We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Queen Aftan Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Queen Aftan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
When God unctions me to do something publicly, I ask him to give me confirmation by sending me the name for it attached to a royal connotation. I wanted to ensure that my company made people feel like they were priority no matter how many clients I had. So I thought, what is a word that’s so different that is not being used in regular English language as a staple. I was also in a state of elevation, where I needed people’s mindset to change about me from just an assistant, to recognizing the severe management experience that I would be applying to each case. Therefore, MANAGEMENT had to be in the title. I looked up words that meant extremely royal and…BOOM… I found it! Royalist: a person who supports the principle of monarchy or a particular monarchy.
Me! The support system for each client who will absolutely be treated like royalty!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
In a series of very big events, I realize that something like “moving masses” is not presented to us in the available jobs we could do or who we could grow up to become. I am a host, an MC, a personality, who is unafraid of people. I am commissioned to move masses and I know how to do it innately! Right now, many may know me in the administrative/managerial light. Some people even think I’m a publicist (Fun Fact: While I do have a bachelors degree in Mass Comm: PR, from the illustrious Clark Atlanta University, I’ve never proclaimed to be a PR rep! People just assume it!) I hope now however, that I shine in the area of being your on stage navigation system or guest speaker and even panelist. There may also be some acting involved! Let’s rewind though. Since 1994, My mom was the international director of events and planning for the Full Gospel Baptist Church fellowship, a title I had never heard before because it didn’t exist. She resigned when she was about 15 years into it but before then I was the little girl attached to her coattail. The founder of this movement, Bishop Paul S Morton Sr, was also my pastor. Under his leadership, the church motto stuck with me and I use it every day: “Striving for Excellence”. It’s sprinkled into the thoughts and actions of my every day pushes. Because of my mother’s status within the fellowship, I was allowed access to closed-door meetings, penthouse suite conversations, backstage shenanigans, private rebukes, public praise, celebrity encounters and introduced to the art of precision timing. She was the orchestrator of the machine who had to unravel that vision of the visionary to make each part come to life and seek God to ensure it had spiritual weight. I was able to see genius at work from many sides and spectrums. This shaped me. How was she doing this to this height, while caring for me and keeping me dressed well? I knew I was a part of her legacy and she groomed me in that vein. She had me to pass out the papers in the meetings with the big wigs, pour the waters for the special guests, deliver messages to great individuals who were about to get on stage, organize documents (as an 11 year old) and still participate in the youth events. I think she made me a little bit fearless. When people begin to look at me as a good worker and wanted to use me, she demanded that they put me on payroll. I was working paid internships and summer jobs at thirteen! My first big giant project was being the office manager for the Word Network show Gospel Dream with Elvin Ross at 16 years old. So much organization was involved and administration was in my blood. This is why it was easy to me! I begin to embrace my uniqueness and call it Royal! “Queen Aftan” came to be because I call of the young men and ladies in my nonprofit kings and queens before their first name. Plus, I am a pageant winner 14 times over! I currently reign as the official Ms. Royalty International Ambassador. It has become more than a nickname, but the embodiment of exactly who I am! I use it professionally because I am also a brand. All things I do and create have a royal name like, my television show, “Queen, You’ve Got MALE”, my non profit org “Crown Up International”, my funny tips/hints “Reign Drops”, my raw Kingdom conversation series “Heavy Crowns”, and even my administrative business, “Royalist Management”. I wear crown pins every day on the same side of my heart and pink shoes on my feet!
Graciously, I have now been named the global representative for 4 extraordinary entities, The DNA Brand, Keen Water, BareSkin USA and Glow Beauty Group. As the face, voice, heart, and hands of these Earth-shaking companies, I vow to ensure their positive impact is effective.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As I matriculated in the industry, my job part became easy to me but being a woman in it was a bit difficult. I remember being on the road with Chrisette Michele in 2014 as her road manager and one of my responsibilities was to collect the settlement before she would go on stage. In this city, I was to collect $20,000. Now usually this amount would come in the form of a check and perhaps some cash but because I was a woman they thought it would be great to give me the lump sum in $1 bills. But MaryAnn and Clarence didn’t raise no fool! So I let them know that we were going to count all of this money together. Me first, then them and however long that took was how long we would be delaying the show. The next day, I had to pray and walk to the bank with $20,000 in one dollar bills in a backpack to make the drop. From then on, I learned to be authentically me because people are going to do what they want to do anyway! I begin to embrace my uniqueness and call it Royal. The moniker “Queen Aftan” was already being used to introduce me, but after that day, it became permanent. I became a brand. I have learned to be uniquely me, no matter how many people, brands, events or ideas look a little bit like who I am. No one can be you, no one can be me. Royalty is eminent. Eminence is excellence. Excellence leads to elevation. Elevation breeds high expectation. High expectation is directly Associated with high royalty. And the beautiful cycle continues!
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
“Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore, get wisdom and in all thy getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7 NKJV), is my very favorite scripture because it speaks to foundation. It is possibly a philosophy used for each aspect of my life. How can we truly move in excellence if we have not acquired the information about the thing and taken time to absorb what it means? This goes back to the basics. When you have a full understanding, you will operate accordingly and produce well. It grants you sure footing and stability. Understanding is a calming space that allows both parties to come to a mutual existence even if they agree to disagree. Understanding pushes the lightbulb moment forward when you are in the dark. Understanding helps you get found when you are lost in it. Understanding opens portals to creativity making the unknown live in reality. Understanding is the core and the key to elevation. I love to understand (and “overstand” if possible)!
Contact Info:
- Website: HeyQueenHey.net
- Instagram: @QueenAftan
- Facebook: @QueenAftan
Image Credits
Eva Flis Photgraphy, Lyfe Driven Photography, Bob Mackey Photography