MEMBERS ONLY
DON’T MISS THE NEXT WORKSHOP!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
Click the button below!
Community Partner: Vivian Compton: Lunch and Learn on 9/14/22 at 12 pm ET
MEET VIVIAN COMPTON
$1.5 MILLION IN RESTAURANT REVENUE: LESSONS AND STEPS TO SUCCESS
With a sharp eye and a born instinct for business, Vivian Compton is far from a newcomer to the world of entrepreneurship.
A former Industry Fashion Stylist, Designer & Boutique owner, her love for the arts & fashion was inspired by her fashion forward Filipino Mother and their many travels through Asia and Europe. Born in Bremerhaven, Germany and a native of the Philippines, her creative genius is fueled by her raw talent.
A single mother, at the age of 20 Vivian moved to Miami with her son to attend The International Fine Arts College. she found herself a Stylist by day and Hospitality manager by night working through some of the Hottest spots in Miami Nightlife, crossing paths with some of the top professionals in the entertainment and fashion industry. Frequent work trips to Los Angeles and an abrupt move Aligned her with Kim Wilson, An Australian Actress turned Boutique owner and Partner of Designer Leona Edmiston. Vivian credits this experience for her Design and boutique aspirations.
After a short stint in the trucking industry and real estate investments, Family Life brought her to Georgia; where Vivian opened her first Boutique VIDASUVI, and later, along with her bestie, conceived and opened her Artist Collective NAOMA NERETTE BOUTIQUE in the heart of Atlanta’s East Village. The Collective brought exposure to budding designers, independent labels, and artist, including her own design label Naoma Nerette.
As all entrepreneurs, Vivian experienced many struggles in pursuit of her endeavors. Her Mothers Battle with Cancer caused her to close her boutique after just barely reaching her 2 year mark in business and move to Houston where she became her mother’s advocate and caretaker. She soon realized that what sometimes feels like failure may turn into one of your best life lessons. She took an opportunity to work for one of Houston’s top Interior Designers and the knowledge and experience she gained she would later use on her successful journey through the ever-evolving path to business ownership.
With her mother’s health being one of her top priorities, she convinced her parents to move back to Atlanta, where she moved her business focus from fashion to food. Her first go as a restauranter with her now ex-husband/Chef became an instant success. STIR IT UP was a new concept in Caribbean Cuisine in the Heart of Atlanta’s Little Five Points. Family Owned and operated, it quickly became one of Atlanta’s Hidden Gems earning its spot as Atlanta’s #1 Caribbean Restaurant 6 years in a row in several Top Publications and food critic blogs. A new location with an added lower-level Lounge, THE ARTIST DEN proved to be yet another success grossing over $1.5 Million in its first year. Located in Atlanta’s Financial district in Midtown, it was frequented by Elite professionals, Government Officials, food critics and celebrities.
Expansion and growth came with its trials & tribulations. After her mother and greatest inspiration lost her 7 year battle with cancer, Vivian closed the doors of STIR IT UP for good in the summer of 2015.
By late summer 2015, She along with her son Deonte and stepson Christopher, started a small catering company STIR, that paid homage to a collection of family recipes rooted in her Caribbean & Filipino culture. Once again, this venture quickly became a success, securing catering contracts with top corporate companies like Delta, Georgia Power, Salesforce & Invesco to name a few. Their STIR Pop up Restaurants hosted all around the city were frequented by thousands weekly.
In between time she accumulated an amazing Event Design portfolio working alongside Celebrity Chef Roble Ali & his Co-conspirator as well as Vivian's long time friend, Jasmine Ali, to design stunning events for high profile clientele such as business mogul Richelieu Dennis, co- founder of Shea Moisture and founder of Essence ventures to name a few.
Today, although she consults with a select group of clients, she dedicates most of her time raising her life’s inspiration, 3-year-old daughter Izzara and creating a legacy with her life partner Bakajika Tshinanga. A new adventure is on the Horizon and the next chapter for Vivian will be an amalgamation of all her life experiences.
DON’T MISS THE NEXT WORKSHOP!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
Click the button below!
Community Partner: Delmar Johnson
MEET DELMAR JOHNSON
Principal HR Consultant, Co-Founder, Author, and Speaker
Delmar has been a driving force behind educating and empowering the solopreneur to small business CEO as Principal HR Consultant originally under the brand HR Brain for Hire™, and now as Co-Founder of the tech startup, ExpandHR™. Helping to scale for-profit businesses and non-profits organizations build and develop a legacy through the development of their leadership, people, culture, and best practices like streamlining onboarding processes, to help mitigate risks and develop a strengths-based culture.
With over 25 years of experience working with big corporations like FedEx, Kelly Services Global staffing agency, small business owners and new entrepreneurs, Delmar positioned herself as a trusted and resourceful solution for startups to established small business employers in need of affordable, efficient, and top-notch recruitment, training, and HR services. Delmar’s personal story, which includes multiple layoffs, life challenges that included losing everything, and her own dive into entrepreneurship, gives her a perfect mix of formal knowledge and “real life” experience that she pours into each client and their unique needs.
Delmar is an Amazon Best Selling Author of the books HR Is Sexy! The Truth About Human Resources and Why It’s Necessary for Your Business, and Seasons of My Soul, as well as co-author of multiple books. She has also been nominated and recognized as a finalist for the Indie Author Legacy Award (2016).
As a speaker, Delmar has been on several conferences and empowerment events stages, where she has shared those stages with such industry leaders as Cindy Trimm, Dr. George Frazier, Inventor Lonnie Johnson, Peter J. Strauss, Adam Witty, Lamar Tyler and Aprille Franks.
Delmar has been honored with the Spark and Hustle Small Business Resiliency Award (2018) and nominated for the Best Small Business Startup Award in 2014.
Connect with Delmar online at www.DelmarJohnson.com
DON’T MISS THE NEXT WORKSHOP!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
Click the button below!
Community Partner: Sharece O'Neal
MEET SHARECE O’NEAL
Branding & Web Designer
Sharece O’Neal is the Founder and Creative Director of Sharece O’Neal Creative, a web design studio empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses to tell their authentic stories. With a background in industrial engineering, corporate interior design, and over eleven years of branding and web design experience, Sharece combines strategy, visuals, and purpose to create intentional websites and brands that connect, convert, and inspire.
An ambitious creative with a purpose-driven mission, Sharece is a lifelong student of art, design, and creativity with a passion for service and seeing others thrive. Her mission is to elevate her client’s brands by bringing their visions to life beyond what they imagine.
Learn more about Sharece and her work by visiting her website www.shareceoneal.com.
READY TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE OWN YOUR DESTINY COMMUNITY?
Click the button below!
How it Started...
How it started…
When I sit and reflect about my evolution as an entrepreneur and how I have transformed as a woman, I can’t say there was a time I consciously put myself “last”. As a matter of fact, that is why the “Self-Love” campaigns didn’t land the same.
I was taking great care of myself, and life was full of things and people I loved. I didn’t equate exhaustion and overcommitting to a lack of self-love or self-care back then. Neither did I equate having a short fuse or juggling a million balls as a lack of self-care or self-love.
I was managing the life I had been given to the best of my ability. Yes, the life I was “given Hmmmm….. not the life I chose? Not the life I consciously and subconsciously created?? The perspective is what changes things. So, had I chosen exhaustion??? Now that was something I had to sit on.
Why were my dreams and ideas left dormant while I showed up and gave 10000% every day? Were my accolades and accomplishments truly enough at the end of each year? If so, why was I left with personal goals and dreams that still needed my commitment and my attention?
These are questions that I needed to answer truthfully in order to begin a massive shift in my life. Hand me any project for anyone else and it would be completed to the best of my ability. Hand me my own and I couldn’t seem to find enough time to commit to it fully. You know what I mean? It’s one thing to do it and get it done, it’s another thing to truly give your all. As a matter of fact, my first trip to the Grand Canyon was humbling to say the least. God whispered to me—"You have not caught up with yourself. You need to pause and become your own project”. This was exactly 10 years ago this summer. I made a promise and after that visit the journey became intentional. God sent powerful guides along the way. Ms. Winfrey was one. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network had just launched the same year. I was binge watching it. I needed all the life classes and hard Iyanla Vanzant conversations I could get. The tools were equipping me with a new approach to hard conversations. I was grateful.
I began tweeting so much that the Own TV social team and Oprah Winfrey herself started to engage with me. I love how organic the interaction was and even after meeting the team in person, I could see why God had chosen them to lead such a powerful movement. One day after one of the shows, Ms. Winfrey followed me. It was one of the most emotional days. I literally fell out when this happened!!! I screamed! I didn’t believe we were actually connected. I almost convinced myself it was an intern on her team. I had to take a chance, write her just to see if this was real. In less than a week, she responded. My heart was so happy.
The other beautiful own ambassadors welcomed me into the circle as I had been tweeting daily out of extreme need not social connection. I was fragile. Thankfully, I was invited to an intimate gratitude lunch with Ms. Winfrey, the team, and ambassadors. I could not believe I was scheduled to meet Oprah Winfrey face to face. Not bump into Ms. Winfrey or I just happen to be in the room, but a divine appointment. OMG!!! It seemed like God knew that the valley season I was approaching would take me so low emotionally that I would need lots of support at every turn. He knew exactly who and what resources to send.
Listening to Oprah speak at the lunch was indescribable. She was beautiful as on TV and she was just as inviting and relatable. What I appreciated most was her willingness to be vulnerable and share how hard being a full-time entrepreneur was; especially launching a network. She compared it to climbing in Mount Kilimanjaro with no shoes. Some of the same people she supported turned their backs on her when they thought she wouldn’t succeed. I felt the pain in her voice. Some people think money fixes all problems. It definitely helps but we can never escape our thoughts and emotions. Especially when we are hurt by those closest to us.
She came around and sat right next to me. I was speechless. Ms. Winfrey is really right here chatting it up. I giggle as I think back. It was the greatest dream come true. Gayle and I both had on red dresses and she gave a shout out from the stage. I felt like I was with family. Watching Maya Watson managing things in excellence inspired me to always surround myself with genuine people who operate in excellence. Life back home was changing by the day and this was just the experience I needed to know that God was in control.
Fast forward - I’m in the valley---like deep in the valley. I had sold my store, moved to another area, separated from my spouse, and I was seeking God on the deepest level. I remember crying in my car and a notification came through. It was Elizabeth. She asked if I wanted VIP tickets to Oprah Winfrey, The Life You Want Tour. Her mom wasn’t doing well and she didn’t think it was a good idea for her to attend. God wanted me there. I literally had floor seats next to the right side of the stage. When Ms. Winfrey opened the event and walked out, she saw me sitting there and said T!!! She definitely knows how to connect in such a genuine way. I try my best to do that even now because it feels great to be seen and to feel like someone genuinely cares that you chose to be there. I don’t take that for granted.
We did an exercise so powerful that night I made some life changing decisions. The life you want-map it out. We did just that. I handed Amy a handmade card for Ms. Winfrey of her and Dr. Maya Angelou. I saw a double rainbow when I left the venue. Tears starting falling. I knew that life was changing. Yes, it was scary, but I was facing the hard truth. The true reasons I made the decision that I made; the true reasons I chose the partner I chose at the time; the real reasons I chose the career, pledged, chose the friends, life, and everything was right before my eyes. It was just a major time of introspection. Some decisions I was proud of while some I was not. Then there were some I regretted and some I was grateful for.
The BIG question was, so now what? You have the life you’ve created. So, is this the life you want? God had used Oprah to bring this question to my lap. The next few years were excruciating to say the least, but now I look back and relate it to open heart surgery. Live with the disease and let it spread or face it all and surrender to the work?
The hardest decision you will ever make is likely the one that will change your life in ways unimaginable.
