The Uncomfortable Zone

In the Fall of 2014, I met many people who kept saying, “ You should work for yourself.”It came from coffee dates with policy analysts, small talk in the copy room, and mentors. These gentle nudges felt like I was being pushed into the deep end of a pool when I didn't know how to swim.

The Cocoa Butter Coach came from the sense of floundering that led me to flourish as an entrepreneur. Over the last decade, I owned and operated Groudned Civics, a strategy consultancy that helped businesses seed their great intentions with dollars to power great deeds. Many marvelous mistakes, merry mishaps, and miracles emerged as I learned to walk boldly along my path.

When I started working for myself, it was happenstance. I was 24- years old at the end of a local government-appointed position. Then, a charity presented me with a twelve-month contract managing a grant portfolio for child and youth initiatives. It was a plunge into the deep end of freelancing. Through YouTube, LinkedIn, podcasts, and in-person meetings, I collected the small business advice that shaped my business, paying quarterly taxes, state corporation registration, and invoicing. Most importantly, I began sharing my experiences with friends and colleagues encouraging them to take on contract roles, freelance work, or side gigs.

The Cocoa Butter Coach blog is a guide to a non-ashy entrepreneurial lifestyle, ease, flow, and letting go of a false sense of urgency. I am taking my text message pep talks, and phone calls with many enterprising women who are caregivers, caretakers, daydreamers, mothers, friends, and Black women daring to define success for themselves.