SANTANA GLOBAL MAY/JUNE | VOL. 2 ISSUE 5 Magazine get to know CA'SHAWN ELLIS THE TRUTH BEHIND HER SUCCESS
Author Spotlight The Fairy Dance Ny’Asia Mercer Amethyst was a gorgeous fairy that loved to dance. She was determined to believe she could dance and She wore a white dress with a gold shimmer on it, and cause the flowers to grow again. No one in the gold sparkling shoes on her feet. Her wings were gold community believed it would work. One man yelled with white spots and a touch of red on them. out “We came here for a child”? Another yelled out Amethyst was known as the dancing fairy. She lived in “This will never work”! Then all the people began to a small village in France. It was a beautiful village laugh. This made Amethyst very sad. She cried on where everyone knew each other, and they were very her mom’s lap and said why doesn’t anyone believe friendly. The village had beautiful flowers everywhere in me momma? Her mother told her it is ok if no one for miles long. There were lilies, sunflowers, tulips, believes in you, (in a firm voice) ALWAYS roses, and any other flower you could think of. It was REMEMBER THAT I BELIVE IN YOU! Now, wipe your such a happy place to live. tears and go dance. Show this small village the One day Amethyst became very sad, she noticed that power of dancing. the flowers that used to be so beautiful to look at, Amethyst wiped her tears and began to smile again. were all starting to die. The village has not had any She was so encouraged by what her mother said but rain for a long time and the flowers were starting to still not very confident as she once was. She decided lay over because they were so thirsty. The people in to dance for her regular flowers around her house the village tried to water them as much as they could, first to see if the dancing would help them to grow. It but it didn’t seem to be helping. Amethyst didn’t know worked, it worked, she shouted. The flowers are what to do to help save the flowers. She came up with growing. As she yelled with joy some of the fairies in a plan to dance for the flowers just like her town came running over to see what all the yelling grandmother used to. She said to herself that is a was about. They saw her flowers standing straight up great idea! I will dance for them, and I know, they will and looking beautiful as if nothing ever happened to grow stronger than ever. Amethyst went to her them. The people were amazed at what they saw. mother and asked if she could call a town meeting so They all apologized to Amethyst and asked her if she she could tell everyone her great idea. At the town could do the fairy dance around town so all the meeting she told the people she could try dancing for flowers can grow back, and their village can be the flowers and maybe it would help them grow. She beautiful again. Amethyst smiled and said YES! She continued saying, my grandmother used to dance for danced all around town and watched all the flowers the flowers in this same community and it has helped grow back full of life. Everyone was so happy, they them to grow. I love dancing and I think the same thanked Amethyst for bringing the power of dancing anointing is on my life that my grandmother had on and life back to their community. They even blessed hers. The anointing to make things grow through her with sparkled pink slippers. dance! Amethyst grew up in church with her grandmother all her life, until her grandmother passed away. She saw her grandmother dance for hours causing things to grow and making people happy. SANTANA GLOBAL MAGAZINE | 2
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Editor’s Note Matthew S. Santana Jr. Editor-in-Chief Email: [email protected] Website: www.SantanaGlobal.com Welcome to Santana Global Magazine whether you are a first time or a regular reader we appreciate you taking time out to read our magazine. Santana Global Magazine is literally yours it has been developed and produced with you in mind. Our production team is a dedicated group of marvelous individuals who are truly the heart of Santana Global . It’s their dedication, passion, and talent that keeps students invested in the learning process. March is Women's History Month, and the theme is \"Providing Healing, Promoting Hope. It's a tribute to the ongoing work of caregivers and frontline workers during the pandemic and recognition of all of the ways women have provided both healing and hope throughout history. It's a time to highlight women's achievements and discuss continuing and emerging women's empowerment and gender equality issues and concerns, challenges, and commitments. As we are mindful of women across the world, take time to celebrate the women who are in your life. Spotlight the women who have nurtured you and made your life better. Honor the women in your life that have been role models and stood in the gap to pray for you and give you their much-needed wisdom. Each issue Promotes Your Business, Brand, Product, or Service in our National Magazine with an International reach! Santana Global Magazine is positioned to help you Elevate & Dominate in the Marketplace. Get the visibility you need & level up. We believe in transparency and treat our valued audience Santana with the respect they deserve. We’re always interested to Global Magazine receive feedback and constructive criticism about our pieces, as that helps us develop better material in the SANTANA GLOBAL MAGAZINE | 4 future. Our goal is as we learn more each day and get a Global reach with you. So please take the challenge and submit your articles, poems and creative writing pieces etc… We love to hear from you so send us your comments, queries, and suggestions. We are here for you. Love as always Santana Global Team.
Nadia Lindsey Francois, Marketing & Sales Director Nadia Lindsey Francois is a serial Entrepreneur, International Best-Selling Author and award-winning Business Strategist. The Louisiana native began her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 19 and has used her experiences and knowledge to help other business owners start and grow their ventures. In 2020, this trailblazer stepped out on faith and became the channel owner of What’s Your Super Power TV (WYSP), which also houses her talk-show by the same title on Exposure TV Network downloadable on all smart devices. Nadia continues to enhance her digital footprint with Power Conversations Magazine & Podcast which are additional extensions of her digital media empire that caters to entrepreneurs and their advancement. WYSP Digital Media currently offers tv streaming, book publishing, social media management and more business development services. This goal-getter contributes her success to grace and mercy. Her number one assignment is being the mother and sole provider for her four sons, the driving force behind her persistent hustle and diligent pursuit of greatness. She uses her life experiences and the outreach of other mentors and professionals to empower our women, children and entrepreneurs to become successful, confident, self-sufficient members of society. Learn more at www.whatsuperpower.com Top 5 sales *Always Show Up and Show Up Consistently!! motivational *Maintain a Positive Mindset! tips: *Write the strategy, set realistic goals and work your plan!! *Make business decisions with a clear and sound mind. *Be confident in your product and the value it brings and so will the consumer. SANTANA GLOBAL MAGAZINE | 5
Victoria Y. Mercer ictoria Y. Mercer was born in Queens, New York, to the late Mrs. Willie V Mae Moore, her loving and wonderful mother. She moved to Red Visibility Outreach Springs, North Carolina to help take care of her grandmother the late Coordinator Katie Johnson. She later received Jesus as her Lord and savior in 2002, where she was fire baptized, Holy Ghost filled and walks in the full authority and power of the Holy Spirit. To further her walk on her new life journey she enrolled into Bible College at Christian Outreach Bible Institution (COBI) in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Where she later graduated with her bachelor’s in religious education. As she matured in her walk with Christ, God blessed her to marry the love of her life Tyrone Mercer Jr. in June 2012 and through their union they have a beautiful daughter named Ny'Asia. In November of 2014 Victoria was appointed to the office of Prophetess. Where she walks in the flow and anointing of the prophetic. Victoria attends Victory of Worship Ministries in Fayetteville, North Carolina under the headship of Apostle Ronnie L. Owens and Pastor Pamela Owens. She stands on the word in Romans 8:28 that “all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” The one thing that she does know: that every trail and storm she has encountered in her life has worked for His Glory and made her the woman of God that she is today. It has brought her to a place of completion and wholeness. She no longer has to worry about who she is or who's she is, but to Walk Victoriously in the realm of the spirit she is called to be. Victoria is the Visibility Outreach Coordinator at Santana Global Magazine. She handles press releases, creates marketing materials, negotiates with third- party vendors, finalizes event schedules, and recruit volunteers as needed. She makes meaningful connections with the people that she encounters. Her role as a visibility outreach coordinator is a very rewarding role that brings many opportunities to help vulnerable people to improve their quality of life, achieve their goals, and make a real and positive difference in their lives. She acts as a spokesperson for Santana Global Magazine, organizing media events, creating awareness about the magazine, and promoting its presence to the community through marketing and advertising. Victoria’s main area of ministry is to encourage people of all ages to be who God has called them to be. Reminding them that no matter what age you are you can become who GOD has called you to be. Victoria Y, Mercer SANTANA GLOBAL MAGAZINE | 6
Table of Contents 09 Aspire to Inspire 25 Global Leadership & Business 49 Global Fitness 54 Global Feature 59 Global Music 67 Global Events
Table of Contents 75 Global Awareness 85 Soul Writers Network 102 THE C.U.R.E.
Global Contributing Writers Chanelle Jeff Rosa Lawson Releford White EUGENIA Jennifer Carl YVETTE Williams Weatherspoon Jr.
Global Contributing Writers Deborah Linda Valerie C. Cooper McDowell Thompson CLARENCE Kevette Minor Yvonne SMITH Kane Pinkston
12 LIVING HEALTHIER—FROM THE Global Fitness INSIDE Rosa White 15 Who is Carl Weatherspoon Jr. Carl Weatherspoon Jr.
LIVING HEALTHIER— FROM THE INSIDE By Rosa White After the passing of each of my siblings, I began Total Body Fitness with Rosa LLC focusing more on my own health. I joined a gym, started walking five days a week, and visited my Diabetes and other health complications is a serious matter. medical, dental, and other specialty doctors on a It hit me close to home, as my family disease history is of regular basis. Although I was working on high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Since I becoming a healthier self from the inside, I was did not want to become a statistic, practicing lifestyle feeling a void. I felt that I was not doing enough to exercising and eating habits is a must for me. Being help my family, friends, neighbors, and others in “proactive” instead of reactive about my overall health and my community to ensure that they took their wellness is more than just words to me, it is a passion. health seriously. I have always been physically active from the beginning of I made a decision to advocate for others to start middle school playing basketball, softball, cheerleading and on a healthier journey; taking proactive steps to running track. My friends participated in these activities, so live their healthiest lifestyle. I started a personal it was a way for me to socialize and connect with my friends. fitness business and invited others to join me I was more focused on having fun with my friends, than on exercising. I offer cardio, strength training, fitness my health or being concerned about my weight. classes to help those with underlying health issues and fitness and nutrition tips. Growing up, I would hear conversations from various adult family members about taking medications for high blood FITNESS TIP: Perform any form of exercise 3 to 4 pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, but I just took them days a week for at least 30 minutes. It helps to be stories that didn’t pertain to me. I didn’t ask questions control your weight, lower blood pressure, and because I didn’t see how this would impact me and my life. improve heart health, improves your mental That soon changed. I never thought this would happen. health and mood, improve your quality of sleep and much more…. During my early teen years, my father’s leg was amputated up to his knee, because of complications of “sugar”, which is Believe me…. exercising does not come easy for what they referred to as diabetes at the time. Many years me. Even though, I do not dislike working out and later, my youngest brother coincidentally had to have one of have a passion and purpose to LIVE healthier, it is his legs amputated up to his knee for the same health reason. not always easy for me to stay consistent. There Needless to say, this was very traumatic for myself and my are mornings I want to just sleep in, but I family, especially my brother who was also suffering with remember my WHY. To not become a complications from PTSD. generational statistic and to LIVE my HEALTHIEST life! As the years passed, I felt I was losing siblings every year. Our family’s first loss was my oldest brother with nomadic | 24 complications from high blood pressure, then my middle brother from high blood pressure, then my youngest sister Join me and together, let’s Live Healthier from from high blood pressure and high cholesterol and then my The Inside! youinntgheessptotblirghotther from high blood pressure and diabetes. Santana Global Magazine l 51
LIVING HEALTHIER—FROM THE INSIDE DID YOU KNOW? According to National Diabetes Statistics Report, out of 37.3 million Americans— about 1 in 10—have diabetes. For adults with diagnosed diabetes, 69% had high blood pressure, and 44% had high cholesterol. Santana Global Magazine l 50
Carl Weatherspoon Jr. Carl Ivy Weatherspoon Jr. is an educator, entrepreneur, and community advocate, currently serving his hometown of Gary, Indiana. Ever inspired by possibilities, Carl prides himself on growth, innovation, and athleticism; which is evident in his most recent entrepreneurial ventures, Supa Sportz LLC, and Stack it up—a robotic weight stacker bound to revolutionize the health and wellness industry. Carl began developing his leadership skills as the oldest of four siblings, and he continued to develop them on the court and field. Carl, affectionately known as “Spoon,” graduated from the historic Gary Roosevelt High School, where he lettered in four sports. He went on to play at Purdue University where he lettered in two sports, Baseball and track. Carl earned dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Computer Technology and Liberal Arts. He also has an Associate’s Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. Those academic experiences led him to opportunities in professional and independent sports with the Gary Rail cats. He also has experience in corporate America with Gateway Business Systems, and Bluegreen Corporation. Santana Global Magazine l 53
19 EugeniaYvette Global Awareness 21 Journey to Tranquility Matthew S. Santana Jr. 27 Plan It Bunni 30 What Inspired Me Olljuwan Bates
➡️Click to get your tickets. https://BlackAmericaMovie.Eventbrite.com Trailer for #BlackAmerica ! This film is Inspired by True Events, and will have you on the edge of your seat, waiting on what will happen next. After a troubled felon’s brother is gunned down by a white officer, he is forced to face the harsh realities that he may be the cause of his brothers death. He contemplates whether to seek revenge or to let fate decide. Are all cops bad? Or will this felon make a decision that could ruin his life before he finds out for himself?
www.eugeniayvette.com Email: [email protected] Facebook: Eugenia Yvette Instagram: eugeniayvette Twitter: eugenia_yvette EugeniaYvette grew up in Panama Central America; but, is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. She is the proud mother of six children of promise and destiny. The motivation behind her \"EMOTIONAL WELLNESS\" conferences comes from her personal journey as a woman, mother, visionary, and realization of the need to be emotionally well. As a visionary, she advocates \"EMOTIONAL WELLNESS\" with the realization that the lack of, will causes dysfunction in every facet of one’s life. And also, moving forward without being healed and set free from the inside out will not lead to growth in the right direction. After having made several decisions that caused unfulfilled relationships, she stopped and performed a self-evaluation. Upon completion, she realized that an \"EMOTIONAL DETOX\" was necessary; and, that she needed to allow God to deliver her from herself! Once she removed herself, God unleashed the vision, and made the vision a reality which speaks to the unhealed emotional person ready to acknowledge the need for \"EMOTIONAL WELLNESS\". I am Eugenia Yvette I offer steps to emotional wellness. Have you ever felt overwhelmed with life's challenges or daily tasks? If you have answered yes then I have some information that I would love to share with you after this event. It is important that we cleanse our emotions regularly in order to transform our lives. Emotional cleansing is an ongoing process and I would love to share some tips and techniques with you. Please don't allow stress and unforgiveness to dictate your life. When we allow negativity to dictate our lives then our mind, body, soul, and spirit can become a habitat in which disease is more likely to flourish. I am Eugenia Yvette and I thank you for your time. My vision is to help individuals have balance in their life by being emotionally whole through self-examination and forgiveness. Santana Global Magazine l 79
M Matthew Santana is a Transitional Empowerment Life Coach with a A strong track record in helping people. He is a 6x best-selling author T of six books entitled Evolution of a Queen: A Woman of Color, T Rebirth of a Woman: Discover Unspoken Secrets, I am the Voice: An H Advocate for the Voiceless, Homeboys II Blood, Fearless, and from E Trauma and Drama to Truth which all inspire and empower others. W He is also the owner of a non-profit Infinite Power Project which S uplift in expanding your mind by following a creative process and A taking steps to shift mindset. He helps you by creating a vision of N the future that you want and support you on your journey of T transformation. He has a process that is clear path that will take you A on a quest from where you are, to where you want to be with a 6- N step process called Journey to Tranquility. This will assist you in A your journey with Transitional Empowerment Through Healing Affirmations. Journey to Tranquility With these steps you can learn the process of forgiveness and heal In this moment I am safe. for the past. By changing your fixed mindset to a growth mindset. I Believe in me. No longer ‘want’ and ‘should’ and Make room for the ‘I will’ and ‘I can’. I release any resistance within me. You can talk all you want but until you do it you do not really know what the experience is like. I deserve all that is good. I release the past and live only Matthew Santana Jr. Transitional Empowerment Coach in the present. My mind is filled with loving Infinite Power Project www.infinitepowerproject.com positive thoughts. anchor.fm/walkinginthelightpodcast I am free. Today will be another successful day. I'm on my journey to tranquility. Santana Global Magazine l 80
Bunni is a young entrepreneur that has finally branched off and formulated her own business as of 2023 ! She has been in the background events since 2016. She began building events from the ground up in 2016 while in college. Her first event that she coordinated was a hair expo in Murfreesboro, TN. She now is open to coordinating any events from professional / office meetings to discreet & private adult parties. If you can stand it, let Bunni plan it. CONTACT US Facebook: Bunni Bunn Instagram:plan.it.buni
������������Time to start the conversation and heal. We all have a story to tell. ✊������Is fear holding you back? ✊������Have you been in a toxic relationship? ✊������Have you been raped or molested? ✊������Have you had thought of suicide? ✊������Have you struggled with low self esteem? ✊������Do you suffer from generational curses? ✊������Do you suffer from family trauma? ✊������Do you want to break your silence and heal? This book will encourage women and give them their power back. Included is referenced material, questions to help you understand your mental wellness & so much more, I am encouraging all women to be strong, bold, and empowered! There is power in your Voice! Tell your story of healing, empowerment, survival. Everyone has a story. It might or might not be a love story. It could be a story of dreams, friendship, hope, survival or even death. And every story is worth telling. But more than that, it’s worth living. In the end, we always regret the choices we didn't make, the love we didn't accept & the dreams we didn't fight for. Infinite Power Project www.infinitepowerproject.com Call The National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7322(SAFE). Everyone deserves a life free of abuse.������
What Inspired Me? By: Olijuwan Bates Hello, my name is Olijuwan Bates, but I go by the moniker Lacy as an artist. I like to draw, dance, and even make videos. When it comes to art, I like anything that allows me to use my talents. What also Aspire made was reading manga and manga is a Japanese comic book which you can read from right to left and that's how they typically read their books out in Japan and I can never forget the artist named Akira Toriyama. Akira Toriyama is the swole creator of Dragon Ball Z and watching his show and reading his manga really really influenced me to fall in love with the Jaro as we call an anime an anime is just short for animation in Japan which is a pretty cool fun fact. I never really thought about going to school for art I was always told that art never made enough money for being an art teacher you wouldn't make no money and now that I'm 30 years old I sit back and think wow the ones who told me that I couldn't make money in Ark were so wrong because now today we have the technology we have social media to help brand ourselves even further even quicker I could go and post a piece of art and get noticed by whoever for example Kid Cudi or freaking Steve Harvey could see my art and just say \"hey I'm going to share it \" and that could bring in a whole bunch of followers on to my page or they could potentially buy my art and this is me just saying this because I've seen it done before Instagram is my favorite place to go there are so many artists on Instagram it's ridiculous and I love it because I go on different content creators' pages and I get it very very heavily motivated because these people's artwork is simply amazing it fires me up and it makes me want to just pick up the pin grab my tablet and just create something and it's not a competition it's the joy is the love that I get from it and I can tell when I look at other people art is not all I need to make money is because they love doing this we live when we breathe this is the passion. @lacyyumi_arts
First Steps to Getting Started with Global Business & Leadership 37 forming a Business Jennifer N Williams 40 Digital Marketing Matthew S. Santana Jr.
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Secret life of A business woman KCLASSY STYLEZ Hey my name is Kesha @kclassystylez on Instagram. I am a 20-year-old upcoming braider located in Nashville, TN. I specialize in Knotless braids with prices started off at $150 and could go up to $300 depending on size & length. I also do other styles such as soft locs , butterfly locs men braids and more.. K ES H A Book Now www.kclassystylez.com Santana Global Magazine l 70
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First Steps to Getting Started with forming a Business 1. Create a unique business name 2. Incorporate your business or form an LLC (Limited Liability company) 3. Apply for a federal Employer Identification Number, which is a nine-digit number the IRS uses to identify businesses for tax purposes. Think of it as your company’s Social Security number. 4. Open a business bank account in your legal business name. 5.Set up a dedicated phone line in your business name and make sure it is listed. 6. Register with Dun & Bradstreet to get your D-U-N-S Number, which is short for Data Universal Numbering System. It establishes your company’s D&B credit file and serves as a business identifier. 7. Register with 411 8. Get a business website 9. List on google, Bing, yelp, Facebook business page, and Instagram business page Once you’re all set up with a registered business, you can start building your credit score. Call Us to help you get started!! All In One Tax Services has business packages and we can also customize a package for your business needs. We have available Offappointments this week. Call us to book your appointment (219)206-2415. www.alln1taxjw.com
Bring Voices to Life I started voice overs/voice acting in 2011. My showcase my voice acting and voice overs voice is deep-toned and definitive or it can be for various projects and productions from sociable and mellow. My passion is to bring what people hear to life. Whether it's through the past,present and future.Feel free to radio,film,television,animation, video games contact me if you need a voice for anything you're working on or creating. Thank you! and/or characters. Bookings and Inquiries Do you have more questions? Are you interested in collaborating on a project? Send me a detailed message and you will receive a response within 24 hours. Gary Scales Voice Overs www.garylscales.com [email protected] (615) 506-0119
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digital marketing for your business Marketing has always been about connecting with your audience in the right place and at the right time. Today, that means you need to meet them where they are already spending time: on the internet. Enter digital marketing — in other words, any form of marketing that exists online. to increase business turnover
42 Ca'Shawn Ellis Global Feature
President, Creative Director CRAVE VR Experience Ca'Shawn Ellis How do you manage your daily tasks? What habits helped make you successful? Good time management and flexible Staying consistent and focused on my main planning! Lol although, in business you are goal for whatever project I’m working on is constantly shifting your plans, allowing huge for me, I’m a stickler for deadlines and a time to breathe usually turns into the putting out a great product ability to “fit one more thing in” it’s a battle, but ultimately scheduling and good What mindsets helped make you successful? time management helps tremendously. Success is measured by how many times you How did you make your first sale? can bounce back from failure, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”, with that in We are a new business set to open 5/4/23, mind, I carry an umbrella and stay flexible however we are looking at tremendous anticipation from the community. How did you distinguish yourself from your competitors? How did you get credibility quickly? At this point I have the ability to be present In today’s society, social media presence and available, so the difference is that. My is huge. With that in mind I utilized my plan is to give the best experience possible. I following on each site where I had have incorporated different levels of virtual followers. I used my social media gaming and competitive video gaming in the platforms and built up my friends list, then event space. flooded the community pages with my content. I also knocked on the doors on Was this your dream job? the community leaders and introduced myself as a new business. Actually, it is, it encompasses several things that i am passionate about: family, event planning, community and marketing. I love helping and bringing people together.
President, Creative Director CRAVE VR Experience Ca'Shawn Ellis What is your ambition? To grow, gain knowledge and give back. I’m from the school of, “it takes a village”, my belief system is centered around that love of community and wanting to bring it all back together. The core is family. How can you make the company better? To expand and offer a stem program in future. It’s a huge goal for me to educate the children in the community Which three adjectives describe your strengths? Leadership, creativity and reliable. We’re placed in positions for a reason, so we must be mindful of those positions and our responsibility to uphold those values which placed us there. How did the idea for your business come about? Video games have always been a part of my life since i was a child. When i had my own children, they played video games and would compete against their friends online and at my house. At that time, it wasn’t even a thought to create a whole event space to showcase these games. It wasn’t until 2015 when my children started to leave “the nest” did i envision gaming as a career choice. In 2022, i visited Dallas, during that visit i experienced a virtual reality center and fell in love, at that point it was an epiphany. A real light bulb and a green light moment at the same time. What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? Freedom and complete control over every facet of my business, to create job opportunities and honestly, an escape from a regular 9-5
President, Creative Director CRAVE VR Experience Ca'Shawn Ellis How did you come up with the name for your company? Crave is actually another word for a desire, strong hunger or appetite, it fit for what gamers feel when playing or competing. So, i put 2 and 2 together and boom “crave vr experience” was born. How do you build a successful customer base? Posting and marketing to my target audience Being as visible as possible and utilizing every outlet available is paramount to each success across the board, regardless of business. Your name could be 50 cent or Sarah Mae belle from Louisiana, peddling pecan candy. The formula is the same around the world. How did you start your business? Researched several franchises, then reached out to different independent vendors, i then decided on which products that i wanted use and how i wanted to use them together in my event space What are some mistakes you wish you could have avoided? I haven’t opened yet, but so far this part of the journey has been pretty free of glitches. What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs? Don’t second guess yourself, stay consistent and remain focused on your goal. Repel the naysayers and absorb positive energies, and learn to adjust if things don’t exactly go your way.
President, Creative Director CRAVE VR Experience Ca'Shawn Ellis How can i come up with a great name for my company? Keep it simple and easy to remember. Keep it short sweet and to the point, nobody will remember “Cashawn Ellis’ virtual reality and competitive video gaming center”, but “crave” is what you’re hungry for, right? How do you come up with business ideas? See what is trending but also has the ability to change or crossover. Your business should have the ability to expand within itself before you can expand physically, that’s key. How can i protect my idea, so others don’t steal it? Copywrite or trademark your ideas, while keeping it private, is the soundest way to keep everything under wraps. What are the biggest mistakes first-time entrepreneurs can make? Trusting the wrong people or spending too much money without researching first. What kind of entity should i set up if I’m only starting my business journey? Depending on how you want to file, the most popular is an LLC (limited liability company), which means you are not personally liable for the company debt and your liability is limited. What are you most excited about at work right now? Everything, even the light covers. Every aspect about building this brand including the headaches is exciting for me. What are your tips for building a great team? Establish a great team culture, team building outings, staying organized, open communication, employee appreciation and team encouragement.
President, Creative Director CRAVE VR Experience Ca'Shawn Ellis How do you market your business? To gamers, age group 13-80and golf enthusiasts What online marketing techniques do you use? Currently, digital pr and surround sound method (word of mouth) How should I decide where to set up my business? Ask yourself, how many miles you would you drive to get the services or product that you provide, so be very honest with yourself, if there are no other businesses like yours within a 10–20-mile drive. If your business doesn’t fit the community needs, you’re going to be bleeding money until the community catches up to your business model How did you push through your biggest business doubts? Remained focused on the bigger picture and mentally silenced naysayers. If you make someone’s issue your own, you stymie your own growth, keep your eye on the goal What are the most common mistakes that new business owners make? Not trusting their gut or trusting too many people, spending money unnecessarily. Those three major issues could be the downfall of your business. Steer clear of those pitfalls in order to reach your goal What advice would you give to a new business owner? Keep your overhead low until your sales are consistent for 12 months How did you raise funding for your business? I reached out to a powerhouse that coincidently was interested in the same type of business, they believed in my vision and my ability, we partnered up to bring my vison to fruition. What are you working on now? I’m keeping it under wraps for now,
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