BE GOLD LOVE

It’s officially OFFICIAL and I am so excited that you are here!! Today is the beginning of the blog series Women Rising to the Top, Part 2, which is a special series to honor some amazing entrepreneurs in light of Women’s HERstory Month. Yeah, you read that right HER story. These women are really out here doing their thing, so they definitely deserve some recognition. Hit that follow button and subscribe. I promise you don’t want to miss out on this! Now let’s get started…

Small details definitely matter when it comes to fashion. Now, if you pay attention to fashion like me, then you know how important jewelry and accessories are. They really express our styles and personalities and gives us a complete & more polished look. When I first saw the gold bangles and matching ring set via Be Gold Love website, I thought they were very different yet so cute and stylish! I thought to myself, I could easily pair these up with MOST of my outfits. So, it was definitely a YES for me. I had to have these!

I immediately ordered them & when I received them, I fell in love with them even more. I could not believe how VIBRANT, comfortable, and light weight they were. And honey they flattered my SKIN tone perfectly!

So that brings me to our first Beautiful & Vivacious guest Today!

Yolanda J: Today I would like to introduce you to the lovely Ms. Calencia!! She’s an event curator and founder of Be Gold Love (BGL)! BGL is a lifestyle brand that aims to encourage women to practice self-love and self-care every day through meaningful and unique jewelries and self-care accessories.

Hi Calencia!! I’m so glad to have you on this platform today. Thank you for joining us. So, let’s kick this off with discussing your entrepreneurial journey. Could you tell us how Be Gold Love all started?

Calencia: I wanted to start my own business for a while to have a creative outlet for myself. I felt like I wasn’t fully utilizing all my talents at work, and I had a desire for more. It was difficult for me to decide on what particular business I would start. I knew I was talented, but I didn’t know which business to start first. I knew I wanted a lifestyle brand. Be Gold Love was created to inspire, motivate, and guide my consumers to much needed self-care. Self-care was something I was lacking, and I saw the impact it had on my body and mental health. My top priority was to ensure there was meaning behind products offered to my consumers because I desired for my business to be a space for self-love.

Another important factor for my business was being able to celebrate women of color. By being a black woman, it was amazing to see so many black women leave the corporate lifestyle behind during the pandemic and become 100% full time entrepreneur. It inspired me and really pushed me to put myself out there. So, I started sourcing different items and remembered how much I adored these gold bracelets that I had purchased on a trip to Thailand.

So, I started searching for the right vendor and placed an order. I literally had the bracelets for about 3-4 months before I acted on anything. My sister told me about an upcoming Black Business Expo in Dec 2021. She suggested I should be a vendor at the market, so I paid the fee and literally within a couple weeks I worked on establishing my business, Be Gold Love, and the rest is history.

Yolanda J: I love it! It definitely seems like you have found your passion and your purpose to encourage and inspire women to be successful in whatever they desire to do.

Ok, let’s dig a little deeper into your story. I know from experience that being an entrepreneur isn’t easy so can you tell your readers what some of your biggest challenges that you’ve faced?

Calenica: I think the biggest challenge is realizing your support will not come from the people you feel should support you. And that’s ok! You have to know that your customers and supporters sometimes will be the people you at LEAST expect so continue to build connections.

I think the biggest challenge is realizing your support will not come from the people you feel should support you. And that’s ok!

– Calencia

Yolanda J: **claps** Chile you said a word here!! Everyone is not your target audience or your cheerleader. Your products or your service will not be for everyone. And everyone might not understand what you are CREAT-ING. This was definitely something I had to learn myself as a blogger.

So, Calencia what motivated you to keep going? What event or events had to happen for you to stay the course and NOT GIVE UP?

Calencia: I think what really motivates me to keep going is knowing that I have a lot offer to this world. Additionally, I want my son to see me as an entrepreneur as he grows up, so he knows he has OPTIONS. I never want him to feel like he has to “play it safe” when it comes to his dreams and aspirations.

Yolanda J: Teaching a child early that there are no limitations to what they can DO speaks volumes in their lives. Your son is so lucky to have a mother like YOU to look up to.

Can you tell us a little bit about where your business ideas/plans came from? 

Calencia: I really took inspiration from bloggers, friends and family. I’ve always knew I had an EYE for special things, and I built upon that.

Now, when people ask you what you do, do you tell them your title, or do you tell them what you offer?

Calencia: I tell people that I curate events for women of color and sell products with a purpose. Right now, Be Gold Love consists of meaningful jewelry and eucalyptus shower bundles. BGL is a brand that embodies self-love and remembering to put yourself 1st.

Yolanda J: Nice! I love the name Be Gold Love by the way. It’s catchy and most importantly I believe that it really supports the story of your brand.

So, what do you do on a daily basis to continue your growth as an entrepreneur? What are some things you can no longer do? Also, what are some practices you have to put in place that help you grow as a business?

Calencia: I keep myself motivated with affirmations, staying prayed up and having faith that my purpose will be fulfilled. It is not easy being an entrepreneur, full time mom and career woman. I realized slowly but surely; I can’t post every day. I know that goes against algorithms and what bloggers say. That may work for some but that doesn’t work for me. I tried it initially, but it led to burnout for me.

Yolanda J: Honeeey!! ALL OF THIS I can relate to so well! It can definitely be a struggle with maintaining the right balance through different roles that we have. You’ve got to stop & listen to body, follow your gut, and do what works best for you!

Calencia, knowing what you know now, what would be one piece of advice you would give yourself or to anyone out there who may be interested in starting a business?

Calencia: The one piece of advice I would give to myself is to find a mentor. My personality is not the type to ask for help. However, there is beauty and strength behind asking for help because you don’t know everything, and you shouldn’t. WE LEARN so much more from others.

There is BEAUTY and strength behind asking for help because you don’t know everything & you shouldn’t. WE LEARN so much more from others.

-Calencia

Yolanda J: You’re right…the need to BE independent can sometimes hinder us from seeking the help that can provides us with the connection and knowledge we might need…not to mention the support.

I want to ASK you One last question, before we wrap up!

How would you like people to remember YOU & Be Gold Love?

Calencia: I would like to be known as a woman of GENEROSITY & ONE who helped create opportunities for my community. Be Gold Love’s legacy will follow closely with my personal legacy as well. BGL will be known for intentionally making spaces for women to FEEL GREAT about themselves.

Yolanda J: Calencia, I enjoyed your story! It was such a pleasure to have you here as a feature. Thanks again for taking the time to share your journey with us.

STAY TUNED for the next feature shared THIS Friday.

AND of course, I would LOVE for YOU to hit THE FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE button.

For ADDITIONAL info on BGL:

“Walking in my PURPOSE on PURPOSE”

YOLANDA J