Note to Self: God Thinks I AM...Entrepreneur
Certainly, building an eCommerce Business isn't simple. In fact, deciding to start a company is one of the most intimidating feelings for many. Some women in business ponder Am I Good Enough to stand in my purpose? Am I Good enough to be an Entrepreneur? Am I confident enough to cultivate my dreams with out permission? There comes a time when we wonder what people will think of us for living a new standard. We forget that no matter what anyone thinks,GOD has thoughts about us as well. What are they?
We discovered Alana Frazier's brand God Thinks I Am to be encouraging to to anyone who wants to start a business and inspiring to women globally.
I asked Alana a few questions about her brand and here are her responses.
What inspired you to create your brand and name your business God Thinks I Am/Then, God Made Woman?
I was inspired, truthfully, by a few things. The first being my desire to do purposeful work, and to exist beyond the concept/notion of solely working in a corporate setting. A large portion of our time is devoted to our jobs and our careers, however, I am certain ... as a matter of fact, I am immensely confident, that God created us to do much more important 'work' than the aforesaid. I was determined to find out the specific call on my life, and to get the answer to that internal query, I spent massive amounts of time in prayer. It was during those times in prayer God that revealed to me the mantra we now know as, 'God Thinks I Am,' which would introduce a new way of thinking to women all over the world.
How long did it take you to decide to move forward with starting a business?
The original idea was actually 'God Thinks I'm Beautiful' (October 2013), and later morphed into the overarching concept of 'God Thinks I Am' (May 2014). We launched a little over a year later in 2015, and as you can see, it took a while to move from idealization to completion, because quite frankly: 1) It took time to elevate my thoughts, and view myself as an entrepreneur (especially one in a more spiritual realm/practice). In addition, I didn't think I was actually capable intellectually to assume the breadth and scope of the work that comes with entrepreneurship. This may seem rather cheesy or self-promoting, but the practice of eradicating those self-deprecating thoughts, and replacing them with God's thoughts, really helped move me out of that mental space. "God thinks I am entrepreneur .... therefore I AM one." or "God thinks I can do this, therefore I CAN." Those were the types of thoughts I concentrated on a consistent and daily basis. 2) Brainstorming and creative concepting (I was certainly operating under the standard of excellence, or nothing at all) 3) Business plan development 4) Funding (God Thinks I Am is completely self-funded) 5) Sample selection. It was really important for 'God Thinks I Am' to carry high-quality tees, that would also work well for numerous body types, which took time to discover 6) Campaign/launch execution (website development, content writing, photo/video shoots, shipping and packaging, etc.)
Why should women wear your brand?
First and foremost, God Thinks I Am is a proclamation of truth, debunking any negative perception, thought, or expectation one may have of you (and even the negative thoughts you have about yourself). For in sum, it is about operating at your highest level, and the only way to do so is to align your thoughts with 'Highest,' most-omnipotent God. We created a tangible line in support of the above that would allow women to express themselves outwardly, as well as for the line to serve as a reminder of the incredible woman God created her to be on a daily basis.
Where are you located? Do you anticipate any pop ups anytime soon?
At the moment, we do not have a brick and mortar location, as we sell our garments exclusively on godthinksiam.com. We did, however, have our very first pop-up shop in October, which doubled as a launch exhibition for our 'Then, God Made Woman' campaign. Additionally, we occasionally serve as a vendor at local events to further connect with our audience, expound on our mission in a face-to-face environment, and obviously sell merchandise.
Who played an instrumental role in starting your business?
God certainly played a tremendous role in starting (and sustaining) the business. To be frank, God is the CEO of 'God Thinks I Am,' and I am simply the vessel carrying out its mission. Without him, and without Him believing in me, 'God Thinks I Am' would surely not exist. It is incredibly humbling knowing that I was chosen as the vessel to carry out such a powerful message, and with that, I've decided I'm going to give it all I've got. I'd have also to say my boyfriend of three years was extremely helpful. He is a business strategist by trade, and he really helped me get God Thinks I Am off the ground. He also pushed me to purse excellence in every category as it pertains to the brand. Lastly, the support of my Mom, sister, cousin, family and friends have also been incredibly helpful, and I thank God for them daily.
What advice would you give to someone who wants start a business such as yours?
A couple things. The first being to just start. Start somewhere. Whether it be getting a logo created, a business plan developed, or creating an LLC ... just take the first step. Everyday you should be touching or thinking about the brand in some capacity, as well as making progress on it (big or small) daily, because believe me, the small steps you take, add up. The second tip would be to know that the small details truly do matter, so take time to think about everything. Lastly, and most importantly, stayed prayed up.
What sizes does your apparel run?
Most of our garments run from a size Small, all the way up to a 2XL.
What impact are you hoping your brand will have on the world?
It is my greatest hope that through God Thinks I Am/Then, God Made Woman, we will help women feel our best ... help us feel empowered ... encourage us to think only the highest thoughts about ourselves, and ultimately, encourage women to imagine all the incredible things we can do and become with God as our power source. Furthermore, our goal is introduce a new way of thinking for women, and encourage them to harness and tap into the power that is already inside them. God has such incredible plans for our lives (plans that are very often too grandiose for our minds to comprehend), and it is my prayer that women begin to align their thoughts with God's, and walk beautifully and purposefully within the incredibly awesome life God has already designed for them.
What's your favorite business moment thus far?
I'd have to say our actual launch last August (2015) was an incredible moment. To see an idea manifest into you everything you've envisioned, and to be used by God, is humbling beyond words I could ever articulate. Followed by a close second would be the 'Then, God Made Woman' launch exhibition event this past October, as it enabled me to express the brand from a more artistic point-of-view. It was also our first event, which marked the conquering of a personal fear I had to overcome (people came ha), and allowed me to interact with our community of women.
Finally, What advice would you give to a woman who feels like they are not good enough?
Who cares what anyone else thinks about you?! God thinks you are a MASTERPIECE (Ephesians 2:10) ... He thinks you are more than a CONQUEROR (Romans 8:37), He thinks you are the LIGHT of the world (Matthew 5:14), and He thinks you are full of incredible STRENGTH (Colossians 1:11). He thinks you are strong and victorious. Beautiful and powerful. Capable and magnificent. All of the above is EXACTLY how God sees you. The question is, are the descriptors above how you're willing to view yourself? The choice is yours. Make the decision today to act on the greatness ... the POWER that lives within you. And when you do that, I promise magical things ... things you can only dream of, will begin to happen.
To ask Alana specific questions please visit www.godthinksiam.com
Indeed, it was a pleasure speaking with Alana Frazier as our Small Business Spotlight. Make Your Dreams Come True Corporation is all about small busines and it's growth. We look forward to discovering more women in business and sharing them with our audience. Are you a woman in business and want to share your story? Join our Business Sisterhood on Facebook Handpicked Ladyprenuers or Join our exclusive group Handpicked High Society by visiting http://www.mydct.net/handpicked-ladyprenuers
