I recently went one on one with Tameka Chapman, founder of Mogul Media.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth? 

Tameka: My journey into becoming who I am began at the tender age of 8.  I was young, created and talented little girl with big dreams of doing amazing things in the world.  But I was surrounded by young girls who felt unseen, unheard and were dealing with things at home.  Not only that, but they were also being bullied in school.  As a nurturer, I always felt compelled to speak a positive word to them.  At this time, I made a bold statement that one day I would travel and empower girls all over the world.  As I’ve matured, and even during times when I didn’t feel as inspired or motivated, I’ve been able to empower women who have faced tough times in life.  I find myself speaking life into others to offer inspiration, hope and become a beacon of light of what’s possible.

Now, as the founder of Mogul Media, LLC which includes the Mogul TV Global Network, I get to do just that!  Offer shows and programs that speak directly to the mindset and hearts of women across the globe.  Of course, there were plenty of setbacks and challenges along the way, but they made me stronger.  I developed a perseverance mindset and believed that no matter what happens, how long it took or what avenues I needed to take to get there, success would ultimately happen because I stayed the intentional course.

I developed this perseverance mindset during my 18-year journey to motherhood, where I battled with every thought and feeling a woman could feel.  From not feeling worthy, feeling unloved, depressed and frustrated to depleting savings and feeling alone even when I surrounded by people who loved me.  I believe that having a mindset of perseverance is the only thing that kept me going and how I was blessed with my children.  This developed me into being to tap into the power of my perseverance towards every goal that I set out to achieve.

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas? 

Tameka: I created Mogul Media, LLC after years of trial and error, searching for what spoke to me and what I great at doing.  In my business, I’m also a business growth strategist for entrepreneurs.  I’ve been coaching women in business for over 16 years, helping them map out their success map.  So, when I decided to leave my 9-to-5 employment and focus on business, I knew that I had to assess my skills, passions and capacity.  Advice that I’d offer to others is to grab a notebook, write down everything they think they love to do.  Then, dedicate a piece of paper to each of those things and write down all the steps in which you can offer that idea to the world.  If it’s too hard for you to figure out what the next steps are, that may not be the right path right now.  It may take some time to get a strategy in place for it.  But if there are some that the process and offerings just naturally flow from you, this would be the ideal place to start as it’s considered the “easy” thing for you to do.

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea? 

Tameka: I knew my business idea was worth pursuing because I couldn’t stop thinking about it and anything I did, for fun or fee, always stemmed back to my creative side.  I’m a natural-born creative and I love everything that allows me to use my hands and mind to create something amazing.  

To test an idea, there are a few things you can and should do.  1) Research.  Is what you desire to do already being done by others?  What will you do differently that will allow you to stand out?  Then ask if that’s something in which others have shown interest.  2) Focus Group.  Gather around people who have shown interest in what you’re seeking to offer.  Pitch the idea to them and get their feedback.  3)  Just offer it.  Too many times, we sit on our hands because we’re afraid that people may not buy from us or our audience is not big enough to make sales, but you’ll never know if you never make it available for others to purchase from you. 

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level? 

Tameka: The key step that I took to grow my business is that I got out of my own way.  I had a hard time trusting others to do what I felt only I could do.  Once I got to a place where I felt stressed about everything because nothing was moving forward, I realized that I was in the way of my business’ growth.  I wrote down all of the tasks that I was doing, figured out who would be best able to do those tasks and began my search.  I was able to find and hire my entire team within two weeks.  I’m now able to fully focus on the seven streams of income within my business, making valuable connections and creating some amazing collaborations.

If you are seeking to take your business to the next level, first you must know where you are in business.  Are you at a point where it would be cost-effective for you to hire someone to do tasks and save you time to do other things in your business?  If so, think about the tasks you want to outsource and find someone who is competent to do them.  

Then, focus on your streams of income.  Either hire a business growth strategist or make a spreadsheet of the streams that you have in your business and create a list of projects for each.  If you’ve hired a virtual assistant or have an assistant for your business, have them to begin working on the tasks for each of those projects, one at a time.

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips? 

Tameka: The best sales and marketing tips that I can offer is to be yourself.  People buy into you and your journey before they buy from your business.  So, show people who you are, educate them from your expertise and then, offer your services as they’ll most likely be primed and ready to buy from you.

Tip:  You and everyone that works at or with your company should know your brand.  

Your MVP—mission, vision, and promise—should be front and center for all employees.

Tip:  Under-promise and Over-deliver. Your clients will become your raving word-of-mouth ambassadors for your business.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Tameka: An effective leader is one that not only properly delegates tasks, but also listens to, believes in, educates, and empowers his/her mentees, employees, and others around them.  An effective leader seeks opportunities to help others move up the rank and make vital connections.

To take your leadership skills to the next level, become intentional on exuding confidence and hearing the thoughts of others.  Show up as the leader you desire to be.  Not just in the way you dress, but also in your mindset and attitude.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

Tameka: The best advice I can offer in building, leading and managing teams is to trust your team.  You hired them because they can do the tasks that you don’t have the time and/or skillset to do.  If you don’t trust your team, they will feel that distrust and will not perform as well as you’d like them to perform.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders? 

Tameka: Tip 1:  Believe in yourself and your why—the reason you chose this mission.  Remember your passion behind your why, especially on the days it seems the goals are too hard to achieve.

Tip 2:  Find your circle.  Locate the group of people who not only understand your journey but will support you on your journey.  They will hold you accountable and can also introduce you to others who can help with certain tasks toward achieving your goals.

Tip 3:  Have a perseverance mindset towards your goal.  When you understand that obstacles will surely come, if you arm yourself with ambition, drive, and common sense, you will withstand the challenge and overcome it.  It’ll all be a part of your story to, one day, tell others.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Tameka: The best piece of advice that I have received was while working my 9-to-5.  A coworker/friend told me, “Do not become a victim of your own success.”  

I didn’t understand it at the time, but it all made sense in less than six months.  I take my job seriously and find the most efficient strategies to accomplishing tasks, often making it seem as if I don’t have enough workload.  Because of this, I was the go-to person for every task even when there were others who could have and should have been assigned tasks.  My own ability to be the best at my job put me in a stressful position that no one cared to understand.  The leadership in which I was under was not effective.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations. 

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