According To This 'Fabulosity Coach,' Financial Success Is All About Intentionality
Money Talksis an xoNecole series where we talk candidly to real women about how they spend money, their relationship with money, and how they get it.
As the year comes to a close, I know many of us have been doing a lot of reflection on what we did and didn't do in order to reach certain goals. We have created to-do lists and vision boards, prayed on a daily basis, cut people off who hinder growth, signed up for masterclasses—the list goes on, honey! Whether you feel you have seen any progress or not, if you've done at least one of the things I listed, sis, you're doing a good job. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to have all of those amazing dreams and not put any action behind them.
In order to reach your goals and live a fabulous life, I spoke to the expert herself: Cheryl Grace. She's no stranger to corporate life and became a full-time "fabulosity coach" after more than 25 years climbing the corporate ladder. Cheryl knew she wanted to become the person to others that she felt she needed in her early 20s. In 2017, she created Powerful Penny, a lifestyle brand for women at work, in love, and at home.
Courtesy of Cheryl Grace
Through her platform, she empowers women to show up in all the areas of their life at work, in love, and at home, which equals the ultimate fabulosity. "There is this myth that women do not have any power when it comes to money," she said. "I named my company the Powerful Penny because people discount Black people, especially Black women, the same way we discount pennies. But what people forget to realize is that pennies add up. So, pennies can be powerful when you make the decision to collect them and not toss them away. You can do whatever you set your mind to when there is intention behind it."
In this installment of Money Talks, Cheryl talks about how trusting your gut, setting intentionality, and asking for help as the keys to being financially free.
On what she makes in a month:
"Powerful Penny was founded in 2017 and I started it as a side hustle. I went full-time starting at the top of 2021 and I generated $30,000 in the first month. My next goal is to make my first million within the year, so for me, March 2022 is my deadline to see if I reach my goal."
On pivoting to full-time entrepreneurship:
"I think the pandemic helped me. I know a lot of people went through challenges during 2020, and rightfully so. But for me, 2020 was my most productive year ever! I wasn't traveling like I usually do for work, so with the opportunity of staying still, I was able to focus on the products I wanted to create and the courses I wanted to teach. I was ready for a change. I was very intentional about moving out of corporate America into my new role."
On the definition of “wealth” vs “success”:
"I think everyone needs to define success for themselves. For some people, success is strictly monetary. They are trying to reach that six-figure-a-year job. For me, success is owning a cottage by the water. I've collected furniture and decor for the last 10 years and manifested my cottage, [which] for me is mainly a place where my family can gather and keep for generation after generation. Wealth, for me, is being able to build a legacy. Things you have accumulated and can pass on to the next generation is a priority."
On the lowest she has ever felt when it comes to money:
"The lowest I've ever felt when it came to money was when my car got repossessed. During that time, I was going through a divorce and it was a reality check that I could not depend on my then-starter husband to take care of things. I had to figure out how to take care of things myself. That was when I started being intentional about my financial choices instead of living in the moment."
On educating others on the importance of setting intention with money:
"Let's say a person walks up to you and they say they want to be rich. You question them and ask, 'What does being rich look like for you? How are you going to get there?' We have these big audacious goals for ourselves—which is great—but if we do not know how to take small bites or understand what it will actually take to get to our goal, then we are not setting intentions. We can't assume that we can think of big goals and expect them to come true just because we put them on our vision board. It's also about the actions you take and the choices you make to get there. We have to take things one bite at a time."
Courtesy of Cheryl Grace
"We can't assume that we can think of big goals and expect them to come true just because we put them on our vision board. It's also about the actions you take and the choices you make to get there."
On having multiple streams of income:
"I wanted to continue living the same lifestyle I was living when I was working in corporate. So right now, with the Powerful Penny, I have products and services. I have my journals, affirmation cards, online courses, and executive coaching sessions. A book called The Miracle Morning helped me figure out who my core client would be.
"At the end of the day, I make sure that I keep my products at affordable prices for my clients and consumers [in order] to sustain my multiple streams of income."
On unhealthy mindsets about money she had to let go of:
"A few years back, I had no problem dropping $2,000 to $4,000 on a handbag, but if you would have told me to drop that same amount into an investment product, that would have been another story. I really started to look at less material things and more at what was important for me internally. I started learning how to invest in myself and stop being afraid of what my reality looked like. How you organize your money in your purse says a lot about how you respect it."
"How you organize your money in your purse says a lot about how you respect it."
Courtesy of Cheryl Grace
On the money mantra she swears by:
"My mantra is always, 'Trust your gut.' I don't think a lot of women trust their gut when it comes to money."
For more about Cheryl Grace, follow her on Instagram @iamcheylgrace.
Featured image courtesy of Cheryl Grace
'K' is a multi-hyphenated free spirit from Chicago. She is a lover of stories and the people who tell them. As a writer, 9-5er, and Safe Space Curator, she values creating the life she wants and enjoying the journey along the way. You can follow her on Instagram @theletter__k_.
This Black Woman-Owned Creative Agency Shows Us The Art Of Rebranding
Rebranding is an intricate process and very important to the success of businesses that want to change. However, before a business owner makes this decision, they should determine whether it's a rebrand or an evolution.
That's where people like Lola Adewuya come in. Lola is the founder and CEO of The Brand Doula, a brand development studio with a multidisciplinary approach to branding, social media, marketing, and design.
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
Feature image courtesy
The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image courtesy
Beyoncé Doubles Down On Not Releasing Visuals For 'Renaissance' Or 'Cowboy Carter': 'The Music Is Enough'
While many people are still unpacking the CMAs shutting out Beyoncé'sCowboy Carteralbum, her cover story for GQ's October issue is now taking center stage. Beyoncé is shown rocking the big hair we've come to love in her country era, giving us queen realness as always.
In the interview, the multifaceted singer spoke about the two albums in the trilogy, Renaissance and Cowboy Carter, as well as her family. She also opened up about her exciting business ventures, such as her haircare brand Cécred and the launch of her whiskey, SirDavis, and why it's crucial for her to be more than just the face of her brands.
"There’s a huge contrast between the business journeys of men and women. Men often have the luxury of being perceived as the strategists, the brains behind their ventures. They’re given the space to focus on the product, the team, the business plan. Women, on the other hand, especially those in the limelight, are frequently pigeonholed into being the face of the brand or the marketing tool. It’s important to me to continue to take the same approach I have taken with my music and apply my learnings to my businesses," she said.
"I am here to change that old narrative. I’m here to focus on the quality. We took our time, and we did our research, and we have earned respect for our brand. I try to choose integrity over shortcuts. I’ve learned that true success isn’t about leaning on a name; it’s about crafting something genuine, something that can hold its own. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being revolutionary."
I know that's right Bey! Check out the highlights below:
On her daughter Blue Ivy being a creative.
I build my work schedule around my family. I try to only tour when my kids are out of school. I always dreamt of a life where I could see the world with my family and expose them to different languages, architecture, and lifestyles.
Raising three kids isn’t easy. The older they get, the more they become their own individuals with unique needs, hobbies, and social lives. My twins are God-sent. Parenting constantly teaches you about yourself. It takes a lot of prayer and patience. I love it. It’s grounding and fulfilling.
My kids come with me everywhere I go. They come to my office after school, and they are in the studio with me. They are in dance rehearsals. It’s natural that they would learn my choreography.
Blue is an artist. She has great taste in music and fashion. She is a fantastic editor, painter, and actress. She has been creating characters since she was three. She’s a natural, but I did not want Blue onstage. Blue wanted it for herself. She took it seriously and she earned it. And most importantly, she had fun! We all watched her grow more and more every night before our eyes.
On her decision to not provide visuals for "Renaissance" and "Cowboy Carter" albums.
I thought it was important that during a time where all we see is visuals, that the world can focus on the voice. The music is so rich in history and instrumentation. It takes months to digest, research, and understand. The music needed space to breathe on its own. Sometimes a visual can be a distraction from the quality of the voice and the music. The years of hard work and detail put into an album that takes over four years! The music is enough. The fans from all over the world became the visual. We all got the visual on tour. We then got more visuals from my film.
On being proud of the work she put into "Cowboy Carter."
I am proud of what I have been able to do, but I also recognize the sacrifices—mine and my family’s. There was a time when I was pushing myself to meet unrealistic deadlines, while not taking the time to enjoy the benefits of why I was working so hard. There aren’t many of us from the late ’90s who were taught to focus on mental health. Back then, I had little boundaries, and said yes to everything. But I’ve paid my dues a hundred times over. I have worked harder than anyone I know. And now I work smarter. In the end, the biggest reward is personal joy. Has what I created pushed others to think freely and believe in the impossible? If the answer to that question is yes, then that is the gift.
On legacy being her biggest motivator in business.
I get excited about love, legacy, and longevity. Do I love what I am trying to create for the love of it? I am discovering that legacy is the common denominator in all the businesses that I have done.
On protecting her family and her peace.
We live in a world of access. We have access to so much information—some facts, and some complete bullshit disguised as truth. Our children can FaceTime and see their friends at any given moment. My husband and I? We used calling cards and Skype when we were falling in love. I couldn’t afford the international hotel bills, so I literally would get international calling cards to call him. Just recently, I heard an AI song that sounded so much like me it scared me. It’s impossible to truly know what’s real and what’s not.
One thing I’ve worked extremely hard on is making sure my kids can have as much normalcy and privacy as possible, ensuring my personal life isn’t turned into a brand. It’s very easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family. No amount of money is worth my peace.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio