How One Creative Makes a Living Bringing Strangers Together

I’m Shivawn and I’m a producer of podcasts as well as an author. I help people tell their stories. And I host “Seated with Strangers” . I bring strangers together through a podcast and dinner pop-ups in different cities across the U.S. 

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Welcome to the Brand Building Lab, I’m your host Michelle Jackson and I help online entrepreneurs design businesses that lead with empathy and intention while earning money. In today’s episode Shivawn Mitchell shares her project Seated with Strangers, an initiative that brings strangers together over a meal. I absolutely love that she is helping people make connections with new people over dinner making the world a little less lonely and a lot more connected after each meal. 

HARLOW

When I moved into digital entrepreneurship, I found myself collaborating with brands, doing 1099 work and needing to send out invoices and set up systems to keep my business organized. 

It has been an ongoing process to find the right tools and systems for me.  I’m so excited about a new tool that I now use that allows me to invoice clients, set up tasks, and even track my time as I work on tasks. I also  use it as a CRM or client relationship management system. What’s the tool’s name?

Harlow.  

I’m so obsessed with Harlow and am a proud affiliate. Harlow is a woman-owned business, designed by former freelancers who understand the challenges of keeping creative businesses organized. I love how responsive the team is to my questions and emails which is a big deal as they continue to improve and refine this new tool. If you’re looking for a comprehensive system to organize your invoicing, client management and keep yourself organized I encourage you to give Harlow a try. Go  to michelleismoneyhungry.com/harlow to check it out. 

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Listen to the Episode

Show Notes

Michelle-You’re a multi-passionate online creator. Could you take us back to the beginning? How did you figure out what you were good at and what you liked?

Shivawn-I literally wanted to quit my 9-5 and I was sitting at my desk and thought “I don’t want to do this anymore” I remember talking to one of my colleagues at the counseling agency and he said “what’s the worst thing you could do?” From there I pursued my Masters in screenwriting. Originally, my business model wasn’t the best because I didn’t have the language for what to do. 

Michelle-What is different about your lived reality as an online creative vs. what you saw in media.

Shivawn-I saw a lot of creatives who were willing to give away their stuff (products) for free. I was trying to figure out how to value my work and what to charge. I knew what to charge as a counselor, but figuring out how to charge for an idea that’s in your brain. There was a lot of underselling and undervaluing my work. I’m in year 10 or 12 and I finally am comfortable saying what the cost is.

Michelle-I love that you shared how long you’ve been in business. I think it takes awhile to build momentum behind their business. LilNasX is an interesting example of a creative sharing videos on YouTube for awhile. 

Shivawn-A lot of people mistake people’s year 1 vs. where they really are at now.

Michelle-You have a lot of revenue streams that you’re nurturing, how do you do that without losing your mind?

Shivawn-They all have commonalities. My entry point was my book. Then I could be a speaker. But, I self-published with my own company. I didn’t wait for other people to validate my moves. Yes, I produce other people’s podcasts…but, I have my own. 

Michelle-What does your day look like?

Shivawn-I can’t wait until I have an assistant! I think that most business owners aren’t honest about their strengths vs. weaknesses. My weakness was not being organized. You can’t just wing it. Also, Fiverr is my friend. I can at least get support temporarily. I used to think that I didn’t need a routine. NO. You do need a routine.

Michelle-How do you attract business? What are some of the things that you think online entrepreneurs make mistakes with?

Shivawn-Entrepreneurs think that there are no systems needed. You need a system even if you’re generating $100 a month. I had to do a lot of backtracking and found myself working much harder than I needed to. I found that there were some things that I wasn’t doing but they were still in front of people. 

Michelle-One of the tools that I was looking for was something that showed my revenue. I finally found Harlow because it’s an invoicing product, CRM and times tasks. It wasn’t as clear to me as I needed to see what was going on. If you don’t have a system to bring in clients, it can really impact your cash flow. What do you do to avoid gaps in earning? How to avoid financial dips in February? 

Shivawn-That’s such a good question. I literally rely on my clients. I rely on them and word of mouth. That’s where I get the majority of my clients from. I foster relationships. Showing up excellent (every day) My main focus is to serve my clients well. 

Michelle-Do you have subscription based products, books, etc.?

Shivawn-I have books, I had ebooks. What I do is I look at where are we going and where I want the business to go. I knew that I wanted to have merch because we’re going to be in person next year. Even with my books, they’re specific to creatives. If you would like to connect with me outside the dinner parties, read my book. I’ve been beta testing a “Seated with Strangers” community

Michelle-I love that you’re making a living bringing people together. If you were to start your online business again what would you do differently?

Shivawn-I would show up 100% as myself. When I first started I was a clothing blogger…but, that’s just not who I am. 

Michelle-If someone is lonely as an online entrepreneur what’s your advice?

Shivawn-One of my best friends I literally met online. We met on Twitter on Black Twitter days LOL! I’m her kids’ godmother. A lot of times we tell ourselves that everyone online is “trash” If you see something that other people are doing-cheer them on. 

Michelle-For people who would like to follow you, how can they do that?
Shivawn-Go to https://seatedwithstrangers.com or on Instagram: seatedwithstrangerspod