Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Toi Ames. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Toi, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I have learned that you can accomplish anything with vision and the right mindset.

Toi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Toi Ames is no stranger to entrepreneurship and small business struggles when marketing online. After failing to market her own business properly, Toi tried again in 2017 and launched Mink Lash Gang determined to learn as much as she could about marketing and branding.

After a year of success in business, Toi fell in love with campaign planning and content creation and decided to freelance as a social media manager. Being an entrepreneur herself, she was able to identify with her clients and understand their needs.

In 2020, Toi launched Marketing BAE, an a la carte digital marketing company specializing in social media marketing and brand development. Toi helps small business owners and startups create marketing and social media strategies that convert followers into buyers.

“Many small business owners are intimidated by social media, or they don’t know how to brand and market their businesses outside of their friends and family. I want to break that barrier.” Toi Ames

Working with Marketing BAE is always fun, creative, and supportive. Toi is committed to helping her clients develop their brand story, identify their target audience, create engaging content, and navigate the digital world.

Personally, Toi is a proud #boymom. She holds a Bachelor’s in Media Communications and a Master’s in Public Relations from Full Sail University. She resides in Houston, TX where she is growing the Marketing BAE brand and team.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I decided to drop out of college in 2012 after experiencing a very traumatic incident and financial hardships. I lost everything and was ready to give up on myself. I watched my friends graduate and walked into careers with little to zero resistance, while I battled major depression and felt like a complete failure.

After having my son in 2015, I had a wake-up call and knew something had to change. I wrestled with the idea of enrolling in school but I faced challenges every time I tried. I remember journaling and praying in 2018, I asked God to open the door for me to return to school and that fall I enrolled at Full Sail University. In 4 years I went from being a college dropout to receiving my Masters of Arts in Public Relations.

As a young, single mother, so many people told me that my life was over when I had my son. I remember friends at the time telling me that having a baby would slow me down and stop me from reaching my goals.

In reality, my son was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time. I was a confused 23-year-old with no idea of what I wanted for myself. He gave me purpose and caused me to focus. “She didn’t quit, and she never will” is how I started my bio on my website because it is the story of my life. I have faced financial hardship, death, and major losses, but I never quit and I never will.

I am now a 6 figure digital marketing strategist helping other women scale their businesses and create marketing strategies.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I like to call myself a side hustle-preneur because I have been able to turn all of my hobbies into successful side hustles.

I started freelancing as a social media manager in 2017. Businesses were starting to see the need for social media marketing but a lot of small businesses did not have large marketing budgets. Knowing this, I offered to work for little to nothing for small companies in order to network and gain experience.

In 2019, I got my first for-hire client and became a full-time social media manager. Within a year I became a full-time marketing manager building social media and digital campaigns for 3 companies. I took a step back from my marketing agency to move into a cooperate position as the digital marketing director for a law firm.

I am still working with smaller brands and am working on launching coaching services.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marketingbae.com
• Instagram: itsjust_toi themarketingbae_
• Linkedin: Toi Ames

Image Credits
The GATE Photography