We were lucky to catch up with Quiana J. recently and have shared our conversation below.

Quiana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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.

I evolved into this brand. When I was 21, I was not an entrepreneur yet, but I found myself dabbling in graphic design and developing websites. I also constantly found myself speaking with women about their dreams and goals. They would express what they were passionate about and I would talk to them about different ways they could make money. Keep in mind, this was in 2003 when social media was not a huge deal to market on. I remember two distinct moments that stands out in my mind. There was this one woman who was into creating healthy juices. She would make these amazing juices and I kept telling her that she needed to bottle this and make some money. I began to share with her about her distinct niche, who her target market could be, what she could name it, and how she could couple it with her ability to do motivational speaking. She loved the idea, She began selling it to members in her church and then began to truly work towards becoming an entrepreneur and a speaker. In another instance, there was this woman who loved to praise dance. She also had the gift to teach, to sew, and to write curriculum. So, I influenced her to create a brand where she provided classes for emerging dancers, provide custom dance apparel as well as custom flags. She is still working her brand to this day. Although, many women took my advice and ran with the ideas, many others did not because they were hindered by their limiting beliefs and this made me sad. They believed that they did not have enough or was intelligent enough to do it. So, I decided to do something about it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In 2015, I was pregnant and on bed rest in the hospital finishing up my Bachelor’s degree at Liberty University. Because I was in the hospital with much time on my hands until my son, Branden, was born (he came earlier than expected), I began to strategize on the concept of my brand, HER Under Construction, a life coaching and brand development agency for emerging Christian women entrepreneurs.

I knew that there were other brand development agencies out there, but I wanted to help women break through limiting beliefs – those mental prisons that hinder them from breaking free and rising up in their brilliance. I wanted to empower them into their greatness and help them discover their identity, develop their brand, and deploy their brilliance into the marketplace. I wanted to provide comprehensive solutions that not only helped women do the Brand Development work, but also the inner work; thus, this is why I call myself a Life Coach & Brand Architect.

I believe with technology & the internet, it has afforded me the opportunity to help my clients not only build their brands but offer a diversity of services and products by transforming their skills, expertise, & talents into profitable services, programs, memberships, products, digital courses, & transformational content that attracts the target audience & creates various income streams. From ideation to manifestation, I delve deep into the mission & market of my client and build bold & sophisticated brands with critical strategy, authentic style, & integrated systems that allows them to focus on what matters most – serving their target audience from an authentic place & making impact in people’s lives. I have had the privilege to provide strategy, coaching, & mentorship, build brands & create visual aesthetics for Doctors, Speakers, Estheticians, Podcasters, Consultants, Ministry Leaders, Educators, Authors, Chefs, Therapists, Product Developers, Virtual Assistants, Bloggers, Stylists, HR Professionals, Nutritionists, Coaches, & Other Creatives. Through my brand, I provide life & business coaching, brand ideation coaching, comprehensive brand strategy, done-for-you brand development services, & transformational events, programs, & digital courses. What I am most proud of is watching my clients learn, heal, and become a greater version of themselves every time I empower them to live greater. I am also humbled that I am able to use my “superpowers” of coaching and creativity to build brands for them that have presence, power, and profits to match.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Let’s talk about competition. This word can bring every emerging entrepreneur anxiety and sometimes we can succumb to comparison which actually kills your confidence and sometimes will hinder us from fully showing up visibly online. I have had to unlearn what society says “should be”, learn that I will always be different in this world, and that my difference is my BRILLIANCE.

I have had to learn that there is no competition really; we are all in a space revealing our difference. The market is not looking for copycats. The businesses that really make it are the ones who own their difference and walk confidently in their creativity. They are “uncloned” and they stand out. They attract a specific type of people because they recognize that they are a specific type of solution. They recognize that they are not called to everybody, but that they are a specialist in something that has value.

I am glad that I discovered this early in my entrepreneurial journey. It was not easy and this revelation came through deep inner work and reflection. You are usually told to study the market and see what your competitors are doing. For new entrepreneurs, you would easily begin to change who you are and what you offer because you are scrolling social media and seeing the success of the greener grass on the other side. But the grass isn’t greener because they are favored, the grass is greener because they tend to their grass. This has been my motto; to discover your own brilliance and brand it!

Every single person on the Earth has a different fingerprint and we must define how we will leave that print on the Earth. This kind of thinking makes you look inward instead of outward for approval, acceptance, and validation. My success has come from being confident in what I offer and the clients I attract notices that, desires that, and works with me because not only do they want a brand that they love, but they want the spiritual infrastructure (inner-beliefs) to sustain their confidence. When you operate from the inside out, your creativity and your potential is limitless. Nobody can stop you once you DISCOVER YOU!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Great Question. I have recently done an audit on all of my former clients and have discovered that 86% of them are from referrals. I have found in my journey with my brand that marketing is not my strongest skill but word of mouth has been my biggest blessing. I consistently have clients in my pipeline who want to work exclusively one-on-one with me. Keep in mind that I work with my clients sometimes for up to 8 months in my signature brand development program called the BrandAtelier Experience. It encompasses life and business coaching, brand strategy and brand development, and done-for-you branding but it also includes image development and brand photography. I am helping my clients show up online in their brand and have been humbled to go through this process with them. I do provide creative services as well and also other group programs and digital courses but my bread and butter has been my signature program. I do show up on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok talking about various business and branding topics but also life provoking topics that foster personal growth. Many clients have also come from those spaces of following me and then deciding to work with me. But the majority of them, have been referred by former clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.quianaj.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/quianajspeaks
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/quianajspeaks
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@quianajspeaks
• Other: www.tiktok.com/quianajspeaks

Image Credits
Sharda Jolayemi of Write Dream Do Photography