Meet Simone The Mastermind | Business Strategist | Coach | Author | Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Simone The Mastermind and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Simone, is there something you believe many others might not?
One piece of conventional advice that I disagree with would most definitely have to be “charge what you are worth”. I disagree with this heavily because the value in the products and services that business owners offer are a separate entity from who they are. Secondly, there are so many individuals unaware of their worth so to tell them to charge according to that is what causes so many of them to undercharge and undermine the value of what they have to offer. I tend to correct that by stating “charge according to the value that you provide”.

What should our readers know about your business?
Akamai (ah kah my) Enterprise, LLC. is a consulting firm where I assist with developing business scaling strategies that focus on minimizing the workload of clients while maximizing their revenue. I got to where I am today by realizing that m potential was beyond the walls of corporate America–that I would have more of an impact if I jumped out of the nest to do my own thing. As a single mother of two plus the responsibility of tending to my grandparents, it was a bit of a challenge. Entrepreneurship has not been easy at all. Becoming a business owner does not come with a manual so you must learn along your journey which is a challenge within itself but one that I do not regret, nonetheless. I have learned that it is imperative to always be in a state of learning new information and evolving. Never feel that I have gotten to a point where I cannot be taught. What I want the world to know about me is that even in the midst of adversity or going through your own trials, you can still be of service to others. I meet so many people that really think there is a right time to start a business or work on their brand—it isn’t. Here I am seven years later full-time and I can assure that there will never be a right time so if it is on your heart to become an entrepreneur, start today. No matter what your past looks like. It doesn’t matter what you are currently going through. You have the skills, expertise, and the experiences to educate, motivate, and empower. Get on it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Everyone jokes about how Simone the Mastermind is always out doing something! I love daytime drinking so most of my itinerary would be centered around that. Places that we would eat would include Coastal Fish, The Terrace for the lovely view, Capital Grille for daytime drinking, and Bones and Yams for some delicious, savory, southern food. For a more casual time, we would swing by Overton Square to visit all the bars and restaurants. If my best friend wanted to turn things up a notch, we would swing by Prive on a Wednesday night to have good food, great drinks, and dance to music. As far as clubbing and hanging out on the weekend nights, that isn’t my thing (crazy I know) but I like to hop around to multiple spots in a day so it will always be a vibe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yes! I would like to dedicate my shoutout to two people actually. They both have equally contributed to my years of expertise in corporate America, which led to me gaining the courage to walk away and do my own thing. Sandra Ford and Darrell Oatis. They both were my superior at previous jobs before I established my consulting firm. Sandra Ford was the first person to place me in management. She also mentored me throughout my career. She taught me how to overachieve in a male-dominated industry of business and leadership. She was hard on me–I’m talking difficult and would not let up! There were even days where I would cry and feel overwhelmed but I am glad that she taught me and built me up the way that she did so that when I joined a multi-million dollar franchise company, I excelled. That’s also when Darrell Oatis was my Director. My teams exceeded store goals monthly and I had a very militant superior (Oatis) to push me beyond what I thought I was capable of. The one thing I will never forget is how he saw the potential of me establishing my own business even when I couldn’t. I had always been one of those women who was determined to climb the corporate ladder. Entrepreneurship never really crossed my mind. Oatis encouraged me to not be afraid of the unknown and to go out there and do my own thing. I heard him, but I still was like “nah”. However, he saw things happening in the company that would push me away and that is exactly what happened. At that moment, I knew that my greatness supersede the things that I did for the company and that it was time to go. April 2014 I resigned and established my own consulting firm. It’s been up ever since.

Website: www.simonemastermind.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/simone_mastermind

Facebook: www.facebook.com/simonemastermind

Other: Email: ceo@simonemastermind.com

Image Credits
Jacorri Washington / Clouded Visuals Photos & Phases