At 36 years of age, it seems like I’m a bit late in the game to start a blog – but here we are. I started this project for a few reasons, some more pragmatic than others. From learning how to build a site on WordPress, to developing my personal brand through publishing my thoughts and reflections. As well I thought it was important to document my mindset during these wild times. Outside of that, I also want to use this platform to challenge stereotypes while showing that black men are well-rounded individuals, that don’t always align with the images portrayed of them in media. I’ve never been great at talking about myself, but now that we are close to launching Sadie & Sajin, I figured this is a great place to talk about that journey as well.
Our digital agency – Sadie, is rooted in empathy, we take purposeful action to step into the shoes of our clients, the humans they are trying to connect with as well as our internal and external partners. All this with the goal of better understanding the people we are working with on a human level. We try to embody this notion of empathy as much as possible – so much so that we are about to launch our green tea brand Sajin which will help us understand the mindset of a product-based business owner – while understanding the challenges they may face. So with that in mind, to better understand what my business partner goes through when developing sites for our clients I realized I needed to know the actual steps and work that goes into building and maintaining a site. Now I’ve built a few sites before, but all were fairly simple and on Squarespace or other platforms that make it super easy. With WordPress, I was challenged to learn a basic amount of coding, and the fun of plugins. I won’t bore you with the nerdy stuff, but It’s pretty amazing seeing a vision you have in your head, come to life on the screen in front of you with a few lines of seemingly gibberish letters & numbers.
A concept that has stuck with me from my times working at Buzzfeed – was that all things being equal the majority of people will align themselves with a brand that shares similar values as them. As small business owners and entrepreneurs, we ourselves can often be seen as that brand – which makes ensuring your personal brand is reflective of what you want it to be so important. So the intention with this blog/project is to reflect but also to inject my thoughts and reflections on the zeitgeist of the time, while also provide a BTS look into what building & launching two brands during the craziness of 2020 looks/looked like.
Lastly, I think it’s really important to be apart of changing the narrative, breaking down stereotypes, and being part of a conversation that needs to be had. Black men are often categorized into very specific stereotypes. Providing content that aligns with my personal interests from mindfulness, to nature, cooking and digital marketing, I aim to be a voice (albeit a small voice) to help to change this perception.
The goal of course is not to be an “influencer” in the social media sense of the word. It’s simply here to serve as a record for my future self, whether that be in a month or a decade. To be able to look back at my thoughts & mindset during these times – which are both scary and exciting will serve as a great record as I move forward and my goals ebb and flow.
Thank You for Being Here.
J
Love it ❤ Congrats friend 👏