We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Flowers recently and have shared our conversation below.
Vanessa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I think the biggest risk I ever took was quitting my job in 2019. I knew I wanted to do something more creative and felt the only way to achieve this was by leaving my role. I launched my own social media consulting business soon after, aimed at helping socially-conscious people and brands show up better online. I found clients through previous co-workers who knew my work and while organizing my community events, I would meet experts who needed help with their social media, so they’d hire me after they saw how successful I was at promotions and cultivating community. They’d ask me to do the same for them.
Speaking of cultivating community, I took a risk in 2022 by converting all of my community events to paid. I was nervous about whether people would stay interested but I remained hopeful because I know the value I’ve brought through curating safe spaces where women can discuss their mental health and wellness journeys and not feel alone. What I learned from this experience is that people love to contribute and paying is one way to do that. I also learned that while building community, it’s important to understand who your audience is, and that’s hard to do when everything is free. I’m grateful to have been recognized by Eventbrite for my community work. If I hadn’t left my job in 2019, I wouldn’t have taken the leap of faith to pursue my own thing and continue to trust that my community work will pay off in the end.
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’m Vanessa Liliana Flowers, a super creative, innovative, and caring professional. I currently work as a social media consultant helping individuals and brands tell their unique stories online. I also love bringing people together, so I build community by curating unique and timely events that empower women to take better care of their mental health and overall well-being. I wear many hats – literally and figurately because I like to spice things up and believe my creativity comes naturally! At 14 I wrote, directed, filmed, and produced my first documentary about the Black storefront churches in Chicago which earned me an NAACP ACT-SO Award, 1st place in the state History Fair and more awards.
At 24, I created an online magazine featuring articles about fashion, health, and events in NYC.
At 30, I built a community in Chicago, Flower Girls Meet, teaming up with a variety of experts and curating mental health and wellness events for Chicago women. 8 years later there are 500+ women subscribed to my newsletter and women aged 20-40+ attend my events every two months. I’ve also worked in various industries – from multicultural advertising to music touring and academia – you name it, I understand how to market to different groups of people.
Now at 38, I’m looking to take Flower Girls Meet to the next level by becoming the go-to digital platform for educating, empowering, and supporting women on their mental health and wellness journeys. It is also my goal to continue working with organizations that are doing great work by building community and prioritizing wellness.
Whether I’m coming up with interesting content, whipping up a new recipe, organizing events, or filming something, being real and focusing on telling unique stories is my passion. It’s healing for me and I know it is for others too.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe my understanding that everyone is looking to be seen, heard, and inspired has helped me cultivate community. We heal when we share our stories and unpack what’s bothering us. This is at the core of what helps us build resilience! I’ve continued to show up with timely events and topics that allow for open conversation and authenticity. I believe this has resulted in building a good reputation within my market. I also believe the world has shifted because of the pandemic, so people are fed up with being mistreated and want spaces that offer them the opportunity to express themselves and heal.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
If I could go back, I would probably pursue being a TV Producer because that’s really what I wanted to do. I create mini-productions now with my events, but I love telling stories and documenting other people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vanessalflowers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessalflowers/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessalflowers/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/flowergirlsmeet/ – My community group’s Instagram
Image Credits
Photo credit in order of upload: – Vanessa Flowers headshots by Flavia Borges http://www.fruttihatfilms.com/ – Melina Morales Photography (2nd & 3rd upload) – Rena Captures https://www.renanaltsas.com/ & Carmen Henry http://www.carmenhenry.