fall in order to find our true strength in life. I tell people that no matter how much fog you go through in life just keep your focus on God and He will get you to the other side where there is greater. I know that I am not where I want to be as an entrepreneur but I also know that this is not the end for me. I am pivoting into the best version of myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: gigitoldem.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/gigi_told_em
• Facebook: facebook.com/GigiToldEm
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/gigi_told_em
• Other: instagram.com/sisterdunnsaidit facebook.com/SisterDunnSaidIt

Image Credits
Travoris Hawkins Michelle Lineka