Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Cindu Thomas-George, Founder of Shakti Diversity and Equity Training, located in Chicago, IL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Shakti Diversity and Equity Training is a boutique DEI and Anti-racism consulting firm. We are industry agnostic and service organizations across industries because DEI and anti-racism belong in every corner of every industry and in every organization.
Tell us about yourself
I am a daughter of Indian immigrants, a first-generation college student, and a dual-career working mother. My path into the DEI and anti-racism space was influenced by my own lived experiences of facing xenophobia, racism, ageism, and sexism.
Growing up in a predominately white community in the '80s and '90s, I experienced the wrong side of inclusion and experienced being othered for my difference from the early age of five, and that, unfortunately, continued to be the case when I started teaching in Higher Education as a young woman of color in my mid-twenties. It was my first-hand experiences of exclusion and marginalization that drew me to a career committed to disrupting the oppression and injustice that continues to occur in our workplaces and the larger society.
My motivation is rooted in my children and the idea that I can be an agent of change that allows them and other young people of color to feel a true sense of belonging and show up unapologetically as their authentic selves when they show up to their future schools, workplaces, and communities.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As a solopreneur, I learned early on that you can teach yourself almost anything. With that mentality, I learned how to design websites and designed my first website. For someone who is pretty low-tech, I find that to be a humongous accomplishment! My biggest accomplishment is that I have been instrumental in cultivating inclusive organizational cultures for my clients.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Find balance when you are stretched in every direction. Not sure if I ever find balance- in my experience, something will always have to give.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Surround yourself with a support system and with other entrepreneurs and share ideas/information/inspiration.
- Don't try to do everything by yourself- invest in your business and outsource talent to help your business grow.
- Work smarter, not harder.
- Invest in your business.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I believe every one of us has a responsibility to make our society more inclusive, more equitable, and more anti-racist. I encourage anyone reading this to figure out how YOU can contribute to making transformational change within your own communities.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.shaktitraining.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaktidiversityandequity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaktidiversityandequity/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindu-thomas-george/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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