Gratitude, Growth, and Gumption

Thank you for your support as I embark on the journey of growing Strategy by Shelby into a true business. It’s been quite a journey already finding my footing following my untimely layoff last year. I am grateful to say that through a combination of support from my community and loved ones, I am finally beginning to establish a sense of momentum in this business that I hope to carry with me throughout the year ahead.

I attended a livestream earlier this weekend that was hosted by the Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity. CEO Keena M. Smith offered great advice on how to E.A.S.E. into the right mindset and actions to thrive as a business owner. But she also mentioned that as Black women heading into this year, we must take a step back from trying to save the world and finally focus on “drinking our water, getting our rest, and growing our businesses (sic).”

I definitely agree with Smith’s attitude toward how Black women business owners can stay happy and healthy as we face another four years of, well, who knows what. I would like to add that in addition to drinking my water, getting my rest, and growing my business, I offer that we may also let the lessons of the past illuminate the future.

Over the past month plus, inspired by the recommendations from the first installment of The Black Entrepreneur Book Club, I have read six titles that have helped me to evolve how I consider the psychology involved in advertising and marketing; take in the incredible stories of Black entrepreneurs who have achieved success on their own terms; and understand the historical context within which Black people have fought against oppressive structures and systems in their short lifetimes to rarely achieve a semblance of monetary success.

Without giving away too much, I am amped to showcase my reflections from these stories in the months ahead. I’ve given bite-sized reviews on my StoryGraph recently, but am eager to delve deeper into the context of these incredible books.

Additionally, I am eager to share my goals for the year ahead in a future post. Since having read Measure What Matters a few years ago, I’ve become a big believer in OKRs and sharing your goals in order to make it more likely for you to achieve them, so I am chomping at the bit to finally get my aspirations down on paper. The aforementioned WCEO is hosting a Make Your Mark! boot camp all about leveraging smart strategies to set a course for success. I am excited to attend through a scholarship from the incredible local gathering place, Zora’s House, and look forward to sharing my reflections after the event.

Finally, some encouragement: let’s embrace this year with a growth mindset and a heaping helping of gumption. Let’s do what we can to embrace the success we seek and help others to do the same. Let’s stare uncertainty in the face and say, “I’ve seen scarier things!” Let’s collaborate toward a future we can be excited about because we’ll have gotten to where we were supposed to be together. Let’s go!

Sincerely,

Shelby