We were lucky to catch up with Shaneisha Dodson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shaneisha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

During the pandemic, I came up with the idea to create an 18 inch superhero doll based off a book that I wrote titled The Adventures of Sugamama. I began to study the doll market while searching for a company to help bring my vision to life. I searched for international companies and companies in the United States. Once I found a company, I sent them my sketch and that was the start of my doll development. It took almost a year for the prototype to be completed. We are waiting for the final doll to arrive so we can go into production.

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 was born in Arkansas and currently reside in California. I own two small businesses: Black Girlz Productions and Brilliant Girl. I enjoy creating content that will have a lasting impact on the world.

Brilliant Girl was founded to be an inspiration hub for young girls and to bring more representation into the doll industry. I came up with the idea during the pandemic. I was in isolation and my creative juices were flowing. Brilliant Girls create dolls and books all while inspiring young girls to reach for the stars. Our dolls are unique and diverse. They will focus on STEM careers and entrepreneurship. I’m most proud of creating my first doll prototype. She is a superhero called Sugamama.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson that I learned is don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. I never liked to ask people for money, but in order to create my prototype I needed to launch a crowdfunding campaign. It was successful. If I hadn’t did that, who knows where my company would be today.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The initial capital for my business came from bootstrapping. I saved every free dime that I had. This was how I got my initial investment. I believed in my vision and worked hard to bring it to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thebrilliantgirl.com
• Instagram: the_brilliantgirl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brilliant-Girl-103914911896841
• Twitter: the_brilliantgirl