The BOSS Network Blog

Saloan Rochelle, Owner of Queen Agenda and Shot By SR (Photography). Graduating from North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelors in Public Relations, Saloan decided to use her education and experiences from her journey to help women recognize the power in themselves and the power in never giving up. Her goal is to show women that no matter their past, their profession or path they're currently traveling, they are still Queens and should always should be respected and addressed as such.  TheBOSSNetwork: What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? Saloan Rochelle : There were a few obstacles I faced in the beginning, but the biggest one was self-doubt. I use to have the tendency to come up with ideas and not execute. I guess it was due to fear of failing. I kept thinking that I wasn't going to have enough support to actually sustain when the reality was, I actually had a ton of support w...

Chanette Sparks , Public Relations and Marketing professional with over 10 years of business management under my belt. I was born in New Jersey, but have spent most of my life in North Carolina. My mission in business is to help small businesses and thriving entrepreneurs excel in their professions by getting media ready.I have four beautiful children who I credit so much to all of my accomplishments. I hold advanced degrees in both marketing and media relations. When I’m not spending time with my family or working at my company, I am indulging in meditation, reading or healthful living activities. TheBOSSNetwork: What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? Chanette Sparks :When I initially started my business, I faced several challenges. Over the past 14 years I have been involved in many diverse business endeavors of some sort. However, it wasn’t until 2010 that I finally launched into a lucrative and profitable professi...

Lauran Smith , is Founder, CEO and Principal Publicist at PRbyELLE77, a PR firm with a social media management focus. She received her BA in English, is a Freelance Writer, created the first Chicago Black Restaurant Week, and also works with some of the world’s most elite professionals and celebrities. TheBOSSNetwork: What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? Lauran Smith: Obstacles that I faced while starting my business involved still having to work a full time corporate job at the same time. It was not a “walk in the park” to handle the demands of a full time job and also setting the groundwork for my business. BN: What inspired you to break into your particular industry? LS: My inspiration for starting a social media public relations firm was my authentic and organic love for the social media atmosphere. BN: How do you balance your personal and professional life or have you been able to find a balance?...

 Rachel Green , The CEO of A Brand Called U, Rachel manages public relations strategies; Media Outreach Material Development, on-site Event Management, Client Management, and the overall daily activities of her firm. As an advocate for continued education she enjoys teaching small business owners the power of do- it-yourself public relations, and Marketing The BOSS Network : What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process  of s tarting your business or career? Rachel Green: In the beginning, the biggest obstacle that I faced in my career was client dependency. As a publicists, you will find that most potential clients truly do not understand the full benefits of having a full-time publicist and often only seek out assistance when conducting events. Therefore, your clientele became project based which result in inconsistent income BN : What inspired you to break into your particular industry? RG : I was actually introduced to the profession on accident...

In business and in life sometimes we can get caught up in how everything affects us. On a day to day basis, we worry about our time, our resources, how this project will turn out, our goals and deadlines - alot of things that involve I, me, my, or mine. But what if we approached life with the idea that a majority of things that we go through and deal with have nothing to do with us? What if the purpose of everything you went through was to benefit the next person - how would that change your perspective? Recently I have encountered several losses and at first glance I was discouraged. How would these setbacks make me look as a business woman? Would I be embarrassed? Would people think less of me? How could I explain my shortcomings? I. Me. My. Mine. How easy it is to get caught up in the idea of self. But life is not about you. It's bigger than you. At second glance, I realized that these setbacks would only make me look strong because I overcame them and that str...