Donna Maria Coles Johnson, Esq. - Successful.Sista.Profiles

Donna Maria Coles Johnson, Esq.
Indie Business Media, LLC
Founder & CEO
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Donna Maria Coles Johnson’s Bio:
Along with my husband and business partner, I publish a blog, books, magazines and host a Indie Business Radio to help women and families successfully manage home and business, without compromising either. I am the founder and president of the Indie Beauty Network, a membership based trade organization providing business services to 700+ cosmetics manufacturers nationwide. I am also the Work at Home Network Director for Mocha Moms, Inc., a non-profit organization supporting women of color who have exited the traditional work force to be more available to their families while their children are young. Last but not least, I am mothering two wonderful children, ages 4 and 6.

Successful Sista Survey
Success Stories and experiences of Business Women that we all can relate to and learn from.

Did you always want to be a Business Woman?
I always wanted to be a career woman. However, it was not until my early 30’s that I personally considered entrepreneurship. I was raised in a traditional environment where everyone had a job. My parents were career employees and very proud of the work they did as the civilian secretary to an Army colonel and a secondary school principal. Even though both of them were raised by entrepreneurs, they came of age during a time when a traditional job was considered more secure in the long term than a business of your own. Their life experience had a profound effect on me early on, but ultimately, I chose to exit corporate America to design a career and a life of my own — one that I own and control, and which gives me the flexibility and independence I need to be available to my husband and children, ages 4 and 6.

How would you describe your experience as a Black Entrepreneur?
Exhilarating and fulfilling!! My business is a calling on my life to help women and their families experience the benefits that come along with owning a business and a brand of your own, while also providing for myself and my family. Through many life experiences, including my educational background, work experience and some tragedies in my life, I am persuaded that God has uniquely equipped me to be of service in this way. So this is what gets me up early in the morning and keeps me up long after my husband and I have bathed our kids and put them to bed.

My business is my life and my life is my business, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Looking back on your business decisions, is there anything that you would have done differently?
Too many things to name!! I would have excelled more in high school and in college, instead of limiting myself so other people did not think I thought I was “better than them.” I would not have flunked Estates & Trusts class in law school. I would have applied to more colleges and universities so I had more options. (I only applied to one — lucky I got in!) I would have spent more time asking questions instead of being afraid of looking dumb because I was asking questions. I would have been more careful with money early on in my business. When I started my business, I still had a traditional job that paid a lot of money. I was not very careful with it. Oh, how I wish I could have some of those dollar bills now!

Having said all of that, I am not limited by past decisions. I learn from them, and try to do better next time and encourage others not to make the same mistakes I made.

Did you have any formal business training? Do you think this is important to be successful?
After law school, I served as an attorney at a few law firms and at a Fortune 500 company where my business training was on- the-job. Before that, I had been a journalism major in undergraduate school.

Formal business training is an asset, but only one of many. What’s just as important is education, and that comes in many forms, not all of them formal.

Too many people limit themselves simply by virtue of the fact that they don’t have some professional background or experinece or other. I see it all the time. They look at someone with formal training, and decide that they could never achieve their dreams because they don’t have such training. That’s a cop out. While it’s true that not everyone has the internal constitution to be successful in business, it’s not solely because they don’t have formal training. There are always other reasons that are at least as significant as that.

In business, your God-given gifts and talents, your creativity, your independent thinking and your drive to achieve are your best assets. Armed with those 4 things, you can change your family legacy and the world. Formal business training will help you do that, but if you let not having it stop you, that’s your choice.

What funding sources have worked for you?
My own bootstraps. My business is debt free and that’s a blessing. It’s worth the all-nighters to own 100% of your business because this is the only way you can have maximum leverage. In order to be profitable, you have to turn every dollar into about $15 in sales. You can’t get ahead if much of what you make is owed to someone else.

I believe that, along with God and education, business is the great emancipator of our lives. The reality is that, he who owns the gold makes the rules. You have to structure your business so that you keep more of the money you make. Any outside funding should be short term and designed to be eliminated as quickly as possible.

How has family/friend support financially or otherwise affected your business efforts?
When people have supported me, it has helped me greatly and I am so thankful. My parents never funded the business, but they have been personally generous from time to time (especially when it comes to their grand children!) so that I could put more of the business income back into the business instead of using them for family needs. I have some incredible girl friends who support my work and lift me up personally. My brother is a very smart guy who owns his own business. He’s my free Board of Directors. My Pastor and his family are also great supporters. They pray for the forward motion of my business and that it will be a blessing to others.

How do you work on making your business grow?
I maximize the use of technology, work the media and seek out and develop complementary relationships that lead to new opportunities. I also work very hard to focus my efforts on activities that have a return, either in my life or my business, or in the life and business of another person. Each activity has specific targeted outcomes. I have also learned the importance of saying, “no,” and I do that a lot.

What words of wisdom can you share with other business women?
Complacency is the enemy of all progress. Don’t just plan. Execute the plan. Change it as you go if you have to, but make sure it gets done. Never accept that what you have right now is as good as it gets. Never settle for mediocrity. You’ve got to get out there and hustle for your piece of the pie.