Where the heck have I been?

Hey everyone, I know it has been quite a while since I last posted, but I was in crunch mode as the day for my big event was fast approaching. Before I let you in on what all took place, let me give you a quick back-story on what it is that I am actually doing. So, in 2017 I created Sheek Brands LLC. Sheek Brands LLC is a beauty event and product company for children and adults. For those of you who do not know, I am a licensed cosmetologist with over 9 years of natural hair experience. I am also an event planner. After having several conversations with many parents, it was clear that there was an interactive educational gap when it comes to children and teens with kinky and coily hair. During one of meditation moments, it came to me that I should combine my two passions, and provide a platform where children and adults of all different backgrounds and ethnicities can learn how to properly care, style, and maintain kinky and coily hair.

The preparation for a kid’s hair symposium began in May of 2017. Now in the past I have started a few things, but either did not follow through or gave up on it before it could evolve into something. Everyday new ideas would flood my mind regarding this event. One thing I did to ensure that I would go through with this new idea... was to purchase the space. Once I did that, I knew that I would now have to go through with it, or else I would lose a bunch of money because the venue space was non-refundable. Fast forward back to where I left off (my last few months of preparation).....starting in June I had to start designing and getting my banners created. I did a search on Instagram and found the perfect designer for me. I utilized a black owned printing company within my area to print everything out. Now on to securing the speakers. Where did I find my speakers...? Right on LinkedIn. Because I am a start up I had to stay within a certain budget. Utilizing the talent that is within my area was the best route for me. Next, was the entertainment….because Sheek Brands LLC is also a platform where young entrepreneurs can shine; I found a teenpreneur who is also an established DJ, and an award winning dance group to attend. In July, I realized that my 5,000 printed flyers did not have a call to action on them. I did not include it in my orginal design. I thought people would look at the logo and in turn would know exactly what to do, but turns out people did not. I hooked up with Opportunities INC., and their ladies assisted me with adding stickers that had call to actions on them. Early August we started passing out flyers everywhere and reaching out to as many people as we could. Towards the end of August: I finalized the program, finalized the script, submitted the floor plan, did a last walk through of the facility, created the swag bags, and conducted the last meeting with my team.

On Saturday Sep 1st, I rented a U-haul and my family and I packed up everything. On Sunday Sept 2, it was show time. We could not enter the facility until 10am...the event was scheduled to start at 12pm. As the clock hit 10am we began to offload and put things in order. Around 11:30am the vendors, speakers, entertainment, and helpers started to appear. As much as I planned...I started to panic. At 11:45, we still had things to arrange and I started to feel like we would not make it on time. I thought that people will be coming in at any moment, and their first impression of my event would be ruined. I also thought that people would think that this event is disorganized, and would not respect or trust what Sheek Brands LLC would produce in the future. Thankfully, my family took a hold of me, gave me a pep talk and calmed me down.
So...how did things go...IT WENT AMAZINGLY WELL!
I still can not believe that I actually put on an event of that caliber. It was not a packed house, but I had a very decent crowd. Everyone loved it, and I got all great feedback of the event.