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

Solfulkay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

When I initially gained interest in marketing and creative direction I was in my sophomore year of college. I spent a majority of my freshman year exploring avenues in journalism and production. Working with different companies and brands throughout my time in school propelled my interest in creative direction and watching ideas come to life!

From this interest grew a passion and I used my experiences with these businesses to grow my knowledge in the field. My learning process could have been expedited by not allowing myself to work with certain individuals. I believe it is easy to get caught up wanting to help and see the growth in others, but when you’re trying to build up your own brand sometimes you have to just focus on the task at hand. Knowing when and when not to bring others into the equation is pivotal.

The skills I found most essential are people skills and self awareness. I am naturally a shy person, so getting myself out of my shell was an early obstacle to growing my business. I wouldn’t say that you necessarily have to be the most outgoing person to be successful, but there definitely has to be a likability factor. People skills will have people investing to the person/owner no matter what the product or service being offered is. My investment in relationship building has proven to take my brand to new heights in each quarter.

Self awareness is also essential in any field because you should always know where you stand on a subject at any given time. As an entrepreneur, you don’t want to get into the habit of doing the same things or trying the same business ideas with no growth. Self awareness shows that you’re identifying and acknowledging what’s working and not working for your business. It is a skill that will get your far in any industry once grasped fully.

Solfulkay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My interest and passion for the creative industry started at an early age as I watched my mother grow her own businesses and bring certain visions to life. I chose to explore journalism and production more throughout my time in school. With my major in Communication, a lot of the courses required the students to be hands on or have some type of internship experience before graduating. As a lover of knowledge, I found a lot of the requirements to be helpful in attaining work after college life. This preparation for success has proven to be beneficial when connecting with others who are also looking to grow their brands and businesses as an entrepreneur.

Anyone with a true passion for marketing enjoys seeing others grow and make something from very little. The main objective behind starting my businesses, The Casual Fan and Solful Marketing, has always been to assist other brands. Through these avenues I am able to use the knowledge and education that I have gained over the years, put my personal spin on things, and pass that on to others in a personal light.

As time has progressed I have learned to focus on relationship building as a way to connecting with potential clientele over actually pushing my services or products. It is of course important to market your work and content in order to continue reaching an audience, but spending more time building those genuine relationships have benefited more. New clients are always great but returning customers are essential for business stability!

The Casual Fan is a platform for creatives worldwide to display their brand and talents to supporters . As a F.A.N or friend of agape notions, we aspire to spread unconditional love and support to every creative we encounter. We are a brand collective that sales streetwear merchandise, and offers services from photography and videography to creative direction and brand management.

All services are offered at a great value with maximum growth potential for clients. We are currently focused on collaborations and adding more creatives to our platforms. Building my brand and vision has allowed me to work with some of my favorite creators and influencers, and as time progresses I hope to maximize these opportunities to push my creative process to even bigger heights.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The main goal driving my creative journey is freedom! Freedom of expression and freedom to do whatever I chose, whenever I choose. Over time I have found it better not to overload myself with too many goals, especially at one time. Simplifying my primary goal down to freedom has allowed me to focus on a general mission and take away unnecessary and unwanted stress in my life.

Things flow better when you’re doing what you love with little expectation. Sometimes it takes others awhile to catch up to your creative journey, so just set your end goal and let everything else flow.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I have noticed that non-creatives struggle to understand the grind behind most creators creative process. We don’t work normal business hours and support from those around us rank high on our priority list. When there are others surrounding you that can get a glimpse of the vision you’re wanting to bring to life it helps spark belief in self! This is why it is imperative for creatives to be around other creatives; it provokes self awareness and keeps you in a creative lane.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.thecasualfan.com
• Instagram: @Solfulkay
• Facebook: @TheCasualFans
• Twitter: @Solfulkay