We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sonay Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sonay below.

Sonay , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

My biggest risk to date is quitting my 9-5 and going all in on my business, Sonay & Co. If you had asked me before if I foresaw myself as an entrepreneur, my answer would have been no. Yet, I quit my consistent and pretty steady job just two months shy of 8 years.

I was determined not to make it to the 8-year mark. The number 7 represents complete, and I was ready to complete the mission. My job was a negative space for my mental health. I cried and prayed many days for something better, and it began to seem like I was going to be stuck working there forever.

I tried for many years to find another job; I filled out many job applications and went on job interviews, but nothing panned out. I felt stuck.

One day, I went down the rabbit hole of learning to build a website; I thought I would make one and sell candles. But I was intrigued by coding. I found a great online coding school, and the rest is history, so they say, but err, I still went down a different path, sort of.

I enrolled in the coding school, which was out of my budget then, but I prayed that if God would bless me with the money to pay, I wouldn’t quit this time. See, I’ve quit before on a few dreams. Once they became too hard, I would take that as my “sign” that whatever it was wasn’t for me, and I was on to the next thing.

Just like my first love of becoming a hairstylist. I did become one; I even quit that same 9-5 for an entire month to work in a corporate hair salon; the only problem with that was all the money I was earning was only enough to put gas in my car. So, I returned to the familiarity of working at my credit job. At least there, I had a steady check every two weeks.

I would continue to do hair out of my apartment. I even set up a little hair salon. However, I didn’t understand the concept behind marketing my business on social media and didn’t have it in my budget to pay anyone.

But fast forward back to me entering into coding school. I loved it. I could see myself getting a tech job, and was fully focused. They also offered an add-on marketing course. I paid for it, but I was determined to learn how to code websites before I would dive into the marketing course, or at least so I thought.
Well, I progressed through the coding modules, and they were great until they started to make my head hurt. LOL. Trying to figure out where your code broke is no easy task. But again, I was pushing forward. I began working on the modules where you would learn how to code a WordPress site, and I was all in until I kept feeling a nudge to move on to the marketing courses.

The nudge became so loud that I could no longer ignore it no matter how hard I tried, and it was there that I found my thing!

I completed the 3-month course in 1-month, and I began using the little
WordPress knowledge I had to start building out my website. By this time, I had also enrolled in a virtual assistant program that would teach me how to get started with my side hustle.

And I was determined. While building my website, my laptop died, but the determination still did not leave this time. By now, I would have taken it as my “sign” that it was time to give up because things were going wrong, but I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t give up.

I pushed through. I created most of my website on my iPad and launched my business in January 2021. In April 2021, I got my first client. And then I got another.

There was finally light at the end of the tunnel. This would finally be my way to quit that job that I despised. More opportunities started coming my way, and I knew I had to make this thing my full-time gig. After much prayer, in May 2022, I quit my 9-5, the one with the consistent pay, but it weighed heavy on my mental health.

I was scared. Very scared, actually. I hadn’t saved all the money you hear you should save before leaving a job; I had some, but not a lot. But I still did it; I still quit my job. God told me I could, so I took the biggest leap of faith I had ever taken and bet on myself. I went all in.

And I’m still here. Even with all the ebb and flow of being a business owner, I don’t intend to look back. I might pivot, but I’m not looking back. My business has just celebrated three years since I launched, and there’s so much joy.

Sonay , 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?

It was the right decision.

Most businesses, if not all, could greatly benefit from email marketing, but most of the time, they miss out on the benefits because they don’t want to do it. That’s where Sonay & Co. comes in. Make it simple, make it consistent, focus on connecting with your email list, and be human. This is really the secret sauce behind what I do.

I nail elevating brands with email marketing by ensuring the emails are on brand and focus on making the client the thought leader of their industry, whatever that may be. Dope email content only.

I love working with women-owned small businesses. I’m pretty much creating my own girl tribe. I love working with the owners because that’s where the passion is. Their passion behind what they started and the vision they’re attempting to achieve. I love being a part of the momentum. I love contributing my part to brands with powerful messaging and purpose.

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

I had to unlearn and am probably still unlearning how becoming a business owner is more than just creating a career and income; it’s a whole person experience. It’s hard work running a business, but the most challenging part of the journey thus far has been the requirement of how much deep work I had to do on myself in the process.

All those little insecurities that I pushed down over the years surfaced. And I had to deal with them. I had to work on who I am as a person to show up for Sonay & Co. I had to push through the negative self-talk and turn it into positivity. This can’t be faked. You actually have to do the work. Because all the odds are stacked against you, and if you want longevity, you have to be able to push past the insecurities, the doubts, and the negativity.

The only way to do it is to do the work. I love Jesus, and I love Therapy! They both go hand in hand with the work that I had to do on the inside of myself to show up day in and day out for my business. Business has introduced me to many firsts, and the uncertainty of it all can weigh heavily on you. I have a standing therapy appointment every two weeks, and I spend time reading my bible in my daily morning routine. This keeps my mental health in check and gives me the power to make big decisions and stay on my grind.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My character. You can’t fake your character. You can try, but the real you always show up. And how others speak of you when you are not in the room says a lot about you, and when I hear of how my customers, past and present, speak of my work, it lets me know that the essence of my character is speaking loudly.

I really care and take pride in the work I produce on behalf of my customers. And it shows. I love being a resource to them, collaborating with them, and being a consistent and reliable partner in helping them propel their missions forward. And they can attest to this as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sonayandco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonayandco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonayandco
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sonaywilliams

Image Credits
Shaleena Cole, LeoSage Images- https://leosageimages.com/