6 minute read
On The Cover
MayaLynn W.O.M.B
Maya Lynn Harris of Richmond, VA is a entrepreneur, coach, author, connector, and educator. She had served as a high school English teacher for 17 years and an instructional coach for six years before stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. Her business, W.O.M.B., (Woman-Owned Minority Businesses) is a business networking organization committed to helping women entrepreneurs of color make purposeful connections that support their purpose, strengthen their process, and increase their profits.
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Unlike other networking groups, W.O.M.B. utilizes a concept called “circles” to emphasize goal-setting and group collaborations that are income-producing activities for all members. W.O.M.B. started in August 2019, however the concept was previously launched under a different name, S.H.E. “Sharing Her Experience” in 2014. “At that time, several networking groups were launching and I did not have that “secret sauce” yet so I shelved it,” she says. After becoming a full-time business owner in 2018, she started planning again. When she closed her microschool in the summer of 2019, she saw it as the perfect time to relaunch the idea.
Coach Maya allows her to serve as a business startup coach and assist new business owners with conceptualizing and launching new business ideas through what she calls a “Business Birthing” method. “Coach Maya was a hobby for years while I was a teacher. I loved creating business blueprints for friends and colleagues. I did everything from business plans to web design, all for free. In 2017, my mentor introduced me to a woman in Tennessee who owned a business design firm and that’s when I decided to establish it as a licensed business,” Maya shares.
Maya shares why she has such a strong desire to help others. “I love working with women, particularly women of color. Their passion and fire to live a better life and leave a legacy for their families pushes me everyday. I also love hearing their new ideas and helping them see their next level. Additionally, I also love the opportunity that being self employed allows for me to spend more time at home, helping my parents. Working a nine to five didn’t give me the flexibility I needed to take them to appointments and handle things that concerned them. They did everything they could for me. I’m blessed to be able to do the same.”
Maya is the proud mother of twin sons, Mandell and Bryce. She is the author of What Your Oil? : Unmasking Your Hidden Talents, and is a co-author of Unchain My Legacy: How Owning Our Choices Free Us and Those We Love.
There are a small group of mentors, all women entrepreneurs of color, who continually push Maya and encourage her to be who she has been called to be. “Their standards are the highest and I’ve learned to set mine higher because of them. When you spend time in the room with seven and eight figure earners who look like just like me, I am not allowed to make any excuses,” she says.
In the future, Maya hopes to expand W.O.M.B. and provide its services in every city where there are women entrepreneurs of color. “We’ll take those statistics and flip them upside down, together. There’s nothing more powerful than a determined group of women. We’re going to change the narrative,” she says.
Woman-Owned Minority Businesses www.wombbiz.org Coach Maya www.yourcoachmaya.com
Tiffany Draper
By Terry L. Watson Photos by TIffany Draper
Tiffany Draper of Huntsville, AL is not allowing any grass to grown under her feet. This young and beautiful lady embodies the absolute meaning of what ambitious means.
In business, and especially for those who are self-employed, it can be hard to get people to support you. Not having money or supporters can be tough for a business owner, however it’s during those tough moments, character is developed, and survival is dependent upon determination. This is what Tiffany Draper is all about.
She is an entrepreneur who is passionate about generational wealth and encouraging other black women. “As a survivor of many things, I want to reach as many women in the world and encourage them to love themselves and never give up on their life or dreams. I love people and I believe that God has called me to serve His people,” she says.
One of the businesses she owns is a women’s empowerment business, Tea With Tiffany. Tea With Tiffany is a platform she started to give women hope and to empower one another. “In 2016, I remember waking by a mirror and not recognizing myself. As a result of this I decided to write about it publicly on Facebook. Women from all backgrounds started to follow and write me. It was a coming to terms with myself kind of moment. I believe that you must bring your whole self to the table if you want to succeed in life, your personality, your sense of humor, and most importantly, your heart. All these elements help to build your character. And so, in that same year of 2016, God gave me a vision to launch Tea With Tiffany. I started out writing posts on Facebook and trying to grow my audience through social media. Writing became second nature to me and from there the blog was birthed,” she says.
Another business owned by Tiffany is the event center, Studio 53. Opened in November 2019, it is available to meet the needs of anyone in the Huntsville area. Their spacious facility is capable of being the host location of parties, special events, and much more.
As if Tiffany hadn’t enough on her plate, she has found time to author and publish her first book, But She Didn’t Quit Though. “I wrote my very first book in September 2018. It’s basically an open letter to myself, apologizing to myself for how I mishandled myself. I was free from bondage after that,” Tiffany shares.
While there could several reasons as to why Tiffany pushes herself to do so much, it’s obvious she genuinely loves people and enjoys seeing them happy. Furthermore, she shares how the impact that her mother and kids have on her life, and the influence they have in her business. “My mom was a single parent and I remember promising myself that I would take care of her one day if I could. She sacrificed so much for my brother and I, and I knew I needed to be successful and show her that she had done a great job with us,” she says.
As a businesswoman, Tiffany draws strength from other people who have made it and reached back into their community. Like others, she hopes that will be her story as well. Tiffany offers some advice to others who may have similar experiences, “Stay humble, and don’t quit! Quitting is not an option. God will never give you an assignment if He believed that you couldn’t handle it. Stay the course and most of all, trust God,” she says. h
