Ep 26: Faith, Perseverance & Building a Legacy ft. Aisha Taylor-Issah

In this episode of the Mompreneur Huddle Podcast, I sit down with Aisha Taylor-Issa, founder of Sistahs in Business Expo & The Sistah Shop ATL. We talk about her startup journey, the early days of building her vision, and the real challenges she faced balancing motherhood with entrepreneurship.

Aisha opens up about:

How she turned her idea into a platform for women in business.
The challenges she faced in childbirth and motherhood.
Why her faith was the anchor through business setbacks — including the recent closing of her store.
Her determination to keep pushing forward despite every obstacle.

Whether you’re a mompreneur, faith-driven founder, or a woman chasing her vision, this conversation is full of insight, perseverance, and real talk about what it takes to build something that lasts.

🔗 Learn more about Sistahs in Business: 
https://www.sistahsinbusinessexpo.com
https://www.thesistahshop.com/sistahshopatl


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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to another episode of the Mom Panor Huddle Podcast where motherhood and entrepreneurship meet and we talk about everything in the same.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Girl, use the boss, mom. Baby girl, you still worth it, girl. You suppose mom.

unknown 0:15

Making everything worth it, girl. You the boss, mom. Staying on all of your business.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

And when it comes to investment, then baby girl, you the red, girl, you the boss, mom. Yeah, I like that right there.

unknown 0:26

I like that right there.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Today I have an amazing guest, the one, the only. And if you are assistant in business, you already know who this is. Miss Aisha Taylor. Issa, how are you, Queen? Hey, Silver. Hey, Silver. Yes, Silver. Get that out the way. Okay. Let's get that out the way because Delta does some phenomenal things. And do. And do. How are you feeling?

SPEAKER_02 0:54

I am blessed.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

I'm excited to have you on the podcast. I can tell you that I can be honest and say that I was excited when you said yes, I will come. Of course. I was excited. I'm glad to be here. Because you are a for a sister in business. You are, and I look at you as a staple for our community. I appreciate that. Thank you so much for having me. Because you, um, and if y'all don't know, I'm gonna let her introduce herself. But um, she had the first expo that I've heard of for us. She had the first expo that I've heard of for us, and then I've been following her. So I'm I'm gonna let her tell y'all a little bit about her. Tell tell the world for the ones who don't know about Miss Aisha Taylor, Issa.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Okay, okay, well, you know, hello everybody. Uh, I am just uh just a girl, God's girl from around the way, born and raised in Brooklyn. I am the proud founder and CEO of the Sisters in Business family of brands, um, which includes the Sisters in Business Expo, the Sisters in Business University, the Sisters in Business Foundation, and the Sister Shop. Our entire platform is about creating spaces, experiences, and opportunities that help black women entrepreneurs start, grow, and scale their businesses successfully.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Yes, you are about the sisters. I am. I eat, sleep, and breathe them. Yeah. What what made you or what get besides being a sister and one in business? What really gave you that motivation to say, hey, I want to do this for for my my sisters?

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Honestly, I didn't want to at first. Was God who wouldn't leave me alone. Um, I owned a career consulting business with my sister, my blood sister, um, for many, many years. And um, you know, we had grown that business and weren't necessarily looking to start another brand.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Um, and then around 2017, I just got this tug, this urge, this, you know, this yearning to create something for black women entrepreneurs. I've always been a champion for my sisters. I've always been able to help people um, you know, reach their fullest potential, whether it was through our career consulting business or through my work in ministry. I'm an ordained minister. Yes. Um, or through my profession when I was working in government. Like I've always just been able to see good in people and be like, you gotta get that out.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

Um, and so 2017, everybody was talking about black women entrepreneurs, and that was when American Express put out that big article and and research project that black women have become the largest and fastest growing demographic entrepreneurs in the country. Um and I was like, well, that's nice, but are we making any money? You know, are we growing? Are we scaling? And that was not the case. We were the least funded, the least supported, least likely to scale, and that just didn't sit right with me. And so I wanted to create something to help change that, and um God gave me sisters in business. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

So you you have to take those statistics, and this is this is eye-opening. Because we we see so much fluff on social media and and the media. But just to see that um back then and say, no, we gotta change this, and you were obedient to that, like I get goosebumps when I hear stuff like that. I get goosebumps only because it's like we we ignore so much of or we think about self a lot first. And when I say me, I mean the majority. What can I do? How is this gonna benefit me? But you took and said, no, I need this for all of us because what are we really doing if we're not really doing it? What are we really doing if we're not really doing it? And that was amazing. So did you start off with the expos first?

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Or yeah, so that was all it was supposed to be. Okay. Um, we started off as the Sisters in Business Expo. My my vision that God gave me was to create um an expo highlighting black women entrepreneurs. It was supposed to be multi-city, it was supposed to be affordable and accessible. Yes. Um, and we did that, and I thought I was done. Yeah. And God was like, uh-uh, you ain't done. And so we immediately, right after the very first one in New Jersey, April, I think, 2nd, 2018, um, we started hearing from the audience that we need more. Like we want to learn. We the the vendors were like, well, we can't really learn while we're vending. We need to hear, you know, we need more education, we need support beyond the event. And so that's when the university was added a few months later. Um, and then after that, I was like, Well, we need money, you know, like we we need to be funded. And that's when the foundation started, so we could have a nonprofit entity where we could provide resources and grants um to black women entrepreneurs. And then the pandemic happened, and that changed the complete trajectory of the brand because we could no longer host our in-person events, which was our primary revenue stream.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Um, and so we uh did a major pivot in 2021 uh and opened our first retail store uh in New Jersey, the sister shop.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

Well, and it's still in the midst of the pandemic.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

It was in it was in the midst of the pandemic. It was like the second half of the pandemic, I like to say, because um in 2021, and well, in December of 2020, um, that second uh wave of the pandemic came. I forget what it was called, but it was it had another name. Um, and everybody was getting the getting COVID again. Um, and so January of 2021 came and we were like, all right, what are we gonna do? This is still here, it's not going anywhere. Um, it was still very prevalent. And then I was in the north, right? So, you know, here in Atlanta, everybody was walling out. Yeah, they were they were shipping in Atlanta. I would talk to my sister, I'd be like, what are y'all doing? Y'all are outside, like people are still having parties and events and day parties and brunches. New York and New Jersey were shut down. You could not do anything, you could not breathe bearing. Right. Um, and some people were still losing. Right. It was crazy. Um, so you know, and at that time, one of the first things to open back up was the malls. Um, and I remember my son was, you know, just a few months old, and uh, I had heard the mall was open, and I was like, let's just get out of the house. So I wrapped him up as much as I could, had about two masks on, and just took a day out to the mall and walked into the mall and it was packed. I actually got a little anxious because I hadn't been around that many people in a while. They was waiting to get back. But it was also, yeah, because we had nowhere else to go. Literally, restaurants were closed, movies, everything was closed. Um, and it kind of it a light bulb went off. It was like, okay, this is where everybody is, right? Um, so that's how we that's how we ended up.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Open up the first and then so because 21 wasn't that long ago.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

No.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

So how much time had passed? But when when did you open up here in Atlanta?

SPEAKER_02 7:17

The very next year. So uh June of 22. Oh, Juneteenth weekend, actually.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

That was quick.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Uh yeah, we opened up the second location um here in Atlanta. It was quick, it might have been too quick in hindsight. But things were going so well, you know, business.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Well, no, I I say I say quick, meaning I me personally, I don't know, I don't know if I would have had the courage to do that. Well, so that's why I mean quick, like wow. Like I'm amazed because it's like like and and and even in hindsight, and we'll get to that story later, um, regardless, it was still the experience you had to experience. You know what I mean? Because without this experience, it's not going you wouldn't have been led to your next. Right. Well, you don't know what your next is for next year, two years. You don't know, but you had to go through this transition to get to that next. But I'm saying that was brave and that was fast, and it goes to show how business can pick up uh fairly quickly. Yeah, it was a great time.

SPEAKER_02 8:11

It was a great time to be alive, as they say. Like, you know, everybody was supporting black businesses. It was, you know, the whole George Floyd, you know, protests and errors. So everybody was pro-black women, pro-smusiness, pro-black business. So there was funding, there was support, you know, all of that, you know, and so um it was a good time to do it. You know, people were, you know, really behind it. It it completely changed the trajectory of our brand. We, you know, we went from, you know, 100K in revenue one year to 500k. Yeah, you know what I mean? So it it it changed a lot, you know, um, for us, you know, doing that.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Yeah, yeah. And I I will say, um, I don't I don't think that any move is a bad move. We make we make some decisions, but as long as you make the decision to do something, you're gonna actively do what you need to do to make that vision happen, to make that decision work. And if it doesn't happen, it's like, okay, how do we pivot? So no decision is an absolute bad decision in business. That's how I like to look at it because it's going to teach you. So um, you moved to Atlanta in 22. How did, or not 22, but you said 22.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

So I moved here in 21, but we opened the store in 22.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

Opened the store in 22, okay. So how was how was that whole transition? Because you have you was already a mom at the store up here, and we were still new to this COVID world, to this new pandemic world. So, how how was that transition for you? Yeah, made you say, I'm coming.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

So um, it was totally a family decision to move to Atlanta. I've been coming to Atlanta over 25 years. Okay, I'll say this was your second home. It was a second home. Okay. Um, but I never wanted to live here ever. Um, because I'm a city girl. Like I am a New Yorker tried and through. I love the train. I love the bus. No, this is country girl. I don't care. I still got to drive 40 minutes to get everywhere. Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

All right, because if you stay on the outskirts of yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

I don't care if you stay in the city limits. I mean it's not, it's not, well, I don't go into the city too much. No comparison. There is no place like New York. Oh, you like that congestion. I I like the city life. I like being able to walk to the store when I want to, and all of that stuff. But nevertheless, I have always loved Atlanta. Just not enough to necessarily want to live here. But, you know, some changes were happening in my family. My parents were getting older, they had moved here. Yeah. Um, my sister has been here a very long time, and she was doing all the heavy lifting, caring for them. And then we had a small child, and we had nobody to help because all the family was down here. Literally, everyone. So we just made a decision to do a family move, um, to come here and be with our family and help care for my parents and have some help with our son. Now he gets to grow up with his cousins, and and so it's it was, you know, I wouldn't change it for the world.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

Yeah, that foundation is important. Yeah. My my mama trying to get down here now because everybody's up in Philly, and she's like, no, I want to see my grandbabies more often. And I get it, the old the older you get, then you realize that that stuff is is valuable. It's precious time.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

You can't get it back. And you know, tomorrow's not promised. And so I wouldn't change that for for anything in the world. So yeah, so I came and then at the time we, you know, we when we opened the store here, we still had both stores. So I spent the first year going back and forth. Okay. Um, literally every month, um, to New Jersey. Wow. Um, it was a lot. Wow. I'm about to say wow. It was horrible, actually. It became a lot. It became a lot. Staffing was a nightmare because again, we were still in this COVID era where people didn't want to work. I was gonna ask you that.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

How did you even find people who want because it's it's hard to find people who want to work now? Yeah, it is who wants to work now.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

It's absolutely true. And it was even worse than. Um, and so staffing was really difficult. Um, I would have to go up there sometimes in emergency situations to, you know, to have coverage. I would be calling my friends, like, girl, I need you to go to the store for me tomorrow. Like it was always something, it just became a lot. Um, and ideally, because when it's good when it was good, it was good. Like when I had a good team, but you know, people don't stay forever. And that's one of the first things you learn in business. Like, people don't stay forever. They have the right to go. Sometimes you you want them to go, whether it's for their dreams, they're caught there. So I understood that. Um, but there were a few seasons where we had a really hard time building a cohesive team. Okay. Um, and so it just became a lie, it became a strain. Ultimately, we closed that store, not even because of the team, because when we closed it, I actually had a great team, which made it more bittersweet. Um, but we closed it because the mall was tripping. Like they wanted, I was at Jersey Gardens. Okay. Yeah, so it's like the largest mall in the area besides American Dream. American Dream came later. Um, but you know, when we went in, everybody was like, again, pro-black business, pro-women, you know, they wanted you in there. They claimed they supported us. And then, you know, a couple years later, they wanted to triple our rent.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Yeah. Um, because we started the level out then. Yeah, people were back outside. They didn't care about us anymore.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

Um, and so they wanted to triple the rent. And I was like, Y'all are crazy. You can have it. Even if I had the money, I wouldn't give you that because it just wasn't worth it in that space. Right. So um, so that was why we ultimately closed the store. But when I closed, I had a really good team. Yeah. I missed it.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

And it's hard to find a really good team. And and since um you recently closed down here in Atlanta as well. Yeah. How was that? What what was that? Um, or the story behind that?

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Oh, child. It was um, you know, it was necessary. Um, the whole landscape of retail has changed so much. Yeah. Um, everything is more expensive. People are um not shopping like they used to in-store.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Um, and it's just a very different climate. Um, the the funding is not there, the support is not there like it used to be or like it should be, even. Um, and so it was a difficult decision, probably more emotional than anything, because it should the numbers for the if you look at the numbers, it was an easy decision, right? We were not making enough revenue to support the expenses, just point blank, simple.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

The overhead will will eat you alive.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

Yeah, I mean, it's a very expensive venture, which is why more people don't do it because it costs a lot of money. Um, and so ultimately we made the decision to um pivot to a fully e-commerce model. So we've always had e-commerce, um, but now we are fully e-commerce. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

I see a lot of um bigger brands do that as well. Um every day. Every, every day.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

And that's so funny. That was one of the most annoying things when we were closing the store. You know, once we announced that we were closing, people would come in and be like, oh my god, why are you closing? And I know they had good intention, yeah, but it was just an annoying question because I always want to say, why do you think all these other stores are closing? Like Macy's is closing locations, JC Penny's, Party City, like the list goes on and on and on.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

We're closing for the same reason that they're closing. But they don't understand, they don't understand the the business behind it, right? They don't understand that um we're in competition, and when I say we, not even just but the even the bigger brands, they're in competition with the Amazons and the Amazon. Absolutely. You have to go e-commerce, right? So, and if you're not getting out there to shop, if I'm not seeing you, then it should be a no-brainer as to why we have to close. But I can see how, like you said, like we get attached to these things emotionally. And it's like we feel like all this hard work that I put into this, but it's a pivot because you're still here and the knowledge that you gain behind that. Um, now, what do you feel like your next move is to help teach or to better educate our people about e-commerce and business and um um storefronts of what do you think your next move is? Um, I know there's a mission in this story.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

You know, I think to a degree it's still unfolding. Okay. Um, I am doing more teaching. Okay. Um, you know, we've always had the university. We have uh partners that provide the education. I do some of it, you know, and we have other, you know, professional um sisters in business who teach, but I'm doing more teaching. We actually just had a class this morning on how to start your business um the right way because so many people don't know how to do that. Um and so just doing more teaching and really just trying to um hear from God in terms of what is next for the brand. We're also obviously trying to continue to grow the e-commerce side.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Um, and we're gonna be making some changes um in that regard too. I'm excited to announce soon, but I won't be announcing. Okay, no drops here on the hill. No drops here. Yeah, I still gotta work a few of the kids. Come on, Silver. I mean, it's not gonna be it's really more on the back end, it's really more for the brands, but it's gonna change the model a little bit. Okay. Um, but we're excited about that. But yeah, we're we're our goal is still to could to be the Amazon of black women on boards.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

But what about the expo? Are are are you planning to do another expo? I mean, because I need the chain, I need I need the table for leash. I'm ready this year.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

We got listen. So we um we have pivoted a little bit away from the large-scale trade shows that we have been known for. Yeah, um, we're doing more intimate, smaller, you know, events compared to the larger ones. I mean, they're still large to a degree, still impactful, but I don't necessarily have to have a room of 1,500 people, right? I have had rooms of 150 people that have been extremely impactful. Like our mama preneur brunch, you know, recently. That was a beautiful thing. It absolutely was. And I think we had about 120 people in there, about 20 vendors, not even 20. We had about 17 vendors, and it was bananas, right? So you learn, you learn over time, like right, that that it's quantity, it's quality over quantity. Um, so we will still be doing um so this is kind of a drop because I haven't announced this publicly yet. Uh-huh. We announced it to some of our internal vendors, but we're doing a sister shop tour. Oh, nice. So it's basically the store on wheels, not not like a van or anything, but yeah, but you'll do properly. Yes, we're bringing the sister shop experience to different places. I love it. So that is happening. So again, still um events but a much smaller scale, but still greatly impactful. Yes. Um, still creating spaces and platforms for our sisters to showcase their products and services because that's what it's always been about for us. Um, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

I love how um the mission stays the same, but it looks different every season. It looks different every and it's a lesson for us to see if we are going to, you know, just stay true to those pivots and to know when, okay, it's time to move, because you may you're not gonna reach the same people that you would reach if you're trying to focus on keeping this one thing God is saying, let go. Right. So I love it. I mean, it's it's a lesson for us as well, too.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

And listen, the the older you get and the longer you do stuff, you don't really, you know, I I could let a lot go that I used to not be able to let go. I'm serious. Take it all. Um it's not it's not as hard for me to let go. Really? Absolutely. Okay, absolutely. Even some days I have to like reel myself back in, like, okay, I used to give it a chance, right? Because, you know, I've been through so much. Yeah, I have been through so much building this brand. People have no idea, you know, the pain, the turmoil, the tears, the late hours, the missed time, you know, with family and friends. Like, I did that, got the t-shirt, and I don't need to do it again. So if it's not serving me, if it's not um, if the dollars don't make sense, or if it's not, you know, fulfilling, I'm not saying that I'm gonna just quit after one time because I do I'm still understanding. Figure it out. Yeah, I do still understand, you know, if you don't get it right the first time, you gotta we, you know, tweak some things. So, but I am much more free to be like, you know what, we're not gonna do this.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

That's that growth and maturity in business that you have to understand.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

And then just as an older woman, right? Like I'm in close to my mid-40s, you know. Like, who got time for that?

SPEAKER_01 19:37

You know, I did this in my 30s, and you know you can honestly say that I need, I need to, I'm I'm not there yet where I I know I will be at the point where I can just let it go. And this is what I'm still learning in business, but this is why I have business coaches, yeah, because I don't want to let something go. I'm like, I I worked, I know it's here. God, I'm and I'm praying, and I and I I hear God the way I want to hear God sometimes. I'm not gonna lie. Like, God did not tell you to do that, Tammy. But it's like it's hard to let those things go.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

So I commend you for I and I think I think letting go of the big thing freed me up to let go of the other things. Like, if I could close those two stores, I can let anything up. Yeah. Because those were my babies. Yeah, babies. Like, I don't want to start crying, but I poured everything.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

I can imagine.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Um, and it was very hard to close them. I mean, very hard. So it's like, you know, like anything. If like people, you know, got you know, I've never had this experience. They got, but I hear people say, like, if you could overcome cancer, you know, like if you could fight something really big in your life, then all the other things are like and it seems so I could do this, right? Yeah, you know, it's like being from New York. If I could live in New York, I could live anywhere. If I could close them stores, I could let go of anything. Yeah, because um, that was a really, really that was a hard season.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Yeah, I can imagine. So tell me about motherhood because you're a mommy. Now you have a very interesting story. I was listening to one of the the story that you had posted on Instagram, and I called you about it too. I was like, I did not know. Yeah, um, share that with us. Tell us tell us about um your your journey into motherhood.

SPEAKER_02 21:11

So I'm mom to an amazing four and a half-year-old boy. Adorable. Oh, he's so precious. So adorable. He's so precious. Uh, named Austin. He's amazing, and um he is my everything. Um, but my journey to you know to motherhood was not without you know, challenge like anything else. Um, I was, I guess you consider they call it geriatric after like age 35, right? But I was a little older.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

I don't think it's that way. It is so it's 40. No, it's advanced maternity age of 35. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

This is a studio audience, y'all.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Yes, we gotta get us here. We gotta sit, but first of all, he brought her sister. When I said her sister is a Radadala, yeah. They got the same face over me too. I was gonna tell y'all when I first um seen her in person, I was about to call her an easy people do it all the time.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

But yeah, so I was older. I was 38 when I finally got pregnant and 30. I turned 39, like two months after I had her. Okay. Um, so you know, but it it's crazy enough, it wasn't my age that, you know, we don't even know what the issue was, but we had challenges conceiving, ultimately had to do IVF. Um, and then um he was born premature. So it was like one thing after another. Um, and it was during the pandemic, the height of the pandemic. Uh, so it was the scariest, loneliest time of my life. Um, because it's, you know, you look forward to having your first baby and you have all these dreams and ideas and baby showers and now gender reveals and all of these things. And I didn't get to do any of that. I went to every single appointment by myself.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

Because he because he couldn't come with you.

SPEAKER_02 22:57

Yeah, could not come. Um, and so it was a very scary time. Um, and then, you know, once so the first like uh 24 weeks were great in terms of you know, I didn't have any issues, no complications, but then around like 25 weeks, the doctor was like, something doesn't look good. And from then on, it was just an uphill battle. Um, I spent two weeks in the hospital in the summertime um because he wasn't growing. My sister had to come break me out. Inside of you, he wasn't growing. He was small, he was underweight. They call it IUGR, which is like something interuterile growth something. But is he just weighing small?

SPEAKER_01 23:33

Is that um I don't want to say normal, but is that um a complication due to IVF?

SPEAKER_02 23:41

Is that something funny enough, you know, they don't tell you these things, they don't tell you about all of the potential challenges when you are doing IVF. Okay. Um, but once we found out that he was I he was had a weight challenge, on my own research, I found that that is common in IVR births.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:03

So, and there are lots of things that that are common in IVR births, and it's just a matter of whether you end up having that experience or not. So, um, you know, it could have been related, but it may not have been, because there are plenty of IVR births that don't have any problems with their weight, with their weight. So, um, nevertheless, he was born at uh 34 weeks, um, and he was three pounds and 12 ounces. Um, and which in the premi world is considered big, right? You know, because there are micro PME's micro premises that are one pound, you know, 1.5 pounds. So, nevertheless, he was still small, but his lungs were healthy. Yeah um, you know, he just had to catch up. He just had to catch up. We spent 27 days in the NICU um during a pandemic. Again, just a very high anxiety time. I developed anxiety. I didn't, I had never dealt with anxiety.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Never. So, where where was your faith at? Were you a minister by then?

SPEAKER_02 24:56

Oh, yeah, I've been a minister over 25 years.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

So, where was your faith at? Because I I know, um, and I I don't know about you, but I I'm guilty of questioning a lot of times when things go wrong, and they expect us um as believers to always be in that mindset of okay, God's gonna work it out. But did you ever question through that entire transition from you know the opening, well, from motherhood, then going to the store, then the ups and downs, and then like the where was your faith at?

SPEAKER_02 25:26

Um, you know, I have I have a crazy kind of faith. Um you know, I definitely knew God was with me, and and I know he is still with me, right? Obviously, every step of the way. Absolutely. Um, and so yeah, I I have questions. I've been angry, but God can handle it, right? Like he can handle our questions, he can handle our anger and our concern. Um, you know, honestly, in our in my most challenging times, my husband has been the one whose faith held me down because I was just like, oh God, I can't take it. He's like, He was your right. Um, because you know, it gets hard. I don't care how much faith you have, I don't care how holy you are, how much you read the Bible, when life hits you, it hits, it hits you. And um, you know, you can pray all day, you know, but when you say amen, you still gotta keep going. Um, and so yeah, there were some difficult times, but my faith definitely, my my faith, my worship, um, my worship is like medicine. Like I gotta have it. That's why the pandemic was just so weird for me. Like not being able to go to church um was just very out of box for me. Um, but I got used to it, but nevertheless, um it was it was a fight to get back into church. That's a whole nother story, but anyway, um, yeah, so it's been there, it's never left. I am a I am a faith preneur. I am this is a faith-based business. Yeah, we make no apologies about that. Um, and it hasn't been nothing but God that has kept me and is still keeping me.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

What lesson do you think he was trying to teach you through through that whole process? Which one? The biggest lesson through the whole um, well, first let's let's talk motherhood. Uh-huh. Um, what what what lesson do you think he was trying to teach you?

SPEAKER_02 27:05

Well, first of all, that he's a miracle worker.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

Yeah. Yeah. Um, he is a miracle worker. I had um seen someone very close to me go through the same thing. Um and never thought that it would be me. And so when my turn came, I at least had a point of reference because I had seen God work a miracle miracle in her life. Right. And I was like, if God could do it for her, God could do it for me. Um and so you can't tell me God is not a miracle worker. Um because you see it in other people, you know, you hear about them, but to know firsthand, you know, that and to see doc and to hear doctors tell you that you probably will not have a child, to have that child, um, every day I look at my son, I know God is real. I don't care how big he gets, how annoying he is, how much he's talking, all because that's a whole nother story. Um, you know, all of the things I know God is real. Um and the same is true, you know, with the with the whole business challenges and the ups and downs, right? Like, um, you know, I have a lot of questions. I still have a lot of questions, you know, but I know that he has a plan. Yeah. Um, because I am a believer. I know he has a plan. I can't just preach his word and not believe it. Yeah. Um, and so I know he has a plan. I know his word is true. I know that he is working behind the scenes on my behalf. Yeah. Um, and I'm just excited and grateful about what he has done, what he is doing, and what he has done.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

What he's about to do. I love that. Absolutely. I got so excited for you when I seen the city of Atlanta come together to do this one buyout for, and I was I was in Philadelphia, and I was like, they would do that. Shout out to Neo Davis, he's from Philly as well, too. And Davis Hands, I think, is he from Jersey? Is he from South Jersey? I'm like, like the Norfolk is coming down here and really showing out. But what I love about um just the entrepreneurship community here in Atlanta, a lot of people is trying to do. And when they came together, and it's it's people who's doing it, like Pinky Cole is on her um platform doing some things. Like, um, even here at the Montanora, I know on my scale that'll what I could do. I went around to mom's, like just buying out their groceries. You know, just hey, let me buy your groceries. And it was around Christmas time. We do that. I just love being able to get back, and I got so excited for you because we were watching and rooting. And I know you don't always see the comments, but we were watching and rooting, like, yo, like she's doing it. And someone in the midst of pushing and pushing, and when you feel like things are about to break, God shows up and it's like, wow, someone heard it. Like he sensed, I got so excited for you. I'm just like, wow, yes. And I was like, okay, this is not the end of that story. Because I told you, I was like, I was looking to see how I can get it. I was getting everything prepared. Um, we had just pivoted to the bags, and I said I want my bags in that store. And then she's like, Oh, we're closing. I'm like, oh, well, wait. I was like, I ain't even meet her yet. But then um I got the email about coming. I was like, look at God, look at God. He's gonna He's gonna connect people, he's gonna align people. And I'm just proud of you for just coming this far and not giving up. And not giving up because you are an example for for everybody. There were so many women, um, I'm and I'm sure at your expos, but even at this event, that look forward to that. That look forward to that. Because we feel like we have a voice in that space. We feel like we're around people who actually see us. So, like, don't ever give that up. Don't ever give that up. And what is the one thing? If you could talk to, well, first of all, would you do it all again if it was presented to you? Don't give it that lit. Wait. Um again, like the ups and downs, not motherhood, because I know that's always worth it, but with the business, was it worth it? Would I do it all again?

SPEAKER_02 30:59

I mean, I guess to a degree. I mean, I obviously if I'm having a chance to do it all again, I'm not gonna do it the same, right? Because I've I've lessons now. I've learned. You knew what I knew. Yeah, so you know, I would apply the things that I've learned and you know, make maybe some better decisions or some different choices. And then also you have to remember the time, right? Like this is a different time. Yeah. So if I had to do what I did in 2018 and 2025, it's not gonna look the same. Um, because so many things are different. Nobody was talking about AI in 2018. There was no, you know, all of these different technologies, you know, at that time. So many things are different now. Um, so I would have to take all of that into consideration. But the the um the mission would stay the same, right? The why would stay the same, which is to create something so that black women entrepreneurs can grow and scale.

SPEAKER_01 31:50

Speak speaking of AI, are you keeping up with the with the changes? I'm trying.

SPEAKER_02 31:55

I am trying, absolutely. I really am girl. I really am trying. Um and sometimes I do a pretty good job, if I'm gonna say so myself. I um I love it, you know. I have never been anyone to run away from technology because I've always believed in working smarter and not harder. So I try to embrace it. Um, but you but I don't I don't mean this in like a bragging kind of way, but I'm a smart person. So I I can do certain things well that I don't necessarily need AI to do. Okay, yeah. But I still will, you know, infuse it just to see what other ideas I might get or something like that, right? So, you know, I think AI is great for people who may not write well or who may not, you know, be that skilled in a certain area. And there are areas where I'm not. So if it has, if it's a topic that I know nothing about, I'm going straight to AI. Straight to AI. But for example, if it's a letter that I need to write, right? Or something, because I've always been a gifted writer, I'm gonna write the letter first. And then I'm gonna put it in Chat GPT to see what else they might be able to give me. You know what I mean? Because I don't want to lose the skit, the skills and talents that I have, that I do have. Um, and so I've written for Black Enterprise, I've written for you know different publications and and you know, speeches and things like that. I don't want to lose that just because AI is now around. So I gotta keep my.

SPEAKER_01 33:13

We come from a world pre-AI. And that and I see the benefit in it, but I also see how it's gonna hinder, especially our people in the future. Yeah so because a part of my program, I teach moms how to write their books, write their testimonies in a strategic way. Um, but I come from a world where there was no AI, so I've written 13 books without having to use. However, I've also understand, I also learned how to leverage AI to eliminate um having to hire an expensive editor to formulate your words, to polish it up, using it as a writing assistant and not replacing your voice. But people are using it to replace their voice, they're writing the whole book. They're writing whole books and it's scary. And I and I and you can read it and see, like, okay, this ain't you. But you're gonna lose that skill. Yeah. How do we or what what route would you say we need to take to continue to help our women in business, our assistants in business to really really develop that skill.

SPEAKER_03 34:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:16

Because once we get too dependent on AI, where would that leave us?

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Yeah, well, that's it. We we can't get lazy. Yeah. Right? We still have to realize you still have to do the work. Yeah. Right? You know, AI is just a tool, it is not a substitution for hard work. You are still gonna have to work. I don't care how much you how many prompts you give Chatty, at some point or another, you're gonna have to do something with it. You're gonna have to do the work. So, you know, just you know, continuing to instill that in our sisters, that you know, what AI cannot give you is passion. It cannot give you skill. It cannot, you know, there are certain things that just cannot be replaced by technology. Um, and so, like, even we had a course today on how to start your business. There was an AI component to the agenda, but it was only about 20 minutes of a two-hour agenda because it is not the end all be all. Um, and so we definitely, you know, just try to help our sisters realize you still got to do the work. You can do it smarter.

SPEAKER_01 35:08

But when you know that that's a part of the agenda to keep us behind. Like it's is and I see it coming. So we just all gotta do our part. Do you um did you see yourself where you are now when you were younger? When I was younger, no. I wanted to be a lawyer. Oh, I could see that though. I wanted to be a lawyer. I can see you as a teacher, or I can see the lawyer.

SPEAKER_02 35:30

I can see I definitely wanted to be a lawyer. Um, you know, I don't know what other than that, I didn't really have a whole lot of vision. I just knew I was gonna be in the church in some way. I grew up in the church, you know. I've been a minister since I was 20 years old, so that, you know, I knew would be somewhere in my future. Um, I've just been kind of taking it one day at a time and seeing where God leads. I definitely didn't think I was gonna be living in Georgia, I can tell you that. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:58

Do you think your younger self is proud of you?

SPEAKER_02 36:00

Oh, that's a good question, Danny. Um I do. I do. I do. I do think she's proud.

SPEAKER_01 36:08

Yeah. Um, I'm proud of you. I am proud of you. And I want to know, um, since we got classes and everything going on and business, um, uh the e-commerce store, and we are going to continue to do the small, the smaller scale. What what what's next on your five-year agenda? Look, I'm trying to get the I'm trying to get the T out of her, y'all.

SPEAKER_02 36:36

That, you know, you really just described it. You really just described it. Um, you know, we we've done so much, right? That um, you know, in this season, we're really just trying to um narrow down and hone in on what works. Yeah. Right. So, um, and then we also gotta get we gotta get through this economic climate with this person in the White House. And because a, you know, a lot of what we used to be able to do is because we were able to get funding, we were able to get sponsorships, and now companies are afraid to invest in businesses with a focus on black women because of the repercussions. So what you know, I don't know that that we're necessarily um gonna be doing a whole lot more than what we're already doing, which is which is still a lot. So we're gonna continue to grow our educational components, our inner circle. We have a membership now. For many years, people ask, How can I be a member? We have a membership now. You can join our inner circle and become a member that gives you access to the courses, coaching, and community that we offer.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:37

Um, and then we have our e-commerce brand where we are continuing to grow uh prayerfully and hopefully to be the Amazon of Black Women Owned Brands. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 37:44

We're gonna speak and then we'll get a membership or is it a monthly? It's a monthly membership. Okay, and and by joining your monthly membership, you get access to all of the courses? You do. Wow. Yep, you add new courses, uh, or is it just the same courses?

SPEAKER_02 37:58

No, no, no. Different topics every month. Um, you get live QA sessions, you get coaching. Nice. Uh yeah, nice, nice, nice. You get access to the events, everything.

SPEAKER_01 38:08

How can how can someone join? Where can we go to the website? We can go to the website SIBxpo.us and click become a member. Yes, yes. I love how um everyone is creating their pockets of um, well, not I'm not gonna say pockets, but they're creating communities within within the community. Because even though I have my own community, I'm a part of like three communities. Yeah. Um, and I'm meeting so many women, and I just love the fact that um I can go as a coach, as a mentor, I can join another community and get coached. Because that's coaching. I I if I see something um in your community that's gonna help my business and I didn't think of, I love that. I love that. And just I'm a networker anyway. I'm gonna talk, and that's probably why I got a podcast. I'm gonna talk. But no, I just I just love that. Um, but let me um let me ask you this. So, from motherhood and business, what do you think is the most challenging between motherhood and business? What's the most challenging?

SPEAKER_02 39:13

Depends on the day, Tammy. Oh, um, it depends on the day. You know, motherhood is the hardest job in the world, right? And that's why, you know, we both have these platforms for mama preneurs because when you blend those two worlds together, right? So entrepreneurship is extremely hard. Yes, motherhood is extremely hard. When you bring those two together, you got two extremely hard things, um, sometimes competing for attention. Um, so you know, I think I would have to say motherhood because, you know, I do the entrepreneurship now so that I can, you know, leave a legacy for my son, but it's for him. Um, and if it ever came to a point where he was like, mommy, I don't, you know, I just want you. You know what I mean? Like, so I'm gonna give him the attention. So um, but they're both, they both have their days. But would you say we choose to be entrepreneurs? To a degree, yes. To a degree, even with the calling. Because even if even with a calling to ministry, you ultimately have to make a choice.

SPEAKER_01 40:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:10

Right? Like you have to make a decision to surrender.

SPEAKER_01 40:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Right. So, you know, I got this this vision, this calling, this urge to create this brand, but ultimately I had to make a choice to do it. I make a choice every day to continue doing it because I could be like deuces.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

You could be deuces, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:25

So um, you know, but motherhood, you know, you don't have to. You can't turn it off.

SPEAKER_01 40:30

Once you once you right.

SPEAKER_02 40:31

This is I hear stories about people who, you know, willingly leave their children or and I just can't. I can't imagine I can't imagine. Um, because I can't um I can't imagine life without a baby.

SPEAKER_01 40:43

Oh, wait, I just first of all, I I pray for any mom who is in that space dark enough to feel like she gotta leave her baby. I pray for any woman because I mean you never know what anybody is going through. But to I I just I can't imagine. I can't imagine that. Yeah, I cannot imagine that. But this was an amazing, insightful conversation. And I am so glad that you came here and joined me. And she went, you want to come on camera and say hi? No, she said no. She bore her sister. Um, I I just wanted to invite her on because I love the fact that you have support. Support is one of the biggest things that you need. Like, you don't realize how much support you're gonna need once you become an entrepreneur because you're wearing 18 million different hats. Like, like it's the truth.

SPEAKER_02 41:30

I wouldn't, there would be no sisters in business, anything without my family, without the support that I have. Even my friends, some very dear friends and family, have been holding me and this brand down since pre-day one. Yes, it would not exist without them, and it's so weird. I've always been supported in my life, whether it was, you know, ministry, school, whatever I was doing. You know, if I had a speech to give, like my people gonna show up. Like that's just how I was raised, my family, you know, my friends. So when I've met people who don't have that, it's it's strange to me because I'm not used to it. But I have learned that a lot of people don't have that. They don't, they don't. We have women who come to our, you know, to vend at the events and they have nobody with them. They couldn't get anybody to come with them. And at first it was like foreign to me. I'm like, because my people, they beat me there. They like where we need to be, you know. So we have to be, you know, have to empathize and you know, be supportive as much as we can because some people don't have support systems like that.

SPEAKER_01 42:22

And you know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna be, I was about to close out, but I need to make it because you put this on my heart. So recently, um, I've got into the spirit of offering my services. Like rant if I see someone or if they started following me and I started following them and I'm just seeing they got something coming up. I literally DM people, hey, and I don't I don't announce it on the page. I'm not gonna say who the people are, but I'll DM people, hey, if you need any help at your event, um if I'm available, I would love to come and help. I will work the door, I will do whatever it is. Um no, not for money, not for pay. You don't even gotta say I'm Tim McCrew. I don't need no announce, I don't need not, I just wanna help serve. Um, but people take that the wrong way. Yeah. Um, and I took it and and recently I did that. And one one woman, and it's not, and I and I understand why she would um do this. And I don't even know if it was directed towards me, but I I kind of took it that way when she got on her platform, and it's like, oh, now everybody wanna help me because they see me doing an event. Now everybody wanna be in the room or want to do the do your own event. And I was just like, wow, but and I didn't know if that was directed towards me, but it came right after me. Yeah. Um, that was probably like the fifth person I did that with. Um and it just was like, okay, well, I wasn't taking it as that way, but I'm like, how can you cause I know how it feels not to be supported? How can you show up in that life for women and then that's how they're receiving it? I'm like, are we really that closed minded to think that everyone is always after us, or are are we? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 43:56

It just Yeah, she's speaking from a a place of her, probably. You know, just she's dealing with her own stuff, basically. And unfortunately, sometimes people project that, you know, onto others. You know, but you keep doing what you're doing, right? Like, you know, you may not do it with her again, but you know, you keep doing what you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

Okay, why would you leave it there? I didn't know if if you didn't know, right. But you know, it still stands is that she did need help. But that did not stop me from sending um um messages to a few other women. Just because I know like how I I'm I'm called to serve.

SPEAKER_02 44:28

Yeah, I've had people show up for me when I needed it the most and didn't even know I needed it. Yeah. You know, total strangers. Yeah. Total God will use total strangers to help you and be a blessing to you. Um, and so I, you know, as much as I can try to to do the same for others in whatever capacity. Yes. Um, because we gotta be there for each other. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 44:50

Absolutely. Well, yes, this was amazing. If y'all need to, first of all, I want y'all to follow her. I want you to drop your um what's your what's your Instagram?

SPEAKER_02 44:57

Uh so my personal page is SIB Founder, stands for Sisters in Business. Yes. Uh so S I B founder, and then um the pay, the brand page. I don't know why this earring it keeps coming out. My stylist didn't do a good job.

unknown 45:08

Ooh!

SPEAKER_02 45:09

Um, my ear we got the stylist in the room today, y'all. Um, I'm just playing. I didn't have no stylus today. This was me, all me, okay? Just a jokey joke, just a little jokey joke. I have the best stylus in the world.

SPEAKER_01 45:25

Y'all remember, if y'all remember from the other episode, um, style by D Star, um, Aisha and I, we shared the same stylus, and she's with us today in the audience as well, too. Still junky jokes, little jokey joke. Because we know she eats down. Down.

SPEAKER_02 45:40

Um, but yeah, so my personal page is SIB Founder, and then the brand pages are SIB Expo and the Sister Shop ATL. Those are gonna be changing soon. Um, but just you know, you'll see the updates. You know, join our mailing list. Always tell people join the mailing list. Yes. That is the best way to stay connected, stay up to date on what we have going on because you know the algorithm don't be algorithm-you know, um and you can be following somebody and never see their stuff. Um, so the best thing to do, you can subscribe, of course, for updates, but always join the mailing list because everything goes to the mailing list first.

SPEAKER_01 46:14

Yes, yes. Make sure y'all get in contact with sisters, especially if you are a sister in business. Reach out and I'm gonna volunteer her DM. Go shoot her a DM. She knows she's one of the sweetest persons that you can honestly meet for the first time. And I felt that from her. I'm like, okay, because I I looked at her as um a celebrity level. I did. I'm not even gonna lie. Because I've heard of Sisters in Business even before I got down here. Like when I was going through my divorce and starting up Bleach and Sisters in Business. I'm like, okay, all right.

SPEAKER_02 46:45

And you know it's so funny. There are so many, uh, quite a few people who were who know us from Jersey, Philly, who are now in Atlanta too. Yeah. Um, like even Keila, who was the moderator of the panel. She was first on our panel in Philly, right? Years ago. I call her scissors.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

I said she gave me scissor vibes.

SPEAKER_02 47:02

Years ago. So, you know, um, you know, it's just good to be on this journey with people, even if you didn't know them. Yes, you know, for a while. And we have a lot of people who've just been with us since the day one. I call, you know, the OGs. And we have a lot of people who just met us, you know, through the sister shop. Yes. Um, so we're grateful for it all. Whatever point in the journey you came through, we love you, we appreciate you, we support you.

SPEAKER_01 47:24

And if you have not crossed path with S-I-B Sisters and Business yet, this is your sign. If you've been wanting to, this is your sign. So just reach out, connect, shop the uh brand. Um, and I would not be me again. I cannot forget to announce, not announce, I'm saying announced, I can't forget to give a shout out to our official sponsor, Leeche Capri. That's L-E-C-C-E-C-A-P-R-I. Make sure you shop Leeche Capri and use the code HUDLE for 20% off. Oh, look at that. And I will drop the link. I will drop the link um to both of our sites in the comments uh section, the description section. And I want you to leave a comment, let me know how much you enjoyed this episode. What was your takeaway? And did you start an e-commerce business? And how is that going for you? Or any takeaways from this episode? Let us know in the comments. We want to hear back from you. Um, special shout out to all of the women that's moving and shaking. Special shout out to everyone who recently joined our Facebook community. I see we are growing. And everyone who recently subscribed to this channel, thank you. Continue to share, continue to get the message out there because this is the only way that we're really going to keep pushing forward and helping the agenda of us, right? Is if we're sharing, if we're talking about it. And don't just do it for self, we do it for each other because I am all about spreading the love myself, and I do it for brands that don't even know I do it. So, shout out to all of us. Um, but we're about to get up out of the studio again. Aisha, thank you for joining me. Thank you for coming. Um, and this won't be her last time here either because um I got some plans for her as well. Okay, I got some plans. She don't even know it yet. I got some plans, but y'all stay true to who you are, and as always, crowns on, chin up, and you rock the rest of your week. Have a good night.

unknown 49:09

Yay!