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

Shandra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

Getting my first client was the easy part! Getting the motivation to start my business was the hard part. I know so many talented people who aren’t living in their purpose. If this is you – the clients will come! Clients will see your passion for your craft because it will come easy and they will bust down your door. You will inspire and the clients will come!

And…..That is how I got my first client. I created something I loved and sold out the first day!

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

The Bougie Grazer came to me at one of my lowest points in life. Sometimes your purpose will come to you when you hit rock bottom because there is absolutely no way out but UP! I took something that I would do for friends and family for FREE and turned it into a business that I enjoy. After about 6 months of networking and putting some of my Corporate America experience to work – I was able to land some very reputable clients.

Don’t sleep on any of your past experiences with previous jobs! My previous experience in Property management taught me invaluable Leadership skills, resilience, drive, consistency, integrity and servant leadership. I went from making charcuterie boxes in my first 6 months to landing celebrity contracts, and a segment on Good Day Atlanta! All from using my previous experience.

I then pivoted my business even more, teaching other charcuterie businesses how to get started. I host monthly virtual, public and private workshops sharing tips and tricks on the business.

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

Building an audience on social media is a whole job in itself. Posting daily was a struggle until I realized that I didn’t have to post daily and I don’t have to overthink the process.

For example, some of the content that I put the least effort in is the content that drives the most engagement. Ask your followers questions, engage with them, look on their page and see who your followers are.

Don’t let the algorithm get you down! Recycle old content and use those “Analytics”. These tools will help you identify the who, what, when and where!

Stay consistent and give a transparent glimpse into you’re world as an entrepreneur!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting is inevitable, especially in a space that is trending or that has a ton of competition. I quickly realized that my business was getting saturated. I also realized that my business required a lot of physical work. So I asked myself, “how can I still enjoy my purpose and make money?” I had so many of my followers asking questions about my business, the products I used and telling me I inspired them.

When I pivoted – I fill a void and still get to live in my purpose!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thebougiegrazer.com
• Instagram: thebougiegrazer
• Facebook: Bougiegrazer
• Linkedin: thebougiegrazer

Image Credits
@KenPerfectPic Elite Images