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

Vannesia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

“I can’t retire from here.”

It was the third day working at my dream company when I figured out that my plan of climbing the idolized corporate ladder in the Gospel music industry was crumbling – quickly. It had only been 72 hours and I already bumped into a few glass ceilings and red tape at the second largest music conglomerate in the world. I stood in my office realizing that I signed a year long lease in my brand new apartment. I did not have any money to break a lease and resolved that I would be working at the job for at least a year. I ended up staying for two years, but that single thought was the seed that would eventually grow my faith into believing that I could start my business.

Starting a remote marketing and consulting company was never the goal. It was more-so believing that God had more for me than I ever envisioned for myself. If you ask any entrepreneur, they’ll tell you that growing into the person who has to carry the weight of a business on their shoulders is a tough, ongoing process. Me thinking “I can make more money,” “My time is up here,” and “I don’t want to be at this job anymore,” where subtle inclinations that if I could take accountability for my talent while working for someone else, I could help others do the same in my own business.

I started MOXIE Nashville in graduate school and it was supposed to be a temporary transition. I was already working in digital marketing and always freelanced on the side, but I did not know the language of consulting. I just knew that after people talked to me, they would leave empowered and ready to work on their businesses. It took me a while to find the business model that worked for me.

Nine years after my initial realization in my office and five years running a business full time, I know how imperative it was for me to transition into entrepreneurship in order to help others. I absolutely love the opportunities my business affords me and I’m grateful for my time working full time in the Gospel industry. I truly believe that THIS is a business I can retire from.

Vannesia, 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?

I got my start in the entertainment industry through music. A classically trained pianist, I decided I wanted to be in the music industry after I saw one of my high school friends produce a song on Garageband in our music technology class. Back then, “Digital Marketing” was coined as “New Media,” and (like the name entails), it was still relatively new. Even though I helped my friends code their MySpace pages and made my own ringtones on my home computer, it never dawned on me to start a career in digital marketing.

While in college, I interned for an independent production company and then took an internship at the global record company, EMI. After graduation, I became a marketing assistant before returning back to the same label I once interned for, now under Universal Music Group. I worked in digital marketing and managed the internship program before pivoting and starting my own creative consulting agency, MOXIE Nashville. My team and I handle social campaigns for entertainment industry clientele, SAAS companies, retail brands and music artists. We also have merchandise and on demand courses and templates. I oversaw all operations and client work full time, and re-entered the corporate world as a Digital Marketing Manager for Shondaland one month shy of our 6-year anniversary.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I am constantly unlearning! The hardest thing that comes with being a business owner is redefining what balance means to you and finding systems that accommodate your lifestyle. My hunger, coupled with a lack of self-care, got the best of me when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune issue about three years into my entrepreneurship journey. Although not debilitating, it forced me to slow down and become selective with my work. I had to evaluate what services we offered, our ideal client, and more. As entrepreneurs and high performers, we don’t always discuss the physical toll that ambition can have on the body – especially when you work in fast-paced industries.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My reputation was actually built from producing consistent and quality work. For the first six years, I never advertised or pitched in my business – all my clients were referrals. I worked in the entertainment industry for three years prior to starting my business and interned for two years. Those five years laid the foundation for me to have clients almost immediately starting my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://vannesiadarby.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vannesiadarby/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vannesiadarbyllc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vdarby/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vannesiadarby
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vannesiadarby
• Other: MOXIE Nashville Instagram: @moxienashville Facebook Page: MOXIE Nashville LinkedIn: MOXIE Nashville Website: moxienashville.com

Image Credits
Danielle Shields Photography (images Vannesia Darby – Danielle Shields Photography 1, Vannesia Darby – Danielle Shields Photography 2, Vannesia Darby – Danielle Shields Photography 3, Vannesia Darby – Danielle Shields Photography 4, Vannesia Darby – Danielle Shields Photography 5) Brent Isenberger / AMA Iowa (Vannesia Draby AMA Iowa)