We recently connected with Shronda Armstrong and have shared our conversation below.

Shronda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I took a risk in following my dream of leaving an industry I was unhappy in to pursue my dreams of building my own career. I was excelling professionally but, on the inside, there was a huge hole in my life. I was fulfilled and my stress was affecting me physically and mentally. I took a risk in resigning and focused my time in expanding what started out as a t-shirt business. What started out as me selling a few shirts turned into me deciding to start a podcast in order to create a platform to discuss issues Women of Color deal with on a regular basis. One small step developed into me creating my own Self-Love Brand, Geaux Queen. It hasn’t been easy but I haven’t; turn back since. It has been a great experience.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2019, I hit a significant plateau in my life. I wasn’t living in my purpose. I was frustrated with my job and constantly being overlooked and mistreated as the only minority in my department. I was making just enough money to barely make ends meet as the sole support for my three children. I was physically and mentally tired of overworking myself for companies owned by wealthy white men that barely hired people who looked like me. I was tired of draining my energy to build someone else’s dreams. I knew I was meant to gain more in my life. ​​

I decided to take a risk to follow my dreams instead. I wanted to create a platform of my own to utilize my talents. My brand is a reflection of my energy and spirit. Each and every one of us has a special gift and purpose. However, a lot of us are not living our lives to the fullest potential. I love to inspire women of color to not only embrace self-love, but to free themselves from being a prisoner of fear. You deserve to see your dreams come true!
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My branding services are dedicated to helping others seek and find their true purpose. I am dedicated to motivating others to build a solid goal list in order to commit to achieving their ultimate dream and purpose. With our branding solutions. I am proud to connect with other entrepreneurs and risk-takers who are ready to create something new.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Right now, entrepreneurship is highly glamorized. It is at a point where some people are shamed for working a traditional 9 to 5. In my entrepreneurship journey, I learned that everyone has to take their own path. As much as I wanted to work independently, I had to also balance and work part time in order to have stability as well as a source of income to fund my business. This is a side that is not talked about much in the entrepreneurship conversation. I had to make sure that while I focused on building a life on my own terms, I still had a steady income. Though I do not work in the industry that stressed me to the core, I do work part time under terms that fit my happiness in order to supplement my entrepreneurial goals while being able to take care of my family.

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

Honestly, I am not a fan of social media. Social media has turned into a playground for fake lifestyles and fake “friends” all desperate for a like or a heart. However, social media can be a great networking and promotional tool. For me, I utilize social media to make genuine connections for networking purposes. When I started out my podcast, I utilized social media to have IG lives and posts to connect with audiences. Building a social media presence is not as important as building a social media network. For me it’s a distinct difference. My advice would be to focus on quality as opposed to fake followers. Post quality content, don’t be afraid to be original and narrow in on building and networking as opposed to creating an image. Also, utilize social media to study contact information for people you’d like to connect with. You would be surprised how many genuine connections you can build simply by a DM or an email address you have obtained from a social media profile.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.geauxqueen.com
• Instagram: iam_geauxqueen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegeauxqueenbrand
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shronda-a-0a7683203/
• Twitter: strongarm_queen
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/geauxqueen

Image Credits
B & B Photography, New Orleans, LA