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Women 2 Watch-Sheri Riley

Mar 192010

Sheri Riley, owner of Atlanta’s most premiere entertainment and marketing firm, GLUE, shares how she’s stayed in the business for 12 years while balancing work, family and the art of date night…

FG: What was the inspiration for launching GLUE 12 years ago?

Sheri: I always knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. so in college all of my business school electives were SBA/entrepreneur classes. Before I launched GLUE, my roles and responsibilities at each of my jobs were autonomous in nature and my first post college entertainment job at Trevel Productions (The management and production company owned by the late great Gerald Levert) was a position that I “created”. Also, during this time, was the “soft’ launch of my company under the name of “Careers R Unlimited”. I have always known I wanted to work with companies and individuals to build partnerships and assist them in achieving their very best. Also, because I’ve always known I wanted to be a business owner, as a employee, I worked for “small” companies which allowed me to not only learn my position but see, watch, and learn the inner workings on the business. After I resigned from LaFace Records, I knew it was time to launch my business, GLUE.

FG: Where does the name of your company, GLUE come from?

Sheri: Darrick Warfield, owner of Goldfinger c.s. (www.goldfingercs.com), who is the most creative person I know, gave me the name GLUE when we were working at LaFace and I shared the idea/concept of my company with him. One day he said: “You need to name it GLUE. Not GLUE Marketing, not GLUE Entertainment, just GLUE.” A short time after that, I was talking to a well trusted friend, and as I described my business to her, she kept saying these different descriptions of our services, but I could tell that she wasn’t fully grasping the concept. Finally I blurted out: “We are the GLUE!” and at that moment, I knew the name Darrick gave me was IT!!!

FG: What were some of the challenges you faced when getting your business of the ground?

Sheri: Personnel was and still continues to be one of the biggest challenges. In the beginning, we had plenty of business, clients, and new business opportunities, but had the constant challenge of identifying the best and most qualified professionals to join the GLUE team.

FG: How are the services GLUE provides different from some of the other boutique entertainment firms in Atlanta?

Sheri: GLUE’s strength is our relationships, resources, access, and intellectual capital. Also, our Brand is recognized for working at the highest level of excellence, while providing our clients with a complete service portfolio, along with attention to detail, a keen focus, and a broad vision. I don’t know of any other company in Atlanta that provides the unique blend of services that GLUE offers.

FG: A lot of people think the entertainment industry is a male dominated business but the truth is there are now a lot of women behind the scenes. Why do you think women making decisions in entertainment are not always brought to the forefront?

Sheri: I don’t think this perception is unique to the entertainment industry. I believe it’s pretty consistent with other industries (finance, technology, etc). Just like other industries, there are fewer women in the CEO or Chairman position but many Presidents and Vice Presidents with “greenlighting” power. From outside of the entertainment industry, it may appear to be a down play of women decision makers, but within the industry, that’s not the case. Women power brokers, decision makers, and influencers are not only prevalent but recognized and acknowledged, from managers of recording artists to CEOs of major movie studios.

FG: How did your work at LaFace Records prepare you for the running of your own business?

Sheri: I jokingly say that I received my PhD working at LaFace. My tenure at the Label was the launching pad for my success with GLUE. The knowledge, exposure, experience, and understanding of the entertainment industry and business I received while working there was invaluable. Even though LaFace and the stable of artists were international brands, the company consisted of a small number of employees. As the Sr. Director of Product Management, I was intimately involved and played an integral role in many aspects of the business of each artist and the Label. In addition, I still have the relationships that I cultivated while at the Label and they have been extremely instrumental in GLUE’s success. LaFace also prepared me to interact with company leaders across all industries with ease. LaFace housed the best executive talent in the industry and the majority of the individuals who worked there are still very successful in their respective ventures.

FG: What are some tips you can give readers that are contemplating leaving their job to start you’re their own business?

Sheri: Make sure your business is your passion and your passion is matched with an understanding of business. Just because you can bake GREAT cookies, doesn’t mean you can run and operate a successful bakery. 2. Have at least 12 months of money saved to cover your personal and business expenses. 3. Even if you don’t do a full business plan, do have a written PLAN. 4. Be flexible, persistent, and consistent. 5. If one of your reasons for leaving your job to become an entrepreneur is so you don’t have to “answer to a boss”, keep your job. As an entrepreneur you now have the responsibility of not reporting to a boss, but your are “responsible” to respond to the IRS, your clients, your employees, Dun & Bradstreet, etc. The point is, everyone reports to someone. Also, if you want to leave your job for “more freedom,” again, keep your job. You have a different type of freedom, but this freedom comes with an exponential amount of responsibility.

FG: What are some of the tips you have for business women who are struggling to keep their business thriving during the recession?

Sheri: During these tough times, budgets have been cut, departments have been closed, programs have been dissolved and there is limited work available for outside vendors or agencies, which has resulted in decreased revenues for small businesses. I would highly recommend the strategy of partnerships and bartering. Let’s say I am a publicist who needs a website built and a web developer needs PR for her company. This presents the perfect opportunity to barter and preserve resources. Strategic alliances are also key. With this same example, the PR firm and the Web Design Agency can partner and pitch business together. For some new business, they may be a joint venture and in other instances one firm may be the lead agency and/or the silent partner.

FG: How do you balance running your business and family?

Sheri: Mostly through prayer and faith. However, one of the first keys to a successful balance is asking for help. I am blessed to have a husband who is involved with my business and very active with our children. I am also blessed that my mother lives with us and helps with the chores around the house. One of the biggest challenges women have is the “super woman complex”. We believe we are SUPPOSE to do it all. Yes, we are capable of doing it all, but we don’t HAVE to do it all. As a single parent you don’t have a husband’s help or a mother in your city, but I am pretty sure you have good girlfriends, guy friends, community programs or even teenage daughters of your friends that would love to help if you asked. In addition to asking for help, you must create balance in your mind and thoughts. For people who are self employed, one of the biggest fallacies is this mindset that we have to work 24 hours a day. Even when my office was in my home, I separated in my mind, my office from my home. I got up in the morning, got dressed, and went to work. I just had a shorter commute than most. So the key to balance is creating the understanding that balance in your life comes from the parameters you set.

FG: Many people think that if you are a successful business woman that getting married is out of the question, because there is simply no time to date. How does a single girl go about accomplishing her goals and meeting the man of her dreams?

Sheri: GOD gives everyone the same 24 hours in a day, but how you choose to manage those 24 hours is up to you. A woman has to make a conscious decision that making time for herself and time to be available to date is important to her. Many women decide to stay busy and think that when they meet that man, they will make room for him in their lives. But they actually have to make room in their schedules and in their lives first. Also, you have to make time to do things other than go to work and interact in your work environment. Allow yourself the time to have a hobby. Spend time doing things that have absolutely NOTHING to do with your career or business. And lastly, be open to a man and/or experiences that are outside of your normal routine.

FG: What is a spiritual mantra or philosophy that you live by?

Sheri: Most consistently its Matthew 6:33 “seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you”. But as a whole, my “philosophy” for life is constantly and consistently to pray and read the bible. I find direction, peace, guidance, confirmation, understanding and joy through prayer and from reading and studying the bible for every situation I am in, every answer I seek, all of the questions I have for my life.

FG: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Sheri: Find what you love to do and you will never have to work – Charles Hugely (my Father)

FG: What would you tell your younger-self if you knew then what you know now?

Sheri: Have fun, enjoy the moment, maximize the opportunity, and connect with the people you are exposed to. You are exceptional at what you do. Do not be afraid. Be of good courage.

Finish this sentence….

FG: Women should stop complaining about______ and start doing _____________

Sheri: Women should stop complaining about bad or a shortage of men and start loving themselves enough to let their guard down, stop having sex with men that don’t really love them and aren’t vested in the relationship, and take their power back in every area of their lives.

For more information on Sheri Riley please contact Monica Coleman at Monica@M320Consulting.com to be added to her mailing list.

Women 2 Watch-Zohra Sarwari

Women 2 Watch No Responses »

Mar 122010

Zohra Sarwari is a wife, a mother, a business woman, a motivational speaker and the author of 7 books including the forthcoming, How to Raise A Successful Kidpreneuer…whew! Besides all of these accomplishments Zohra is also a Muslim woman living in America changing your ideas about life and Islam one idea at a time.

FG: How did you get your start?

Zohra:I decided to have career changes November 2006. I had done much counseling and loved helping people, so I thought coaching would be great for me, and I wanted to write books. After we moved to Indiana from California, I also decided that I wanted to home school my 3 kids, write, coach and speak. It was a career that I wanted to fit in my life around my family, not the other way around.

FG: What was your biggest challenge in starting your own business?

Zohra: The biggest challenge was having enough funding for when I started. We all know it takes money to make money. So I would save every penny that I could and invest it in my business. The next challenge was to find the right team, and All Praise is to God for helping me with that as well.

FG: How do you balance being a wife, mother and business woman?

Zohra: Time Management would be my answer to that. Once we have developed a system to manage our time, instead of our time managing us, then we can be so much more productive. This is truly how I balance it all. Of course my days are not perfect, but I get a lot more done having managed my time.

FG: What is a spiritual mantra or philosophy that you live by?

Zohra:I live by the Muslim faith which always tells us to say “InshAllaah”. If something is meant to be it will happen only by the will of God, and if something doesn’t happen it is also by the will of God. So never take heed in the outcome. Do your best, and let the Creator take care of the rest. The 2nd philosophy that I live by is that we are taught that no matter what happens, good things, or bad, always say “Alhamdullilah”, which means all praise is to God. If a good thing happens to us it is by the will of God, and we should be thankful, and if a test is given to us, a calamity befalls on us, it is also by the will of God, and we need to be patient for that is a test from the Creator. So in either situation we say, “All Praise is to God”.

FG: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Zohra: “That successful people do what unsuccessful people will not do.” That to have success we must sacrifice for it, work hard, and enrich lives.

FG: What would you tell your younger-self if you knew then what you know now?

Zohra: I would tell my younger self, that I should look for great mentors, and not be afraid of the unknown, or to change for the better.

FG: What are some common misconceptions people have about Muslim women in business?

Zohra: Some misconceptions that I face is that as a Muslim Woman is that I am not allowed to work, or that I am oppressed, because I choose to dress as a Muslim Woman, which is not true at all. I have to always clarify that what they see on TV is not the correct image of Islam, unfortunately the media looks for the worst side of a community, and then picks that up and prints it, and discusses it. The world watching is thinking that this is a good source of information and believes what they see and hear. My comeback response to the misconceptions is that every group has been in the media at one time of their lives, and they had to fight for justice and equality. The Native Indians went through it, The Black Americans have gone through it, Women have gone through this, The Japanese went through this after Pearl Harbor, and now it is the Muslims turn…Unless we change from being ignorant, we will continue on this pattern of ignorance, and the only ones we hurt are truly ourselves.

FG: How have other Muslim women and your family reacted to your career choice?

Zohra: They respect it. They wish they too could work from home. They look up to me to help them and surcharge them to achieve their destiny. My family is very supportive and also respects my decision.

Finish this sentence….

Women should stop complaining about______ and start doing _____________

Zohra: Women should stop complaining about their past and start doing something to achieve their future.

For more information on Zohra’s books, coaching services and speaking topics please visit www.ZohraSarwari.com or www.MuslimWomanSpeaker.com

Women 2 Watch-Rashan Ali

Women 2 Watch 1 Response »

Feb 262010

Friday Girl celebrates Women’s History Month by catching up this week with multimedia personality, Rashan Ali, as she talks about following her dreams, finding love and why Sporty Girls make the world go round….

FG: You got your start by winning a contest to be an on-air personality as part of the Ryan Cameron Morning Show. How do you feel entertainment and talent contests like this have changed the entertainment industry?

Rashan: I won a contest to be on The Ryan Cameron Morning Show back in 2002. I am all for contests that promote real talent and I think HOT 107.9’s contest definitely did that for me. I didn’t just show up at the ‘cattle call.’ I felt like my Broadcast Journalism degree from Florida A&M University where I had my own radio show for three years held some real weight. Mix that with God’s blessing and a new career was born!

FG: Had you already had previous experience as a media personality? What were you doing professionally before you won the contest and how did you know you were prepared to make such a big leap into the entertainment?

Rashan: I did everything before my ‘big break!!’ When the contest took place, I was working at the Atlanta Board of Education in the Accounts Payable Department. Whenever I speak at a school or wherever I share my story, I tell everyone that HOT 107.9 was my 8thjob out of college! I worked at FOX Sports South as a production assistant. I was Left Eye’s personal assistant. I worked in the Music Video Department at LaFace Records. Peppermint Music at Greenbriar Mall…wanted to be a rapper, back-up dancer and singer. I have to say there’s nothing I didn’t at least try! I think a lot of creative people can attest to this! I know I was extremely prepared because I had been through so much trying to “find my niche.”

FG: Once people recognized you as a great radio personality, how did you prepare to transition into television and film?

Rashan: The funny thing about it was I was already acting before radio. When I won the contest in February 2002, I was set to shoot a short film in March. We shot for a few months and the movie debuted at Phipps Plaza to a really great turn-out! Television has been a natural progression. I hosted two television shows in college so it’s always been something I wanted to do and I always envisioned taking it to a higher level.

FG: What were the initial steps you took in order to build the Rashan Ali brand?

Rashan: If you know who you are and what you stand for, the brand will build itself. Incredible people like Sheri Riley of Glue Inc. and Monica Coleman of M320 Consulting, among many more, have guided me. Ultimately it comes down to living and being what you want to be perceived as and I think I’m a good example of that.

FG: In addition to all you do, you also work with the Atlanta Hawks. How did you begin working with them?

Rashan: I worked with the Hawks for five seasons! What a wonderful experience! I worked with some amazing people. People who believed in me as a true talent and believed in elevating me. That is always a great feeling. At the time, Ryan Cameron was the in-game host before his transition to PA Announcer. The Hawks were looking to fill a sideline reporter position and he suggested to Hawks personnel that I may be a good fit. The rest is history!

FG: You recently started a non-profit organization called Sporty Girls, dedicated to providing sports activities and programs to young girls who might not otherwise have the opportunity. Why was starting this organization so important to you?

Rashan: Sporty Girls, Inc. is very important to me because I am truly a “Sporty Girl!” I went to college on a swimming scholarship, which is relatively unheard of in our community. I began swimming competitively at the age of five. Not only is swimming good for you physically, but it helped me to cultivate friendships that I still have today. I want African-American girls to participate in swimming, golf, soccer and tennis so that they can receive collegiate scholarships as well. Many times scholarships are awarded to other minorities and even majorities because we typically “don’t do” these sports. I feel like I have a responsibility to girls from all walks of life to at least show them that there are other sports out there besides basketball and track that will allow you to get a free education. We foster lifestyle skills with our girls as well. We believe in having a beautiful balance as a student-athlete.

FG: What are some tips you can give readers that are looking to make a career change?

Rashan: Get direction from God. If you are in alignment with Him, all things will fall according to His will.

FG: When you first begin your career you were single, now you are happily married with children. Can you give advice to some of our single readers on how to accomplish your goals and still find time to date?

Rashan: I was engaged when I started in radio. I was planning a wedding, shooting a movie and enjoying being a part of Ryan’s show. The year 2002 was certainly a transition year for me. I do believe though that women should make sure they make time to pamper themselves with dating. We become so wrapped up in being the best as a professional that we become the worst in our personal lives. There has to be a balance, if not one will eventually outweigh the other leaving you lifted in one and walking in the valley in the other.

FG: Now that you are married, how do you balance running your business and family?

Rashan: I just learned about real balance after the birth of our second daughter. It’s something working-women have to constantly work at. I do know that nothing is more important than God and family and at times we have to remind ourselves of that.

FG: What is a spiritual mantra or philosophy that you live by?

Rashan: I don’t necessarily live by one thing. I seek God in every aspect of my life so that I know my will is completely out the door. I’ve submitted myself to His good and perfect will for me. If anything it would be this: “Lord, if you have found favor in me, show me Your way.”

FG: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Rashan: “Rashan, whatever you do in this business, don’t get lost.”-Wayne K. Brown (former GM of Radio One)

FG: What would you tell your younger-self if you knew then what you know now?

Rashan: I would have worked on believing in myself sooner.

FG: Finish this sentence….

Women should stop complaining about______ and start doing _____________

Rashan: Women should stop complaining about not being where we want to be and start doing everything possible to make our dream a reality.
www.rashanali.net/www.sportygirlsinc.org or Monica Coleman of M320 Consulting

Women 2 Watch-Sheri Riley

Women 2 Watch-Zohra Sarwari

Women 2 Watch-Rashan Ali

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