We were lucky to catch up with Mercedes Sykes recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mercedes, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I believe in order to be successful you must be willing to work hard. It’s not too many people, if any, that become successful from doing nothing. You have to want it, smell it, feel it, and be confident that you can and will be successful in life. Some people measure success by simply waking up everyday while others measure success on the impact they have on the community.
Mercedes, 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 Mercedes. Everything I exude in my brands is who I am. I am born and raised in Birmingham, AL. I am a mother of two young men who make me proud to be their mother. I am a full time entrepreneur with 4 businesses currently under my belt. Merce’J Balloon Decor is my first baby that will always hold a special place in my heart. I started this business 5 years ago when I was going through a tough period in my life. I had no sense of belonging in the world, or so I thought. God told me otherwise and the tiny vision I had blew up before I knew it. 3 years ago, my co-founder and I started Unique Kisses Cosmetics which is a full vegan cosmetic line dedicated to all of the beautiful women across the world. We have hit 35 of 50 states and Canada with our products and we are continuing to grow. The Branding Link was started a little over 2 years ago with a vision to help growing businesses reach new heights in their marketing and branding structure. We not only focus on growing businesses but also corporate businesses as well. We have worked will over 100 brands in some way, shape, or form and this year we hope to double that. My new baby is called Reviive. It focuses on rebuilding and reviving the mental health of individuals who just don’t know where to go. Mental Health is becoming a serious conversation that we, as a whole, should not be afraid to discuss.
I am most proud of being a mother. Even with all the success, my children have been my motivation to keep going no matter what. They push me, they challenge me, and even at their ages they understand that everything that I do I do it for them. I want to pass down these businesses one day to them or even their children.
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 that I can ask for help. Before, people always made me feel like asking for help was a burden to them. It was like it took time from whatever the had to do. But in reality, it’s really amazing people I am surrounded by that will help me. All I have to do is ask. I get in my own head sometimes which is definitely something I work on everyday.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I built my audience by being me. I have never been the type to fit in with the crowd. I do my own thing. I toot my own horn when necessary and I allow myself to live in the moment when the moment arises. When building my audience I had to take myself out of the equation and actually focus on what my audience was looking for. They were screaming for help and I knew I had the perfect formula to do it. I tell people all the time, just because they aren’t liking and sharing and commenting, does not mean are not watching. Most of my clients rarely engage with my stuff because people like privacy. They don’t want others to know what they are working on. They just want to pop out and surprise everyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brandinglink.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ceomjs_3xs?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: The Branding Link
- Other: www.uniquekissescosmetics.com https://instagram.com/merce_j_balloon_decor?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/uniquekissescosmetics?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/_reviive?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Image Credits
Kamera Girl