Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sonia Russell, co-founder, and CEO of BlackFULLness, located in Oakland, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
BlackFULLness is a mindfulness app created for and by Black people for culturally relevant stress reduction and healing justice, and while we are definitely focused on the Black Experience, we are not exclusionary...everyone needs what we are offering. Being Black is stressful, but inner peace is real. Our app has your back, and you can get your mind right in under 15 minutes a day.
Tell us about yourself
For 20 years, I have managed a successful event production and consulting business for high-tech events. With COVID, event planning became a side hustle, and I now focus my time, energy, and creativity on something that not only changed my life but I know has the power to positively affect Black folks all over. Getting BlackFULLness to the world is the perfect integration of my life purpose and what I am passionate about. As a single mother, a licensed New Thought Minister, and an entrepreneur, I am daily focused on what it takes to be spiritually grounded, a successful business owner, and a general badass.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Starting another business, as I watched 20 years of work and planning grind to a halt, made me realize that the rules have all changed and that I indeed had the skills, the drive, the intelligence, and the ability to collaborate that it would take to be successful in the startup world. We have been able to get more than 20 people to put sweat equity into BlackFULLness, all because they are inspired and believe in the cause. My biggest accomplishment is believing that I had the capacity to do what I am doing now!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Being a Black woman entrepreneur is more than a notion. The hard work and success are real, but so is being underestimated and undervalued. It can also be a lonely road...feeling as if no one else truly understands the struggle. There often do not seem to be enough hours in the day to not only be creative and work on the part of the business you love but ensuring that the business end of the affairs is being handled is no small feat.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Never underestimate the value of help, you can only go so far alone, and you'd be amazed how many folks really want to give back; community and support networks are everything.
- If you think you want to start your own business to "not have to work so hard" or "to not have to deal with difficult people," then keep your job. I have never worked harder or dealt with more crazy people. And self-care is a must to ensure you keep your mind right.
- If you are the smartest person at the table, find another seat. Be willing to grow and improve and expand. It's possible to be teachable and humble and still be a badass. Seek out those who know more than you and be curious.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.blackfullness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackfullness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblackfullness/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soniaraye
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniarussell/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.