Koffee ChitChat
Koffee ChitChat
A Soldier's Path to Entrepreneurial Triumph
Witness the transformation of leadership into legacy as my mother, Paula Barfield Hughes, recounts her evolution from humble beginnings to a distinguished military officer and entrepreneur. Her story, laden with the virtues of faith and fortitude, will rivet you with tales of navigating the ranks of the Army Reserves to ultimately co-founding our very own Koffee Chit Chat Podcast. In our heart-to-heart, Mom delves into her treasured role at the Defense Finance and Accounting Services, sharing the fulfillment that comes from ensuring soldiers receive their due rewards. Her journey is a testament to the foundational values of leadership that transcend into business and personal life, offering listeners a blueprint for success grounded in service and commitment.
Shedding light on my own entrepreneurial adventures, the episode segues into the birth of Brittaney’s Beauty Supply and my endeavors to uplift women through Mary Kay Cosmetics and Paparazzi Accessories. The passion and purpose behind every business leap I've taken illuminate the path from dream to reality, underscoring the grit and grace required to carve a niche in the competitive world of beauty and fashion. As we unwrap the essence of our Koffee Chit Chat podcast, I invite you to join a community where positivity radiates and inspiration is a shared currency. With stories that stir the soul and a quote from Philippians 6:7 to remind us of the serenity found in gratitude, this episode is an intimate journey through the landscapes of ambition and achievement.
Hey y’all hey, don’t miss the next episode of Koffee Chitchat!!
Hey y'all. Hey, it's your girl, paula, with another exciting episode of Coffee Chit Chat. Well, today the special guest is myself. Yeah, my daughter Brittany will be interviewing me on my journey from leadership to entrepreneurship and all those things in between. But you know how we do it let's shout out our coffee of the week and then we'll get started. In the coffee of the week, a chocolate chip cookie dough. So make sure you grab one, and then I'm going to just give Brittany the mic and we'll get started.
Speaker 2:Thank, you as we continue, our women's leaders and entrepreneurs. Today we have my mom, aka Ms Paula Barfield Hughes, our co-founder of Coffee Chit Chat. Let's give a little brief summary of how awesome she is. She was born and raised in the small town of Cushatta, louisiana. You can say that she was a born leader, third of eight children, and if you ask her siblings they will tell you that she used to boss everyone around, from the oldest to the baby. She went on to graduate from Southern University with a BS in business management and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserves. She moved back to her small town and founded Brittany's Beauty Supply in clothing Brittany yeah, that's me my name. Then she decided to join the Army Reserve full time and received her MBA from Turo University. She went on to attain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and had an impressive career of over 27 years serving her country in places such as the Pentagon in the Capitol Hill. She also is an action professor. Welcome, mom, to the show.
Speaker 1:Hello, hello, hello, hello everyone. I love all my chitchatters. Oh, that sounded very nice.
Speaker 2:So, growing up in a small town, did you ever think you would accomplish all that you have accomplished?
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I guess it's a learning process, it's a whole journey, and for me it was. I grew up in the church and I knew that I could do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, because Philippians 413, that has been like my favorite scripture all my life and it's just been my motto throughout my life. So, you know, graduating high school and on to college, I knew that if I kept God first, that I could accomplish all things. So here we are.
Speaker 2:Did you know that you would serve your country growing up?
Speaker 1:Not necessarily, I guess that was. That was like way far in the back of my head that I would join the military, even though we had work there Air Force Base, which was about 35, 40 minutes from my little hometown of Cassata, louisiana, and sometimes I would see the young ladies and they would be dressed in their little cute military uniforms and I was like, oh, that's so cute, I wonder what that would be like. But you know, that was kind of like in the back of my mind, not necessarily saying that I wanted to join the Army or the Air Force or the Navy or the Marines. And I did have an uncle who served in the Korean War and we would visit him. I can remember when he was like as young as 10 or 11. And he would just tell us different stories about his time and how he served. And he did tell all of the young folks if you ever have a chance to serve, you might want to serve because there are great benefits in serving. There's a great sacrifice but there are also great benefits and it teaches you discipline and you get to learn how to lead others. So the leadership part of that military world is very Awesome and it does teach you, even once you're out, how to deal with a multitude of people, because you know you're going to meet people from all walks of life, all different backgrounds and cultures.
Speaker 1:So when the opportunity came and I actually spoke with the recruiter, I was like, well, I'm not sure about this military thing, but go ahead, tell me a story, let me hear you spill. So the recruiter, you know, was telling me all this, the benefits of this and the health and the pay and all the different jobs that I could do, and they were paying you know X amount for college. And I was like, okay, so sounds good, sounds good. And he was like you don't have to even maybe miss the semester of college if you want, and then you can still do the military and then you can also become an officer.
Speaker 1:So when he said officer, I knew that was. That meant leading, I know that meant in charge. So they kind of like peak my curiosity and I decided to give it a try. So that's how the military kind of came about. But it was nothing that you know, when I was like five or 16, I want to join, I want to join, but just talking to that recruiter and learning all the benefits and the different aspects of the military and the traveling and you know just all of that stuff. I decided, hey, why not give it a try and I can do college. So as long as I knew that I could do both, I was fine.
Speaker 2:That's perfect. So let's tell a little about your very impressive military career. What was your favorite assignment?
Speaker 1:Oh, people ask me that all the time and I'm like I don't really want to pick one, but I guess that I chose one specific assignment. I really enjoyed my assignment at the defense finance and account services and acronym with the military use defense, and that is Indianapolis Indiana, because I had a chance to make sure that all the soldiers are being paid correctly. They were getting all of their benefits and not only like our soldiers who are serving here in the States, but also the soldiers who were serving abroad and also soldiers who might have been in different campaigns overseas. So that was very humbling for me. That was just a great time to make sure you know that I knew that I was helping these soldiers in their payments, get everything that they were supposed to be getting in terms of you know, their pay, their, and making sure that if there was issues or problems with it that someone, especially when they're serving in a campaign overseas you know, not Desert Storm, but it was Iraqi freedom I believe you know to make sure that they. It was very just fun or rewarding to be able to make sure that those families were being taken care of and that if the soldiers had any issues, that is something that they did not have to be concerned about because it's just a lot that they, you know, had to endure, so with me and my office that we could help them with that.
Speaker 1:So I really enjoyed doing that, and also the people that I met in Indianapolis. A lot of us are very good friends. I'm just going to shout out East and start church back, our former church home in Indianapolis, indiana. So I really enjoyed Indy and I. Of course. The DMV, the National Capital Region, was exciting as well. You know, having the opportunity to work at the capital and at the Pentagon very enlightening. I open it.
Speaker 2:Awesome, this is very interesting. So how was you able to balance all that with a husband and three children that were very active?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I get you know, because in Indianapolis you were so active, you know, you had the high school cheering, you had the competition cheering, I had the little boys who were playing basketball, in football and everything else in between and of course the church activities, so that you know it becomes a quite, very, very busy schedule.
Speaker 1:But you have to know how to have a balance and I know it may sound a little cliche but it's always for me God first, family second, career third, and once you balance those three, everything kind of goes into place, because I feel that that's the order of things Just keeping things in order, keeping God at the forefront, and with a good husband and a support system, even from extended family, yes, that works.
Speaker 1:My mom, whenever I had to go to a school or something and a Robert had to be someplace, she was always there to help, or my sister. So just having that good foundation and, as the elderlies or the seniors would say, having that village, a village, is very important. So just, I would just tell anybody to make sure you have that work-life balance, because it's good to chase your dreams, it's good to want to rank up and to get to the next level, but make sure that you don't forget, first of all, god and then, second, don't forget your family, because they are super important. With all else is gone, when the job, in the all of the hoopla, is over, who do you have there at home for you? Your family.
Speaker 2:Perfect, I was in the village and you always need family. So let's switch the conversation from military to your awesome entrepreneurship. So you have been an entrepreneur for a long time, dating back to right after college. Let's talk about Britney's beauty supply and what prompted you to open this business.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow. So Britney's beauty supply Right after college, you know, because she had a small town and it's not like there are many options and I was doing the reserves I wasn't full time yet in the military and I decided, well, if there's not a job that I want to do here or I don't want to drive, what if I managed to our to the major city? Let me create something myself. And so I had you, of course, and I decided to open. I love all things beauty, all things fashion. That's me, so I said well, you know what.
Speaker 1:Let me open up a beauty supply and clothing store here, because that was something that we did not have. We did not have any beauty supply stores. The idea just came of what I wanted. I wanted to be able to help the beauty salon owners not to have to drive so far I always have to just rely on people coming in that I could have a store that would provide like a lot of different beauty supply options, and not only for the beauty salon owners but people in the town, that they wouldn't have to drive, you know, about 45, 50 minutes away to get beauty supply products or braids for their hair or weave for their hair.
Speaker 1:I had written a business plan at Southern University and I took that same business plan that I had written in one of my classes Along with my parents if we went down to the bank. You know, I had tweaked it. I did my research, I knew the market and I went to the bank with my parents and we talked to the president of the bank. Actually, my dad knew him and he was very impressed with the business plan that I had created and he decided that he would give me my first business song and then, voila, britney's beauty supply. So there it was my dream had actually became reality. Amazing.
Speaker 2:It's so great, like when you're a business major, and then you actually get to utilize your degree and then just use it for whatever your dreams were and actually accomplish your dreams, because everybody doesn't get to accomplish their dreams. What other entrepreneur projects that you accomplished later on in years?
Speaker 1:So of course, I have been in direct selling for a long time. I did Mary Kay Cosmetics. Still use that awesome skincare. I still actually made Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and I just don't like sell, sell, sell like you see all the ladies out there because I just love the product. So I'll always continue to stay with that awesome company. But became a jewelry consultant for paparazzi accessories and I just absolutely love selling this beautiful jewelry because first of all, it's just $5 and everybody can afford a beautiful $5 jewelry. And then just building a team and being able to leave those ladies with I'm looking at ladies who just like wouldn't talk to anybody but now they are so comfortable in like going live on Facebook or talking to women that they may work with and telling them that they are small business owners, that they are jewelry consultants, and I just love being able to help with those ladies and just build on my career and my business. So I love doing the $5 jewelry and of late maybe I guess a couple of years ago, a year and a half ago we started the podcast and that is thanks to Ms Brittany B.
Speaker 1:I love encouraging, I love just giving people positivity, bringing light, nothing negative. I always, whenever I post anything, it's going to be something positive. I may not feel like being positive all the time, but I wouldn't dare go out on a platform and post anything negative. I love because you never know who's looking at your post or following you. I just love giving out light to people and I remember talking to you about that and you said well, why don't you do a podcast? I was like podcast, what's that?
Speaker 1:And so, after just like doing my research and then just talking with you, I'm so excited that we started the podcast, because from the reviews and from a lot of messages, people are coming up saying I love this podcast. It helps me through my day. I'm looking forward to it on Mondays. It is just so positive and so informational and inspirational. And so I'm just super excited that we decided to go ahead and get this coffee chit chat podcast. And so I'm an internist now. We are internists now, sort of. Our young men are still in college, but so it's just a little different, but we are enjoying the journey.
Speaker 2:Amazing, amazing. Is there anything else you want to share with the audience?
Speaker 1:I just want to say I think all of you chit chatters out there for tuning in, I mean here in the United States and internationally that just blesses my soul and I hope that is something that we are saying or sharing, that the guests are sharing with you, that you can help along your journey. And I always say to everybody follow your dreams, follow that path and never give up. It's hard work but it can be done.
Speaker 2:Amazing. How can the listeners follow you?
Speaker 1:Okay, so all of you guys who are not in the Facebook coffee chit chat group, go ahead and go over to Facebook. It's coffee spilt with a K K-O-F-F-E-E. Coffee chit chat on Facebook. And then we're also on Instagram coffee chit chat. You can follow my page, paula Warfield Hughes, on Facebook and Paula's Pop About CVIP. It's also on Facebook, that's perfect.
Speaker 2:So before we get out of here, I'm going to end this podcast with the Quote of the Week, and this is one of my mom's favorite scriptures. It is Philippians 6 and 7. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication. With Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. In the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds through Christ Jesus. Well, that's it. Coffee chit chatters.
Speaker 1:Okay, thank you so much, brittany, amen and amen and guys. We will see you guys next season with a lineup of phenomenal guests. Stay tuned.
