How Social Media Influencer Sharmeeka ‘Bawse Lady’ Brooks Turned Fifty Dollars Into A Multi-Million Empire

Spread the love


Sharmeeka “Bawse Lady” Brooks is a member of an elite class of 17% of Black women who are starting or operating businesses, outpacing the 10% of their white female counterparts who launch enterprises and 15% of white men who inaugurate new ventures, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Brooks, an author and wellness enthusiast, transformed herself into a self-made millionaire using her resilience and expertise in network marketing strategies to initiate her retail start-ups. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Jamaica and encountered financial hardship. Her father was not predominantly in the home, leaving her single mother to work three jobs.

“All of my mother’s earnings went towards the bills. My mom sacrificed a lot but made it a point to get me into a private high school in hopes that I would have a better life,” said the serial entrepreneur.

Tragedy arose when doctors told Brooks, then 15 years old, that her father would possibly live as a vegetable after being stabbed in his head. The terrifying incident catalyzed her to elevate in all areas. Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she had her first daughter at 18 and a year later moved to Miami, Florida, with her mother, who became gravely ill. Brooks stepped in as her caretaker and tended to her mother through open heart surgery and breast cancer.

Yet, with all the adversity surrounding her, Brooks remained unmotivated to pursue a more productive existence. However, austerity finally prompted her to seek out a financially secure lifestyle. In October 2012, she fell behind in making payments to her mortgage and decided to sell accessories and created an LLC in February 2013.

“During that time, my job of ten years at BrandsMart USA fired me. I filed for unemployment to get $250 a week, but I was denied. After giving BrandsMart so much of my time, ten hours a day, six days a week, every holiday every weekend, and living check to check driving to and from work on a bench in my SUV. They knew I had bills, and they still fired me; this grew into animosity for the 9-5 world,” she says. “That’s when I knew I was a risk taker, driving to work without a real chair – riding on a bench with no seat belt – doing whatever means necessary to get things done. I applied that same drive to my own business every day.”

She took fifty dollars from her last paycheck and purchased jewelry, a total of five rings, from a retail, wholesale site called Go Jane and sold them in an adult entertainment establishment. Brooks doubled her initial investment and continued until she made enough profit to pay her light bill. She sought a wider audience by selling her jewelry on Facebook and Instagram, “Facebook was more user-friendly, family and friends purchased [items] on my website. My first online customer bought $20 [worth of] rings; this gave me the courage to continue and the push I needed to excel.”

Brooks slowly developed into a social media strategist. Even though she lacked a college degree and business acumen, she armed herself with a “can-do” spirit.

“That first online order helped me to say, “let me figure out this social thing” – so I took it more seriously,” she recalls. Nonetheless, her hindrances became pervasive; she grappled with depression, “I put my mental health on the back burner all the while taking care of my mother. No one talks about entrepreneurial pain – life’s struggles made it much harder and difficult to run a business.”

To ease her private turmoil, she created an alter ego social media handle called “Bawse Lady.” Brooks drew inspiration from how men maneuver in the private sector but cloaked those characteristics in femininity. Under the title, she expanded her business and social media branding, “Being an introvert and not wanting to network “Bawse lady” was a mindset, I would tell myself ‘you’re a boss going into the conference room of the digital world.'”

Brooks utilized authenticity and relatability as her primary marketing strategies and pondered different techniques she could employ to help her community. She harnessed the power of social media, grew her brand, and gained 100,000 organic followers in 2015 without celebrity endorsements or paid advertisements.

“I was able to become a millionaire without a million followers,” she proudly imparts. “My first million-dollar year was 2014. I realized this was a God-given talent, for people to gravitate towards [me].” Presently, her online presence exceeds over three hundred thousand impressions ranging from various platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Brooks believes that her vulnerability and genuineness is the core reason of why people connect with her.

For her next endeavor, she migrated into selling shapewear once she saw another vendor on social media. Brooks met with many manufacturers and settled on one that allowed her to order items once her customers paid for them. In the first month of 2013, she raked in $183, and then in February 2014, her revenue jumped to $100,000 in a month.

“I kept the same manufacturer for almost ten years; it’s a win-win,” she proclaims. The component of her products that attracted numerous customers is due to the quality of her shapewear. She describes her body shapers as unrestrictive, comfortable, and undetectable.

As her influence soared, many people would post their inquiries about entrepreneurship through direct messaging. “Everyone thinks of entrepreneurship as a quick fix. No one thinks about IRS tax planning, business planning to scale, or business credit,” she admits.

Brooks decided to compile all of her knowledge into “Foundation 2 Elevation,” a resource center for entrepreneurs using social media to market their businesses. Business owners can access ebooks, business and mindset coaching, and mentorship.

On March 5, 2017, she hosted an in-person event that sold out in five minutes, “What I offer through is business knowledge, understanding that a relationship with God will shift your energy, spirit, and morals. [Also included] is personal development, financial literacy, credit score, money management, and business development through my seminars and physical in-person classes.”

Brooks learned early on that branding herself versus her company is vital to her success because people feel more comfortable buying from a persona. “When it comes to that type of branding, you’ll never be boxed in; when creating content, I wanted to make sure my content attracted various people. Not just women in pain or just secular women, but women of faith, parents, people who like to eat food and watch cooking recipe videos, fashion girls, people who like vacations, etc. So my page has different layers, so whoever follows me will see some value.”

By casting a wider net and building a diverse audience with her brand, she can create opportunities to build multiple income streams. Within the last two years, Brooks made $4.5 million and projects that revenues for this year will supersede previous returns. Now that the U.S. is officially in a recession, Brooks plans to navigate the downturn in the economy and inflation by teaching other people about financial literacy, creating passive income, maintaining excellent personal credit, managing credit cards, and living within their means.

“In 2015, I started getting into investment properties. Even in a recession, people will always need a place to stay. I’m like a wholesaler when it comes to being a landlord. I only pay taxes so I can make rent whatever I want [so] I don’t need to think about the mortgage to make a profit,” Brooks reveals. For the future, Brooks is concentrating on creating a financial planner that will be paired with the financial literacy ebook Foundation 2 Elevation that is currently available. She is adding more offerings under her shapewear banner and securing a warehouse. Brooks is also considering writing a cookbook and her memoir. Brooks wants others to learn from her life, struggles, and success that growth is the most impactful part of managing a company.

“I want women to be able to make money and build a successful brand but not at the expense of their love life, family, children, or personal time. You can actually have it all,” she concludes.



best barefoot shoes

Source link

Neon-lit text graphic reading "social schmuck" with a retro style.
Website | + posts
See also  X Adds New Source Reference Requirement for Community Notes
  • Related Posts

    Java Burn Review – Drink coffee and lose weight

    Spread the love

    Spread the loveJava Burn Review This revolutionary dietary supplement, designed to turbocharge your coffee routine, sets a new weight loss and fat-burning standard. With a carefully selected blend of all-natural…

    Read more

    TikTok’s Appeal Fails Against U.S. Sell-Off Legislation

    Spread the love

    Spread the love The U.S. Court of Appeals has decisively rejected TikTok’s legal challenge aimed at disqualifying the enforced sell-off bill mandated by the U.S. Government. This significant ruling brings…

    Read more

    You Missed

    Cuffing Season: Hollywood’s Hottest Couples Heat Up!

    Cuffing Season: Hollywood’s Hottest Couples Heat Up!

    DOGE Targets California High-Speed Rail and Beyond

    DOGE Targets California High-Speed Rail and Beyond

    Java Burn Review – Drink coffee and lose weight

    Java Burn Review – Drink coffee and lose weight

    TikTok’s Appeal Fails Against U.S. Sell-Off Legislation

    TikTok’s Appeal Fails Against U.S. Sell-Off Legislation

    Daily Combo for December 6, 2024 from Tomarket

    Daily Combo for December 6, 2024 from Tomarket

    Toronto Raptors vs. Dallas Mavericks 2024: Free NBA Livestream

    Toronto Raptors vs. Dallas Mavericks 2024: Free NBA Livestream

    Werewolf-as-Zombie Film: A Unique Lean-and-Imply Experience

    Werewolf-as-Zombie Film: A Unique Lean-and-Imply Experience

    Llama AI Model Launches: Meta’s Next Stage in Innovation

    Llama AI Model Launches: Meta’s Next Stage in Innovation

    Gervonta Davis & Lamont Roach’s Viral Intense Standoff

    Gervonta Davis & Lamont Roach’s Viral Intense Standoff

    US Passport Now Supported in Google Wallet

    US Passport Now Supported in Google Wallet

    java burn weight loss with coffee

    This will close in 0 seconds