• Everybody asks you about dating. I want to ask you about business. You've laid a business blueprint for other socialites, by starting the S.Adams Collection,  AFTER7 THE LABEL clothing brand, and your SimplySheneka blog, so I wanted to start there. What came first? Was it the entrepreneur, the socialite? Or was it a combination of both? 

I can honestly say that it was a combination of both because at the time that I was socializing (2009), I was also building a brand to further my entrepreneurial dreams. Around 2012 is when I started my S.Adams Collection hair brand, and then from there AFTER7 & SimplySheneka were born from the groundwork laid. Everything flowed together.

  • Where did your drive really come from?

From my childhood & my upbringing. I knew since the time I was six years old that I wanted to pretty much be my own boss (laughs). I didn't grow with a silver spoon in my mouth so everything came from hard work. I appreciate those lessons, because it allowed me to grow and understand myself more.

  • Do you think it's easier now to make it as an online business owner than it was when you were first starting?

Absolutely. There are so many free resources available now vs back then. With the rise of online businesses, a lot of things have become easily accessible. But although they are accessible, being a business owner is still a lot of hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

 

 

  • Who is SimplySheneka's competition?

Nobody (laughs).

  • How would you explain the typical workday? 

I wake up, stretch and have some tea. I then get on my phone & computer and check emails & all the socials, while preparing to post the content that's needed for the day. Most of the content that I post, I try to create in bulk so that it's scheduled out for the week pretty much. After that, I usually have scheduled girl chat calls with women from my SimplySheneka blog. I usually do about one to two of these a day. After that, I try to get a workout in and then get back to creating content and making sure everything is flowing. All of my businesses pretty much run themselves, because I've structured them that way. So all that really has to be done after the technical work in the mornings, is making sure the content is aligned with each brand.

  • How important is it for you as a business owner to plan? 

It's VERY important because it keeps you organized. Especially when you have multiple businesses, sometimes it can get overwhelming. I keep a little journal where I write things down or I use my notes app to keep everything structured. I am a very organized person as it is, and I can't stand disorder (laughs) so this is a huge stickler for me.

  • I'm going to read you something from your twitter saying, Investing in myself, always. In what ways do you invest in yourself? 

By making sure that I have the time & resources to keep myself uplifted, healthy, and moving forward. The thing I love about being an entrepreneur is you're creating the opportunity to buy your time. As a woman, time is the most valuable thing that we have, and for me I want to be able to utilize that as much as possible. Not only to inspire, but to continue to evolve more into the woman I want to be.

  • As an entrepreneur, do you have any past financial failures? 

Yes but I can honestly say it was very small & I quickly learned from that mistake. I have learned to be financially responsible and I'm thankful for this, because not a lot of people can say that.

  • What did you learn from your financial losses? 

Don't allow ego and shame to cloud your judgment. If you don't understand something, speak up, seek the knowledge or simply ask for clarification. Don't be a know it all when you don't know it all (laughs). I think a lot of us have a fear of looking ignorant so we don't ask for help, but that is the wrong way to go about things. You could never look ignorant for asking for help, that is the smartest thing that you can do.

  • What are you going to tell somebody who has a business, maybe they don't know about saving money too well? 

If you're an entrepreneur, you have to secure your own life insurance and retirement. It's imperative to make smart financial choices by investing into products that safely secure your future. The main goal is being responsible so that you're able to enjoy the good life, especially as you get older. Nothing will give you a better peace of mind than knowing your hard work and the money you make is being safely & securely invested so that you can enjoy life with ease. Instead of being frivolous with money, be smart so you never have to worry. 

 

 

  • How are you saving money right now? 

Right now I have my money invested into an IUL that Women Financial Power helped me set up. As an entrepreneur, this is the BEST thing you can do for yourself. Not only does my retirement plan give me security for my future, I also receive 6% interest on my money invested (a bank savings account only gives you 0.01%), I don't lose money if the stock market loses money, and I'm accumulating cash value that I can use to be my own banker. The best part about this is, when I borrow my own money, I pay it right back to myself, and I get paid interest on my own money, no middle man. It doesn't get any better than this (laughs).

 

  • What are your favorite ways to utilize the WomenFinancialPower financial consulting agency and its resources? 

As an entrepreneur I’m not afraid to say I didn’t know all of my options. Although business is good, it’s not my retirement fund. So my favorite way to use WomenFinancialPower is for financial literacy. Working with Women Financial Power really helped me plan for my future. I safely save my money, I have income that will last my entire life and a cash account that’s growing tax-deferred. Women Financial Power took the time to explain, show me options and sent me fun videos to help me learn more on each topic. I even have long-term care, and a tax-free legacy for my heirs in my plan. There is no way I can lose. Working with Women Financial Power has given me the ultimate peace of mind that I’ve always needed with saving money.

 

 

  • What motivates you to keep wanting to grow? 

What keeps me motivated is realizing that most of the time, suffering is a choice. I can choose to be happier, so why not? Also knowing it'll improve my life tenfold. I love having a life filled with unconditional forever love with myself, my significant other, peace of mind and abundance. Every goal I have brings me closer to that.

 

  • I want to end this interview by asking for your definition of success. 

Success to me is owning my time, continuing to learn & grow so that I can keep moving forward, no matter what. But the best thing of all is having mental, spiritual and emotional peace within. This isn't something you can buy.

 

Learn more about Women Financial Power:

 https://womenfinancialpower.com/plans-for-entrepreneurs

https://www.instagram.com/womenfinancialpower/

IG: @avirgoworld

 

 

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