Cherise McAdoo: Resourceful Reese
Hi everyone! My name is Cherise McAdoo, the founder of Resourceful Reese. Resourceful Reese prepares and encourages students on their academic and professional journey through workshops, conferences, and one-on-one sessions. My specialty is personal branding through resume building, LinkedIn creation/rebranding, and career mapping. Resourceful Reese offers professional development and coaching, social and dining etiquette, as well as motivational speaking. In addition to Resourceful Reese, I am a recent graduate of Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. But that’s enough about me, it’s time to talk about you.
If you’re anything like me I sometimes scroll through blogs looking for answers. Answers on how to find the right products to moisturize my hair or on how to spend time with God. I even search for prepare myself to be the girlfriend and wife I want to be for my future husband. But the one thing I never did, was search how to be a better entrepreneur. I never really searched on how to maximize my collegiate resources to become all that I could be. Until I decided that if I wanted better, I had to do better. The one principle that I had to learn is that entrepreneurship and success is a journey, not a sprint.
Speaking of journey, I’ll give you the bad before the good, because that’s usually how it happens. I’ll be super transparent and say that when I launched my business I just knew I would have 30 clients after I posted my announcement. I knew that the DMs and people booking online would flood… But it didn’t. Not that day, not that month, not 2 months later. And to be honest I was devastated. Hurt because I spent months working on something that didn’t come to be. The key phrase there was “I spent months”; I was on the verge on quitting my business because I didn’t see success in the first two months when I spent five putting the idea together. Do parents give away their baby on month five because they aren’t potty-trained and they can’t talk yet? No. Why? Because they know that the baby has potential beyond what they can see right now.
When most people think of the word journey they think of taking a trip to a new place. This trip may require more of oneself physically, mentally, or spiritually. The trip may require one to mature in areas they had become complacent. The best part of the journey is what I call the ‘stretch opportunity’. It is a time for growth, and yes that includes reflection, and some let downs. If I’m honest with you I didn’t understand that when I first started on mine. I thought that once I started dream building prosperity and happy ever after would follow. I didn’t know the attacks that would follow, the friends I would lose, the guys that wouldn’t date me, and people laughing at my dream. But what I really didn’t know was how blessed my walk would be. How big the vision He gave me is and how many people would come into my life and help mold and grow me so that it could be executed. I didn’t know how many doors that I never thought would or could open for me.
So despite me really, really wanting to quit – I stayed the course. My mentor reminded me during one of my internships to ‘stick and stay’. That’s my favorite piece of advice whether you are aspiring entrepreneur, you want to work for a bomb corporation, be a social worker, or you’re still trying to figure it out. Stick and Stay. If it was easy everybody would do it. But you’re here for a specific reason, even if the ‘why’ has been revealed to you yet. If no one has told you today, I’m proud of you. I’m proud that you’re working your butt off in pursuit of your purpose. I’m proud that even in the face of people who don’t understand your ‘why’ and therefore can’t support the way you want them to, you aren’t giving up.
Here are some things that helped me thru this season:
PRAYER! I can’t emphasize this enough. I had to learn to be specific when I prayed. I no longer ask God for ‘success’. I ask Him for specifics like “God I’m asking you double my clientele, give me the resources for x,y,z”
Keep learning your craft. The Internet and social media can be your best friends, whether you’re a hairdresser, makeup artist, or even a tech guru. Also, don’t be afraid to go to free conferences or webinars in the area
Surround yourself with dynamic people in your field. Some people look at this as gathering with the competition, but I’m just a believer that God will always make a lane for me that I don’t have to compete for. I can be inspired by people that do what I do, I just have to create and not copy.
Take time to work on your craft. Sometimes you may have to miss out on a wine night, but it’s worth it. When you have real friends who genuinely care about you AND your business, they will understand. But the key is real friends.
If you want to take your academic or professional career to the next level, I would love to chat with you. Please feel free to visit my website: www.resourcefulreese.com or email me: info@resourcefulreese.com.
Remember you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be,
Cherise <3
