We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rolanda Buck a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rolanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

“WASSAP Faith Builders, It’s Your Girl Rolanda J. Buck And I’m Back With Another Video” is the saying many choose to identify my brand “Faith Builders United”. It sounds inviting and full of security when you first hear my voice utter those words, but I have news for you, that certainly wasn’t the case in the beginning. I want you to close your eyes and take a journey with me. Imagine going on an interview for your dream job right out of college and being overly joyed with the opportunity. You do so well that they offer you the job on the spot with a sure salary amount. It’s now time for orientation and a tour of the office. “Hello Rolanda, this will be your desk area. This is our lunch room. Everyone Welcome Rolanda to the team”. Imagine waking up the next to a text message that now says otherwise. “Good morning Rolanda, I have some bad news. We currently do not have the budget to fund your position. We will contact you once we get more information.” I was crushed, broke, and in student loan debt. I now was in a position of “what’s next”. Months went by and my depression went into overdrive. Wake up put in applications, eat, sleep, and start all over again with this cycle. After days of being stuck in the house with no gas money, barely any food, and other things that bought my life meaning, something spoke to me. Or should I say, someone? My faith in a higher power brought me out of darkness and into a new season of gratefulness and ideas. I graduated from Alcorn State University in May 2016, was denied that position in June 2016, and found my new calling in November 2016. I started a thing called “Can I Pray 4U”. This was simply all I could do that brought me peace and solitude while still being obedient to what was asked of me. I was still without income but God’s favor kept me afloat. Praying for people in their time of need while being patient, got me my first job in January of 2017, doing the exact same thing I was denied in 2016. But “Can I Pray 4U” was still a hot topic around my community which sparked my motivational speaking journey. I spoke at a Baptist association and the rest literally fell into place. What was once a coping mechanism had now turned into a positive trend to build faith in others. Hence, the start of my brand, Faith Builders United. It started with a lot of live chats on Facebook and Instagram. Then it turned into a business catering to those going through a hard time in life. Once many caught wind of these speaking on social media, many started requesting one on one sessions. So, guess what I did next? I went to school and got my master’s and certification in life coaching. I also started hosting public events, created apparel for my supporters, and self-published books. I took a part of my lows and made it the reason for my highs. Building Faith Life Coaching Center LLC was once just a thought until a higher power helped give it meaning and a name. It was so fitting considering my background in helping others on an emotional, spiritual, and social level. I had already had the gift of serving and helping but it wasn’t until I took a step back from what I wanted to see what God actually needed. Connecting people to their passion/purpose, while building on the thought faith/patience encouraged the mission and vision of my business/brand. This brand isn’t just for those who believe in God, it’s for those who have faith in themselves as well. It’s too often Christians in particular don’t get the support they need outside of the church. I wanted to be that liaison for those people as that is what I desired when I was going through. Many would say I probably needed therapy. But I would say, life coaching was a piece that wasn’t highly discussed during that time. Life Coaching is what many actually desire but are unsure of how to identify it. Which is why I created the space to share knowledge about this. Therapy is highly pushed but not life coaching. My coaching is for those who are trying to start a new business, building on their relationships or personal development. Which again, is what I needed. I needed someone to help bring clarity to the process I was enduring. I didn’t really have any goals or aspirations behind my dreams which countered my process for success. So Faith Builders United now offers much to those who seek a clear vision of the best version of themselves.

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

I am Rolanda J. Buck of Faith Builders United. I am a life coach, self-published author, motivational speaker, and podcaster. I graduated from Alcorn State University with a Bachelor’s in Nutrition, then I went back to Grand Canyon University and got my Masters in Life coaching. I have always been a huge fan of problem-solving as it relates to people. Men and women have been interesting things and complex thoughts in my mind as it relates to how they coexist. Knowing this I have centered my entire brand around this one phrase “The Misconception of Men and Women” and the terms situational awareness, emotional intelligence, purpose/passion, and FAITH. When I established my mission and vision for the business I knew I wanted to offer my target audience and supporters apparel and books. These items promote positivity, encouragement, motivation, and again FAITH, Not only do I create these designs and manuscripts for my brand, I offer these services to my supporters as well. I created a space for graphic designs and self-publishing for those who have a story to tell.
One of the main inspirations I have for my business is to offer support that provides solutions to their problems. Rather it may be personal, spiritual, or social. My life coaching targets mostly those who are confused by their passion or who are in between quitting a job and/or building a new business. It also targets those who may have a hard time communicating with others in a social space, I also offer personal development sessions for those who simply want to reinvent themselves into a purpose-driven and passion-fulfilling entity. I have also come in contact with those who simply didn’t need therapy but desired guidance in goal attainment and execution.
I also created a following that encourages “leaps of faith”. Being willing to do the things that take you out of your comfort zone. Because of this, I am proud to say I have hosted and spoken at over 10 events. I have sat in meetings with district supervisors, administrators, and other business owners who sought out my professional help. I have supported two other authors in publishing their books while also preparing to publish my third.

Building Faith Life Coaching Center LLC is the business. Faith Builders United is the brand. Faith Builders are my supporters. Join the club now and watch your life be changed for the better.

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

When I started my business, I had to get over the thought of family and friends always supporting and buying my products. As business owners, we must remember to sell to our target audience, not just those we know, or who know us. It is definitely still a business you are operating. This means you have to treat the relationship you build with consumers/target audience with the same respect. One may ask, what do you mean by consumers or target audience? I’m referring to those that buy your product. Or in other structured words, a set of people that a business plans to sell to or reach with a marketing plan. The target audience is the group of people in the target market that is being served advertisements. So as an example, my consumer is likely to be believers in a higher power. And the target would be those that stay in but are not limited to the Mississippi, Texas, and Atlanta area and are between the ages of 25 -35. The majority of my family is much older. They also don’t normally wear graphic T-shirts or hats. And they aren’t huge readers. So it would be counterproductive to put an expectation on them to support in ways that don’t fit into their daily. I started to have ill feelings towards different family members who weren’t supporting my brand the way in which I showed support to them. And it was because what I was supporting them with, were things I was interested in and vice versa. Once I got in my head that most of my sales would come from people I don’t know the disappointment towards my family was alleviated. I also had to realize sharing my post, spreading information, or simply dropping by my events are still forms of support. Purchasing from a business is not the only way to support the brand.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started increasing my following by posting the same type of content around the same time of day. I would go live every Wednesday and add different people to the live chat which ultimately helped me reach their following as well. I would jump on and say the same greeting every time. Which became my staple that allowed people to remember me. I would also wear my brand every time I spoke or took pictures. It started with the hashtag #CanIPray4U. Then i started going live on Facebook speaking positivity on a specific topic. Then i created a YouTube. I would save those live chats and upload them to other platforms. Once that kicked off I created a page separate from my personal page that allowed only business content.

If I could say anything it would be to start posting on social media and stay consistent. You definitely want to schedule your content. Instagram and Facebook have a feature that lets you upload your post and put in a time you like it to be posted on your profile. You want to start using the promo features as well. Get into the ads. All of your social media platforms should have the same name. This would allow your following to find you easily on any platform. And hashtags are your go-to as well. I only failed when i stop being consistent.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faithbuildersunited/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RolandaJBuck